Amed: Bali's quietest place to work
About three hours east of Canggu, Amed is a string of fishing villages along a black-sand coast, with Mount Agung filling the sky behind them. There are no beach clubs, almost no coworking, and very little noise, which is exactly why a certain kind of remote worker comes here and stays. If you're weighing it against the south, the guide to Bali's areas puts it in context.
The coast
Amed's beaches are black volcanic sand lined with jukung, the outrigger fishing boats that go out before dawn. Jemeluk, Lipah and Amed Beach itself are the ones to know, calm enough to swim most of the year and backed by the volcano. Mornings are the time to see them, when the boats come back in.
What's under the water
The reason most people come. Amed has some of the best snorkelling and diving in Bali, with coral a few metres from the shore and Jemeluk Bay as the easy starting point. The dive centres along the coast run everything from a first try to technical courses, and the Liberty wreck at Tulamben is a short drive north. It's one of the few places on the island where a lunch-break dive is a realistic plan.
Tirta Gangga
Forty minutes inland, the former royal water palace is a garden of pools, stepping stones and fountains built in the last century by the Raja of Karangasem. Go early, before the tour groups, and it's one of the most peaceful hours you'll spend in Bali.
Lempuyang
Pura Lempuyang Luhur is one of Bali's most sacred temples, high on a hill, and its split gate frames Mount Agung perfectly on a clear morning. The full climb to the upper temples is long and steep, so go early and wear something appropriate: a sarong is required.
Tenganan
One of the island's oldest villages, home to the Bali Aga people, who've kept customs from before the Majapahit era. It's known for geringsing, a double-ikat cloth woven by only a handful of places in the world. Buying directly from the weavers is the right way to take a piece home.
Working from Amed
Amed's Wi-Fi handles calls in most places, but ask for a speed test before you book, because it varies more here than in the south. There's no coworking to fall back on, so wherever you stay is your office for the whole trip.
Amed is brilliant at giving you the quiet to think. Mornings in the water, a volcano at the window, nothing to pull you away.
What it can't give you is a desk. Villas this far east are furnished for holidays even more than in the south, and there's no hot desk down the road when your back starts to complain.
That part is ours. A height-adjustable desk, an ergonomic chair and a 32-inch 4K monitor come together as The Best at $345 a month, and we deliver anywhere in Bali. Amed sits outside our free-delivery zone, so message us for the rate, and we'll move it free once a month when you head back south. The villa office guide covers the rest of the setup.
