Pererenan: Then and Now
Walk through Pererenan today and it's hard to imagine what this place looked like just a couple of decades ago. Where trendy cafes serve oat milk lattes and developments promise Mediterranean style villas with Instagrammable pools, there used to be endless green rice paddies stretching toward the ocean.
The transformation has been incredibly fast. This is the story of how a traditional fishing village became Bali's newest hotspot, and what has been both gained and lost along the way.
The Village That Rice Built (1970s-1990s)
Pererenan in the 1980s: no paved roads, no WiFi spots and definitely no smoothie bowls. Just rice fields everywhere, organized by the ancient Subak irrigation system that's been working here for over a thousand years. Farmers woke before sunrise, tending to the same plots their families had worked for generations.
The main road through the village was dirt and gravel. Getting anywhere meant heading through narrow paths between rice terraces, and during the rainy season, they often turned to mud. Electricity arrived in the 1980s as part of Bali's rural development push – by 1995, every village on the island was connected to the grid. Beyond that, infrastructure was pretty basic, with some wells for water and a few phone lines by the late 80s.
Life revolved around the rice cycles and fishing seasons. The community was tight-knit in the way small villages generally are, and everything was organized around the local temple and farming cooperatives. A few simple warungs served the local community.
Canggu’s Quiet Neighbour (2000s-early 2010s)
While Canggu started getting its first wave of surfers in the early 2000s, Pererenan stayed pretty much the same. Rice farming was still the main game, and the village maintained its traditional rhythms even as Bali's economy was shifting toward tourism elsewhere.
Improvements trickled in during these years. The main road got properly surfaced, mobile towers went up following Indonesia's telecommunications boom in the mid-2000s, and more reliable electricity connections arrived. The Java-Bali undersea cables, first 200MW in 1999, another 200MW in 2000, brought more stable power to the island.
Around 2010, the first simple guest houses appeared, mostly catering to surfers looking for uncrowded waves and backpackers wanting a cheaper, quieter alternative to the south. But Pererenan was still very much a quiet farming community. Rice fields dominated the landscape, and tourism was just a small side business for most families.
Everything Changes (2015-2020)
By 2015, Canggu was getting much more crowded. Traffic was becoming worse and finding a good villa for a reasonable price was more difficult. The 2013 completion of the Bali Mandara Toll Road had improved connectivity, but also brought more development pressure. Developers and digital nomads started looking north, and Pererenan was the next target.
What happened next was dramatic. In just five years, rice paddies started disappearing at an alarming rate, replaced by villa complexes, restaurants and cafés. Rice production in Bali had peaked at 882,092 metric tons in 2013, and the decline was accelerating as land converted to tourism use.
Traditional farming families faced a choice: keep growing rice for traditional returns, or lease their land to developers for life-changing money. Most chose the latter, and you can't really blame them.
This period saw the first wave of serious restaurants and cafés opening up. Not just local warungs anymore, but places designed for international tastes and Instagram feeds. Additional electricity infrastructure arrived in 2014 with another 200MW of undersea cable capacity to support the growing development. The infrastructure struggled to keep up with the growth, but the transformation was happening regardless.
Today's Pererenan (2020-present)
If you head to Pererenan now, you'll find a fully-fledged destination. Most of the restaurants in the area aren't old establishments adapting to tourism, but brand new venues, opening between 2021-2025. Pererenan has a completely brand new foodie scene built from scratch.
The development of villas and complexes has been rapid. Projects range from affordable options around $139,000 to luxury complexes hitting millions of US dollars. Properties here still cost a bit less than equivalent places in Canggu, making it attractive to investors chasing the next big thing.
The demographics have shifted completely. What was once a predominantly Balinese farming community now has a significant population of expats, digital nomads and Indonesian migrants drawn by tourism opportunities. The morning sounds have changed from roosters and farming activities to construction and scooter traffic.
At What Cost?
The economic transformation has been both a blessing and a curse for many local families. Those who owned land and adapted to the tourism economy have prospered. Young people have opportunities their grandparents never imagined – running restaurants, managing villas, guiding tourists.
But there's been a cost. Agricultural land across Bali has been disappearing rapidly, with traditional farming skills vanishing as younger generations pursue tourism jobs. The tight-knit village community has loosened as the population has diversified and grown. Many locals have been priced out, or unable to live
Infrastructure hasn't kept pace with growth. Traffic jams that used to be a Canggu problem are now a Pererenan reality. Water supply is under serious pressure, with most developments relying on private wells rather than the inadequate public PDAM system, which loses 43.61% of its water through distribution problems. Saltwater intrusion now affects 14 of 60 surveyed water points in Badung regency. Hotels consume 250-800 liters per room daily, compared to 200 liters per person for locals, while tourism overall accounts for around 60-65% of Bali's total water consumption.
The government is scrambling to catch up with road improvements and drainage systems.
Tourism Surfs Down the Coast
Pererenan represents the third wave of development along this coast. Seminyak went upscale in the 80s and 90s, and Canggu had its ‘digital nomad’ boom through the 2010s. Now Pererenan is having its moment, marketed as offering "what made Canggu famous" but cheaper and less crowded.
It's a familiar pattern: each area develops until it reaches saturation, then the next spot north gets "discovered." The question is what will happen to Pererenan after it’s all filled up.
Finding Balance
There are talks about finding balance, though policy changes come slowly. Building height restrictions keep developments to 15 meters, which is "coconut palm height,” to preserve traditional views, a rule that's been in place since 1971. Environmental measures like the plastic ban (implemented in December 2018) and tourist tax (introduced February 14, 2024, at IDR 150,000) aim to address sustainability challenges.
A proposed moratorium on new hotels and resorts was considered for 2025, but the idea was officially abandoned in January.
Local authorities and community efforts are coming together to work on infrastructure improvements. Road projects, drainage systems, and water management plans are in development, always playing catch-up to rapid growth.
You Win Some, You Lose Some
Talking of losses, the endless green fields, and traditional agricultural landscape that defined Pererenan for centuries have largely disappeared. The village community that once revolved around farming cycles has been transformed. Still, the sounds of the gamelan, locals parading the barong through the streets, or ceremonial processions continue on amidst the tourists, boutique shops and upscale restaurants. .
On the flip side, economic opportunities have arisen that never existed before. Modern amenities and infrastructure, job opportunities, international food and culture, and connections to the wider world.
The challenge now is managing what comes next. Pererenan has all the pieces in place to become either a success story of sustainable development, or another cautionary tale of tourism growth gone wrong.
The transformation from village to ‘digital nomad’ destination happened quickly, much faster than anyone expected, and arguably faster than anyone was prepared for. Whether that's a good thing depends on who you ask and what you value. But one thing's for certain: that sleepy village is gone, this is Pererenan now.
