Jukung, jukung, jukung, pool villa. jukung, jukung, jukung, palm tree, jukung, yoga shala ,jukung, jukung, coconut, smile, infinity pool, rooster, jukung, jukung, villa, warung, palm tree, jukung, jukung, swimmimg pool, happiness, jukung, jukung, jukung, restuarant, dive centre, palm tree – that is Amed beaches for you in a nutshell.
Few enlightened ones know of a paradise in eastern Bali called Amed. There, you’ll find black sand beaches that dip down to the best snorkelling reefs in Bali and Mount Agung in the background. Amed beaches are truly idyllic-perfect for those searching for a beautiful and quiet holiday in Bali.
In Amed, life is simple, and it’s still a fishing village at heart. The entire length of Amed’s beaches is lined with jukungs (traditional wooden boats), but just beyond them, you’ll find warungs, guesthouses, hotels, villas and infinity pools. It’s a very comfortable and beautiful fishing village.
The beaches in Amed are not crowded, and the busiest (Jemeluk and Lipah) can best be described as buzzing with beach bums rather than busy. Go to any of the other beaches, and you might have them to yourself or , god forbid, have to share it with a snorkeler or two, a few jukungs or local kids flying kites or kicking ball on the sand.
In this post, we’ll show you the eight beaches that make up Amed (from north to south), tell you what to expect from them and tell you about the best places to stay for your Amed vacation.
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Amed Beach
Amed Beach is the first beach as you enter town. It’s a long stretch of black sand that runs from the north until it meets Jemeluk Beach. You can see the entire Mount Agung from the beach, the only Amed beach where this is possible.
Along with Jemeluk, Amed Beach is pretty much downtown, with many restaurants, dive centres, and budget accommodations. Due to its black sand, Amed Beach gets incredibly hot midday, and shade is sparse on the beach itself. There are a few beachside warungs to escape the sun.
Late afternoon and sunsets are great, as the light softens, the sand cools down, and the dark sand pops, making great photo opportunities. Strolling along Amed Beach around sunset is popular with visitors and locals alike.
Most accommodations along Amed Beach do not have swimming pools and are geared toward budget travellers. It’s also an excellent area to stay for those who don’t rent scooters to get around, as there are many restaurants in the area.
Where to stay on Amed Beach: Right in the middle of the action on Amed Beach, Amed Beach Villa has double and twin rooms, great views of the beach and Agung, and a pool.
Our Favourite Amed Beach restaurant: Natnat is the best (and only) Thai restaurant in Amed. The Roof Top is great for sundowners.
Jemeluk Beach
Directly south of Amed Beach, Jemeluk Beach awaits with the same coarse, black sand and calm water. This is the centre of Amed where you’ll find the most things happening in town. Spoiler alert- little happens in Amed.
Jemeluk Beach sits in a curve of the bay right beneath Sunset Point. The bay is mirror flat with the best coral gardens beneath. It is the best snorkelling spot in Amed. The coral starts a few meters from the water’s edge, with healthy hard coral with abundant sea life. Expect lots of small colourful fish, some bigger stuff like Titan fish and parrot fish, and a turtle or two if you’re lucky.
Jemeluk Beach is also home to the Underwater Temple, literally a stone’s throw from the beach. The floating black buoy marks the spot.
Sun beds, umbrellas, and snorkelling gear are available for rent by the day. Like elsewhere in Amed, it’s perfectly acceptable to order a drink from any warung and leave your stuff there while swimming or snorkelling if you don’t feel like renting a sun bed for the entire day. You could also throw open your sarong or beach towel on the sand for free.
Jemeluk Beach is still budget and mid-range territory, with most accommodations without pools. This is the best area to stay for those without their own wheels, as you have the best snorkelling and restaurants in Amed right on your doorstep.
To see Jemeluk Beach at its most beautiful, you must visit Sunset Point at sunset.
Where to stay on Jemeluk Beach: Bali Villa Coral is the best spot for snorkellers. You can be from your bed to the reef within a minute. Friendly place with real smiles.
Favourite Jemeluk Beach restaurant: Most warungs here have the same menu – Catch of the Day or nasi goreng. Much better options at Amed Beach just up the street (or beach).
We love Amed Kedai for its cool reggae tunes, cold drinks, and atmosphere. It is also the best place in Amed for live music at night.
Batu Halus & Bunutan Beaches
Sunset Point, sitting above the southern end of Jemeluk, is not only the best sunset spot in Amed but also a divider. South of here, accommodations become more exclusive, with swimming pools, private villas, and bungalows being the norm.
Going around the headland, you’ll find Batu Halus Beach just south of Sunset Point. This short beach is a mix of dark sand and rock, with great snorkelling just a few metres away. It’s one of the quietest areas with not much going on in terms of beaches, as access seems to be for guests only.
There are a few swanky villas and resort-style hotels here, popular with families. Some of our favourite restaurants in Amed are on the road along Batu Halus Beach.
Batu Halus then melts into Bunutan Beach (we couldn’t find a distinct border, but locals insist they are not the same).
Bunutan Beach is a long stretch of beach, mostly empty except for the armada of jukungs. A few guesthouses and hotels are along this stretch, but it’s still pretty undeveloped with a fishing village feel. It’s a bit of a transition zone between the budget-friendly north and luxe-south.
It’s definitely one of the quietest parts of Amed. If you’re writing a novel and want to get away from it all while snorkelling or doing yoga in between, you’ll like Bunutan Beach.
Where to stay on Bunuten Beach: Wawa Wewe 11 is right on the beach with beautiful freestanding villas in a tropical garden.
