Sri Lanka is well known for its plethora of sandy beaches that are perfect for surfing and often times offer the chill laid back vibes that islands such as Bali are well known for. By the time we hit the end of our trip I was so ready for some much needed beach time and couldn’t wait to get down south! Much to my surprise, the south coast wasn’t my favorite portion of the trip (the winner of that goes to Ella and the central highlands region) but the locations we did get to explore down south were all very fun and very beautiful. If you’re short on time like we were, I’m laying out all the places we got to check out in 2 1/2 days as well as a great place to make your homebase while beach hopping.
First off the accommodations! It was important for us to be in a very central location to explore other areas but also within walking distance to a beach that we knew we would enjoy. After doing some research, I was torn between staying near the Hiriketiya/Dikwella beach areas or the Mirissa beach area which is approximately an hour away. Both Hiriketiya and Mirissa Beach sounded right up my alley but ultimately I decided to stay near Hiriketiya as most blogs highlighted that it wasn’t as crowded as Mirissa Beach. To be honest, now that I’ve been to both beaches I wish we had stayed near Mirissa instead. I preferred the swimming and waters at Mirissa more and because of the time of year we went, there was hardly anyone around. Since it’s a very large beach it was very easy to find some solitude compared to Hiriketiya’s small bay. Nonetheless, Hiriketiya was still very beautiful and I absolutely adored the apartment that we ended up staying at in this area.
I would recommend booking early if you’re staying in the Hiriketiya area but if you decide to stay near Mirissa Beach there seemed to be a plethora of options to choose from. If you’re staying near Hiriketiya, I would highly recommend staying at Serene Villa. Serene Villa is just up the hill from Hiriketiya Beach so you can easily walk there. It is a newer complex and is the sister property of the popular and neighboring Salt lodging. Based on the pictures online I actually preferred the look of Serene Villa more and since it was still newer and under construction I had a hunch that there wouldn’t be many people there as opposed to Salt. I’m happy to say my hunch was correct and we were the only guests during our stay there! The apartments were stylish with a tropical flair, very comfortable, large, and clean. I really loved the big windows and all the natural light in the room. The bathroom is spacious but there is a little opening to the outside in the shower area so be aware of things you leave out in the bathroom because of the cheeky monkeys!! Every morning we were spoiled with tons of monkeys staring at us from the balcony, the window above the bed, and even occasionally peeking at you while taking a shower! The A/C and Wi-Fi worked well during our stay and the customer service from the staff was great! We didn’t have a ton of interaction with staff since we were always on the go but anytime we did they were very friendly and accommodating. There is also a gym on site although we didn’t get to check it out during our stay.
A couple small cons of the place would be that since it’s a newer location there are of course growing pains. During our stay in June 2019 there were still rooms and areas on site under construction but there was never really any noise during our stay which was nice. In fact the only noise (music) we really heard was on our last night and it was coming from the neighboring sister property. It’s been several months since our stay there and I would assume construction is almost finished if not already completed. Another small con is that the property advertises free parking onsite. While there is free parking across the street from the complex, it’s within this tight little area that looked like it was being used for construction materials and had a large mound of dirt and a very low drop for cars. I think it needs to be leveled out and more room should be made in that little plot if it’s going to be advertised as the property’s parking area. If everyone parks smart then maybe 3 small cars could fit but there was a tuk tuk there and another car which was never parked in a practical way. That plot could definitely hold more if that mound of dirt was gone and some of the construction materials were gone. We luckily missed driving over a piece of wood with nails in it which would have definitely sucked! I’m also assuming and hoping this has been fixed by now. Lastly, I think there should be a mention on the listing about how rough the road is getting in. We’ve driven down rougher and more narrow roads on our travels but it still would be good to mention it so nobody is met with a surprise on the way there, especially if they are driving and not taking a taxi to the property.
