Feeding of Banteng cattle in Medewi.

Medewi is a beach village in West Bali. This is a tiny village in one of the least visited areas of Bali. It is very much a surfing hot spot, and most visitors who do stay here stay for that reason alone. For non-surfers, it does offer a glimpse of what so much of Bali was like before the growth of mass tourism in the 1970s, and is a great place to relax.

Understand

This community extends up the broad valley for 10 km, as farmland with paddy fields and straggling settlement, before ending at the steeper uncultivable terrain. The area used to be forested with many Ketket or thorny trees. In Balinese, thorny forest is Alas Meduwi so the place became called Medewi. The hills beyond the farmland are an uninhabited protected forest, with no roads, and no access to West Bali National Park. So the only part of interest to travellers is the strip of coastal main highway and the beach itself. Medewi is part of Pekutatan district, and is adjacent to Pekutatan village just east, so those facilities are also included here.

Get in

Medewi is about 75 km west of Denpasar on the main south coast road, about 34 km further west than the town of Tabanan. Anyone who travelling from the south of Bali by road to the west coast port town of Gilimanuk will pass by here. The road becomes narrower and at times winding starting from Tabanan until you get out to the coast near Pantai Soka, and the traffic is often heavy on the entire route, including many trucks and buses. Use extra caution if self-driving, especially a motorbike, and bring all the necessary documents, including the original STNK (vehicle registration card) - as this is the main route for the traffic going across to Java, potentially including stolen vehicles, roadblocks are commonplace, and, unlike in the tourist areas of South Bali, the police will not accept a photocopy.

Get around

This is a great place for walking. If you want to hire a motorbike your hotel should be able to oblige and expect to pay around Rp 70,000-100,000 per day.

See

• The beach is very rocky with some large flat grey stone boulders interspersed with pebbles and black sand. Not the best beach for sunbathing or lounging, but good for long quiet strolls.
• The sunset is over the Indian Ocean here which is quite magnificent.
• One km east along the main highway is Pekutatan, where a lane hairpins up the hills to Pupuan and eventually the north coast. 5 km along at Bunut Bolong the lane tunnels through a tree! There's a viewpoint and a monastery, where perhaps they pray that anything wider than a motorbike or bemo will have the sense to use the swerve-around lane.
• For Rambut Siwi Temple 5 km west see West Bali.

Do

• Go surfing where the long left hand wave at Medewi Beach rolls all year and is popular with surfers for that reason. The largest waves tend to be in July and August. There is also right-hand break less than 100 metres away around the northern point. When the surf is small there is also a beach break, working mid-tide, over the river mouth about 250 m to the south south. There are several other surf breaks nearby, including Balian Beach (30 minute drive east). For updates on conditions it is worth checking Medewi surf forecasts.
• Relax in the very quiet coastal village which nothing really is going on besides the bar, the surfing, and the local fisherman doing their business.

Eat

• Warungs line the coast highway.
• All of the local bungalows and hotels have restaurants.

• Cafe Tahu (on the main coast road at km marker 60, 12 km east of Medewi Beach). A very popular eatery on the main coast road. It gets very busy indeed with traffic coming to and from Gilimanuk. Don't let that put you off though as the Indonesian food here is truly excellent and fantastic value for money. Right on the water-front. 

Drink

A beer on the beach for sunset is very much the order of the day.

Sleep

• Bambu House, Kampung Loji Pulukan (700 metres before Medewi), ☏ +62 813 53675678. Check-in: noon, check-out: noon. A new house which sleeps 5. King size beds and home-cooked food. 300 metres to the beach. Set off the main road in a small village surrounded by rice paddies and gardens. US$80. 
• Cahaya Samudra Bali Beach Inn (close to the Nurul Huda Mosque), ☏ +62 813 38667288. A simple 10-room bungalow complex set back from the beach (but with great ocean views and within walking distance) about 1 km west of Medewi Beach proper. Good quality rooms for the price asked. Rp 120,000-150,0000. 
• Kirra's Beach House, 10 Jalan Pulukan, Pulukan Medewi Beach,. Spacious, luxury bungalows/villas. Large gardens and right on top of the hill with spectacular sunset views over the Indian Ocean. Upstairs they have built Kirra's Bar which is a popular choice for an afternoon/evening beer or cocktail. 300 m from the beach. Three minutes from Medewi Point Break. From US$60 per night. 
• Mai Malu, Medewi, ☏ +6281 916 171 045, reception.maimalumedewi@mail.com. Budget accommodation which is very popular amongst the young surfer crowd. Right by the beach From Rp 80,000. 
• Medewi Beach Inn & Restaurant, Jl. Pantai Medewi, ☏ +62 81916829904, beachinn.medewi@gmail.com. Complimentary WiFi From Rp450,000. 
• Medewi Bay Retreat, Jalan Ciwa, Dusun Yeh Kuning, Pekutatan, ☏ +62 812 3842252, pvb@dps.centrin.net.id. One-, two- and three-bedroom villas in this exclusive resort set back about 500 metres from the beach. From US$72. 
• Medewisurfhomestay, Kampung Baru Medewi - Pesinggahan Pekutatan - Jembrana Bali 82262, ☏ +62 857-3767-4961. A small bungalow close to the point break. From €7. 
• Puri Dajuma, Medewi, ☏ +62 365 43955, info@dajuma.com. Luxury resort offering many packages from about US$140 per night, just south of Medewi Beach. 
• Surfvilla Mukks, Medewi - desa pulukan - kmp loji ( Rice point ) (very near Rice Point), ☏ +628123973431, surfvillamukks02@yahoo.com. Very good for surf environment, good service. Home stay, surf shop, surf lessons, accommodations. Wi-Fi From Rp 250,000 per night. 
• Warung and Homestay Gede, Medewi, ☏ +62 812 3976668. Budget accommodation run by local family for surfers. Providing accommodation and food. Rp 200,000. 

Go next

• The town of Negara is about 15 km further west from here and then on to Gilimanuk, West Bali National Park, and ferries to Java beyond that.