Sri Lankan Beaches…

Three of (for us) the best beaches in Sri Lanka

Anyone who’s spent a bit of time in Sri Lanka will have an opinion on the best beaches so this is contentious stuff no doubt - and we wouldn’t want to claim this as the definitive list. However…we have explored the island’s gorgeous coastline over years and years and though beaches do have a habit of changing in style and (even) shape we have some long-term favourites. This list is purely a South Coast thing so apologies for that; perhaps we’ll do a non-South feature soon.

This isn’t in any order but coincidentally this one probably does top our list. Silent Beach just never fails to look gorgeous. The sea is rarely as calm as shown here and most days you’ll see ever-diligent Aman staff on hand to assist the less mobile of their well-heeled guests back onto the sand. But sometime choppy waters aside this is quintessential tropical paradise stuff - azure blue water, thick dark green palms and soft golden sand.

Where to stay
If flash - Amanwella
If short of cash - Silent Beach Villa

Where to eat
If not at the Aman itself then one of the shacks at the far end and up the steps

Kabalana is one of those slightly nondescript beachside towns that - were it not for its eponymous grand mock-Egyptian hotel - might not stick much in the memory as you whizz in bus, tuk or car down to more celebrated strips on Sri Lanka’s South Coast.

We were guilty of that oversight for several years until, in an ultimately vain attempt to learn to surf (40 is too old to start) chanced upon the marvellous (with some caveats) 7th Sky Idyll - a hotel of long-standing right in the middle of the beach, popular with the tightly-budgeted traveller. We couldn’t, in good faith, really recommend you stay there, but when the fridge works their beer is superbly cold and we wouldn’t hesitate to rave about the beach itself.

A wide strip of powdery sand (not quite Zanzibar-white but pretty darn close) runs into a gently descending sea with some of the calmest, clearest waters on the island. All that and there’s still a gentle - sometimes a little more than that - surf break for those determined on that front. But, as said, if you’ve hit 40, forget it, it’s hopeless, can’t be done.

Where to stay
Quite honestly, probably not Kabalana.
Try a little down the road in Ahangama - The Hotel perhaps

Where to eat
High carb stuff for pooped surfers…The Big Mighty (just over the road) for burgers or Surfing Wombats, a short Tuk away, for really excellent pizza

Dickwella Beach must have felt for some years like the bigger, older sister (or brother); not quite as cute as the adorable youngest, never in front at the family portrait, not spoken of with quite the same pandering fondness as it’s irritatingly pretty sibling. And this all because of the almost lunatic adoration heaped on Hirikteiya right next door.

Now it’s true of course that “Hiri” (urgh) is undeniably beautiful. A tight little horse-shoe bay with raised headlands either end and lush jungle almost touching the ocean. But it’s busy - at times now unpleasantly so. And with not a lot of sandy square feet it quickly feels a squash.

Dickwella, the older, larger, not perhaps not so classically cute sister next door has acres of space. A big sandy expanse with almost nobody on it most of the time. There are one or two spots you might choose to crop out of an IG montage but overall it’s a real tropical beach beauty. And with young kids it’s a perfect swimming spot, shallow calm seas - great for looking at fish. Overall, in this neck of the woods it gets our vote.

Where to stay
One of the gorgeous, almost cliff-top view, private villas up on the western headland between Hiriketiya and Dickwella. The Saffron House perhaps.

Where to eat
Smoke and Bitters for cocktails and other creatively smoked stuff; Bacuzzi for really excellent and authentic Italian food