Travelogue from Sri Lanka: Our five beach holiday destinations in Sri Lanka

In summer 2018, our travel consultant Lea visited Sri Lanka with her family, including her children, aged 3 and 17. Read her personal recommendations for Sri Lanka’s beach holiday destinations below.

If you’re travelling mid-season from December–April or July–August:

You should choose Negombo, if you would like to be a short distance to and from the airport or to visit the capital Colombo, which is around an hour away by car. The stunning Jetwing Blue**** resort is located right on the beach and yet on a street lined with small shops, restaurants and other resorts. There is a children’s pool in the large pool. The ingenious sun loungers located bang slap in the middle of the children’s pool will no doubt delight the parents of young children, who can enjoy a cool drink there while their kids splash about.

Unfortunately, the beach isn’t one of the best in Sri Lanka, but it’s still nice and you can eat lunch and dinner with your toes in the sand. There may occasionally be large waves, and in the low season from May to November, you should expect the sea to be so rough that you can’t swim in it. During this period, Passikudah or Trincomalee would be the best choice.

Hikkaduwa buzzes with life – here, you will find shops, restaurants and resorts, and there is also a nightclub, which is open from September to April. We use the Hikka Tranz by Cinnamon**** resort, which boasts beautiful rooms with a fantastic terrace offering sea views and a small lounge sofa. On the beach right outside, there is a house reef where turtles swim all day. I saw them myself in the low season, so I imagine they’re there most of the time. Early morning, they come up onto the beach, where you can really see them up close.

The reef also means that you have to walk a couple of hundred metres to the left if you want to swim from Hikkaduwa beach, but the resort has a small bay to the right where there is a slightly smaller beach which is sheltered from the waves, so you can actually swim there year round!

Mirissa is the epitome of relaxation and beach life. Paradise Beach Club*** only has rooms with sea views and a lovely terrace. There are small, local restaurants along the beach with small tables on the sand and fairy lights in the palm trees, providing a cool backpacker vibe. Incredibly cosy! In Mirissa, you are in with a 90% chance of seeing blue whales – I saw around 20 of them in the space of two hours!  Be aware that there are extremely large waves in the low season, and whale watching may leave you feeling a little seasick. I learned this the hard way! However, there is still a high chance of seeing the whales, if you decide to go whale watching anyway at this time, and the crew will provide free sea sickness tablets if you need them.

If you are travelling from May to September:

In Passikudah, you can lie back and enjoy the fabulous resort and the beautiful paradise beach, which consists of one long beach lined with resorts. A beach holiday in Passikudah means you will mainly stay at the resort, The Calm Resort & Spa****, and enjoy the beach life.  You can, for example, stroll along the beach and dine at the Hotel Amethyst Resort, which has its own “house crocodile” in the river at the resort. If you wish, you can also find some local restaurants in the area, but you’ll have to search for them. If in doubt, take a tuk tuk and ask one of the locals. If you’re looking for a little more life in the streets and more restaurants and shops, consider Trincomalee during this period instead of Passikudah.

Trincomalee is our new beach destination and a true gem! Expect luxury at the Trinco Blue by Cinnamon**** resort and a wonderful, rustic backpacker vibe on the beach and in the streets around the resort. It is brimming with small restaurants serving local dishes as well as fresh seafood or cocktails and fresh juices. Treat yourself to some beautiful saris in all manner of colours, go on a snorkelling excursion to Pigeon Island, go whale watching, or enjoy life on one of the best beaches in all of Sri Lanka. In the period from March to August, it is whale season, and if you’re lucky, you’ll be able to spot the large blue whales from the shore. “Swami Rock” has been named by marine biologists from all over the world as the best place in the world to see whales from the shore.

Pigeon Island has been voted the best place to snorkel and dive in Sri Lanka, where you can see coral reefs, coral fish and blacktip reef sharks. However, you should expect a lot of tourists, which has also had an impact on the environment, as many of the corals have died as a result of the extensive tourism. If you have a diving certificate, you can come out to more untouched parts of the reef, where there are also larger reef sharks!

Lea,

TourCompass – From tourist to traveller