BETTER ON THE BEACH

The quiet coastal village of Pererenan offers community vibes and a hint of the old Bali

- CHRIS SCHALKX

WHILE BALI’S ETERNAL POPULARITY has created problems with crowding and commercialization across the island, things are different in sleepy seaside Pererenan, just a half-hour walk from the party scene of Canggu. Here, amid frangipani trees and Balinese residential compounds, hotels and restaurants are inviting tourists to the neighborhood while working with the banjar, or village administration, to enforce strict rules intended to keep overdevelopment in check.

“At first there wasn’t much in the neighborhood besides some cafés by the beach,” says Wayan Kresna Yasa. In 2021 he opened Home by