Great Insider’s Tips to Travel in Amed, Bali
Whoever said Amed was a small sleepy fishing town much smaller and less to do than its neighbor Candi Dasa was giving you a handful of bull honkey. In actuality it is now a fun town sprawling approx 15 km chock full of restaurants, hotels, beach bungalos and even a nightlife. Actually I think there is more to do and see in Amed than Candi Dasa. Candi Dasa does have access to the Bali Aga, which, while incredibly interesting, and a look into early Bali, can be dangerous for outsiders and is not recommended without an experienced guide. Don’t get us wrong, Candi Dasa is worth a visit and is quite charming with some great hotels and some right on the beach. We recommend The Nirwana Resort http://thenirwana.com in Candi Dasa. It’s a bit pricey (maybe $100 per night), but it offers a great pool and it’s right on the water. This brings us to one of the big downfalls of Candi Dasa. While I say its right on the water, this does not mean on the beach. In fact, there is very little beach in Candi Dasa at all, and much of it is a breakwater with very little swimmable area. This is another reason to prefer Amed, as there is a good beach with entertaining snorkeling right in front of many of the hotels and bungalows. The coral is not plentiful and much of it has been destroyed, but you can find some coral gardens if you know where to go. There are however, many colorful fish that make the snorkeling worthwhile. The waves are generally small but can reach almost a meter kicking up the sand and decreasing visibility but the beauty of it is, you can watch the conditions from the hotel pool, and walk a few steps into the ocean whenever you feel the time is right.
Three Brother's Hotel's infinity pool overlooking the ocean and Mount Agung Volcano
The guidebooks and travel sites will tell you ‘Life in Amed’ Restaurant is the best in town but that is highly inaccurate. Our meal there was fairly tasteless but the presentation and alang-alang roof covered dining area is quite nice.
For some confusing reason, several businesses in Amed share the same name but are different entities. For example there are 3 different ‘3 Brother’s Hotel’ and a couple Wa Wa We We’s, so you need to know which one is better. Wa Wa We We 1 is the bar and WWWW2 is the hotel and restaurant. #1 is fun on most nights and currently has live music on Wednesday and Saturday nights. You will find many local expats here, mainly from the diving community along with some true locals as well as tourists. It’s a good mix and for a town that is supposed to be small and sleepy, it can really be a good time. As for the 3 ‘3 Brothers’ locations, they are right next to each other and choose the one with the pool (the northern most location). It hosts a small but quite nice infinity pool over looking the ocean. It can’t quite accommodate all the guests of the hotel at once but that’s rarely a problem as some are sure to be out snorkeling, diving or elsewhere in town. While the staff is not overly welcoming, we found the hotel to be a good value. It’s inexpensive at about $30 per night (including AC and hot shower) with a small breakfast (the egg jaffels are tasty). The best room is most likely the 2nd closest to the pool/ocean as it’s a bit more private than the one overlooking the pool and ocean. The 3 rooms in the back offer a second floor with 2 additional beds for families or those traveling with a driver. While we like 3 Brothers, we think Kembali Bungalos right next door is an even better place to stay. Its still inexpensve but just a bit nicer, the staff is much friendlier and the snorkeling right out front is even better. Head straight out and then to your left for wonderful coral gardens and lots of big colorful fish.
3 Brothers- a good choice for accommodation in Amed, Bali
As an aside, don't try to translate 3 brothers into Bahasa Indonesia (tiga suadara) as surprisingly; none of the local Balinese seemed to know what this referred to. There is no Wi-Fi at 3 Brothers but we would simply walk 2 doors down to the Amed Café, order a Bintang, overlook the ocean and use theirs. The Amed Café also offers more beach chairs by the ocean if the pool at 3 Brother’s is at capacity (which it never was while we were there ever during full occupancy.
The main reason for the change from sleepy fishing town to Amed’s current state is the diving industry. There are several good dive spots in the area including two shipwrecks. The Japanese sunk the SS Liberty about 7 km north of town in Tulamben, and the US returned the favor about a half hour catamaran ride south of town. Both are quite shallow and can be enjoyed snorkeling,. You can see the cannons, the deck and the splayed open hull. But to get the full feel a good scuba company can get you inside the wrecks. We recommend Diving Concepts and if you are lucky enough to get Miki as your guide, you will be stoked. But all the instructors and guides are highly trained and speak several languages well.
Amed's black sand beach provides spectacular views of Mt Agung Volcano and BOTH sunrise AND sunset!
For a real local traditional experience head to Culik Market in Amed. The food is excellent and crazy cheap. We got a truckload of nasi bungkus, fish satay, lawar, and other super tasty treats for about $4 USD. It’s quite a deal and a great experience too considering we spent over $30 USD at Life in Amed and the food was nowhere near as tasty as the market.
One last note that makes Amed a really special place is that you can view both the sunrise and the sunset from the same beach! Both illuminate massive Gunung Agung volcano, the anchor of Balinese tradition and houses Bali’s Gods.
Amed has earned its place into our regular tour itineraries and we look forward to visiting again. For more information on Amed, Candi Dasa, accommodations and other tips and tricks, just contact us at m@Balifornian.com.
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Thanks and happy travels from all of us at Balifornian Villas, Tours and Travel Blog
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Sunday, July 8, 2012 at 7:42AM 
The seaside town of Candidasa is a great place to visit for the day.