Favourite Bunuten Beach restaurant: Warung Sabar has a fantastic seafood basket, and the black rice pudding is dynamite.
Lipah Beach
Lipah Beach is another long stretch of grey sand backed by palm trees and tons of jukungs on the sand. The sand is finer than the beaches north of here and has some magnificent coral, making it one of the top snorkelling spots in Amed.
We like Lipah Beach quite a bit for its fine sand, clear water and easy access to the snorkelling reef. At the southern end of Lipah Beach, near Vienna Beach Resort, a few white poles are sticking out of the water to indicate where snorkellers and divers can access the reef on a sandy bottom to protect the coral.
Lipah Beach is also popular with dive schools, and you’ll see the rookies walk in from the beach for one of their first dives in the open water.
Lipah Beach is one of the busier beaches, with sunbeds and snorkelling gear for rent by the day.
Where to stay on Lipah Beach: Kalimaja Amed Villa has views to sell your kidney for, and it’s a minute from Lipah Beach.
Favourite Lipah Beach restaurant: Warung Agung – try the corn fitters for starters and the caramelised pineapple for dessert.
Bintang/Bhima/Lean Beach
The next Amed beach can be a bit confusing, as it goes by several names. Google Maps gives it as Bintang or Bhima Beach, while locals call it Lean Beach after the village of Lean.
Regardless of what you call it, this stretch of fine grey sand is, yes, you guessed it, littered with jukungs and backed by coconut trees swaying in the breeze with a few boutique hotels.
The road between Lipah and Lean crosses a small river, and that bridge marks the beginning of our favourite part of Amed. While the restaurants, snorkelling, and Sunset Point up north are all great, we love the quiet charms, luxury accommodations and almost deserted beaches of southern Amed.
Lean Beach has no facilities besides the hotels and resorts along the beach. If you’re visiting Lean Beach, you’re most likely visiting it from your hotel right on the beach or looking at it from your swimming pool.
We have not snorkelled here, but we guess it will be pretty decent.
Where to stay on Lean Beach: Life in Amed has six freestanding Balinese cottages and villas around a swimming pool, and it’s right on the beach. Also a great place for yoga lovers.
Favourite Lean Beach restaurant: Life in Amed is also the best restaurant in the area. Try the pepes ikan and the decadent chocolate cake.
Selang Beach
Small Selang Beach has a bit of a split personality. One half is a fishing village only, while the other has our favourite hotel in Amed – Aquaterrace. It feels a little like a private beach resort.
Selang Beach has coarse sand and gravel in some spots, with great snorkelling. There is also good shade if you need it. You’re likely to have the beach to yourself. If you’re not a beach person, you can always just look at it from Aquaterrace’s wonderful infinity pool.
There is a small temple or shrine of some sort on the fishing village side, where we’ve seen some ceremonies on several occasions, so it’s wonderful if you want to get a glimpse of authentic Amed life.
The area has limited dining options besides Green Melon Warung and the Aquaterrace Bistro, which serve great Japanese food (the owners are an Indonesian/ Japanese couple).
Where to stay on Selang Beach: With its incredible infinity pool, luxe rooms and great in-house massage, Aquaterrace is the place to be in Amed.
Favourite Selang Beach restaurant: The Aquaterrace Bistro does great sushi, katsu, tempura and other Japanese food.
Ibus Beach
Our favourite beach in Amed is Ibus Beach. We stayed there for a week this August; it was just grand.
Although Ibus Beach is small, it boasts soft sand, plenty of shade, fantastic snorkelling, and two outstanding restaurants. With just three hotels on the beach and a significant distance from “downtown Amed,” Ibus Beach offers a serene and laid-back vibe.
Families or lovers looking for some quiet but quality beach time would love Ibus.
The Japanese Shipwreck is located a mere five-minute walk down the road. Alternatively, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can swim around the corner of Ibus Beach to reach it.
However, it’s important to note that having a scooter or your own mode of transportation is highly recommended. Getting to the restaurants or Sunset Point on a scooter takes approximately 20 minutes. Since we enjoy riding scooters, we had the chance to explore all of Amed’s beaches this way.
We would cruise by them every day on our way to eat or snorkel, frequently stopping to check out what was going on behind that palm tree.
Where to stay on Ibus Beach: We stayed at Amed Dream and loved the deep infinity pool and lawn right on the beach.
We peeked over the wall to the neighbouring property, Aquamarine Beach Villas, and envied those people living their best lives in the private pool villas.
Favourite Ibus Beach restaurant: Trattoria has the best pizza in Amed, while Ibus Seaview Warung has fresh seafood and Balinese food.
Japanese Shipwreck Beach
The Japanese Shipwreck Beach is at the very end of what would classify as Amed. It’s that spot on the old maps where the lines blur and give way to dragons or sea monsters warning you not to go any further.
The beach here is covered in large pebbles, making walking on the beach a painful experience. Be careful when you enter the water to go snorkel.
Almost everyone visits only to snorkel at the wreck, but there is a lovely resort right there. If you fancy a snorkel sesh over a sunken Japanese vessel before breakfast every morning, this might just be your spot.
Where to stay at the Japanese Shipwreck: Nalini Resort is right by the shipwreck, and guests love the tranquil setting and food.
Where to eat: Not much in the immediate area. Walk five minutes up the road to Ibus Beach for fresh seafood or Italian.
From north to south, we’ve run you through all the beautiful Amed beaches. Tough choice, but you gotta choose one (or all)
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