Below are booking links for the property:
Booking.com (this is where I booked)
As mentioned earlier Hiriketiya Beach was located just down the hill from our lodging so naturally it was the first place that we explored! Hiriketiya Beach is a small little bay with great waves for both surfing and swimming and pretty soft golden sands. There are also lots of small little cafes lined up along the beach (we really loved Malu Poke!). During my research of this beach it seems that it used to be not so touristy but over the years the crowds have grown. Since we went in June which is usually low season for southern Sri Lanka, as well as after the devastating terrorist attacks, there was hardly anyone at the beach when we visited. Because of this I’m not sure how accurate my review will be but during June of 2019 it definitely felt quiet and uncrowded. The water wasn’t super clear at this beach but the waves were fun to swim in and the bottom was mostly sandy and easy on the feet. There are also a few surfing schools along the beach if you’re trying to learn to surf or want to rent a board. In my brief research, I did read on TripAdvisor that there were some schools that seemed to be ripping people off when it came to so called “damages” of the boards. I also read some unsettling reviews of people catching some of the workers stealing from their bags at one of these schools (unfortunately I’m not sure which one). As always with anywhere you travel, be careful and diligent of where you leave your belongings. I’d suggest leaving anything of great value back at your room and just bringing any necessities and small bills for food. For the most part though, there were more good reviews versus bad but I just wanted to point it out so people can be informed and do more research when the time comes.
The second beach we got to check out was Dikwella Beach which is approximately 5-10 minutes away depending on traffic and where you park. We decided to come here to watch sunset and have dinner and there are plenty of restaurants to choose from along the beach. We ended up parallel parking our car on the side of the busy road and it can be difficult to find parking if you’re not taking a tuk tuk to the beach so keep this in mind. Dikwella is another beautiful and very long sandy beach. I can’t comment on the water and swimming since we didn’t swim here but I would be careful when it comes to trash. We did see a lot of glass on the beach and a lot of trash piles further up the shore. I’m not sure if the time of year had anything to do with it but I definitely didn’t feel safe swimming there with how much glass I saw. However, I would definitely recommend coming here for sunset and just walking along the beach and/or having dinner. Golden hour was absolutely incredible here and the fiery sky against the beach was a photographer’s dream come true. There are also two rope swings on the beach which make for great photo ops! One swing is all the way on the eastern end of the beach. This one wasn’t my favorite because I couldn’t hop onto the rope very easily. The second rope swing is on the opposite end of the beach at the Mahi Mahi Restaurant. There are actually 2 rope swings here and they have actual seats so they are much easier to swing on. We decided to eat dinner here as well and we really loved their very chill and beautiful outdoor seating area where you can stick your toes in the sand. At night time the area is lit up by colorful lights which really help set the mood and the bar area is so cute and pink! Another perfect photo opportunity. You can also hookah here if you’re into that! The staff was also really nice and the food was delicious. We recommend the spicy crab curry, spicy grilled fish, and their passion fruit mojitos.
The next day we decided to drive to Mirissa Beach for the day which is approximately 1 hour away. The drive went by fast and parking was relatively easy to find. I had fully braced myself for huge crowds at this beach but to my surprise there really wasn’t many people at all and since the beach is very large it was super easy to find some solitude. Mirissa Beach ended up being my favorite beach in Sri Lanka that we got to visit. The sand was super soft both on the shore and in the water and the water was much clearer than Hiriketiya. The waves there were super fun to swim in and we loved how quiet it was. There are also lots of restaurants and cafes lining the beach so be sure to stop for lunch and drinks while there! Another tip is if you make Mirissa your homebase it’s easier to hop along to other beaches nearby such as Dalawella, Secret Beach Mirissa, Unawatuna, Koggala, Weligama, and Mihiripenna Beach. We had intended to stop at some of these beaches while making our way back to Negombo but ended up not making it. I also wish we were able to check out Tangalle Beach which is a shorter drive if you’re staying near Hiriketiya or Dikwella.
Unfortunately we were only able to allot 2 full days down south and we figured that would be enough time in case of bad weather in June and because we had gotten a lot of beach time in Thailand. We had to drive back to Negombo the night before our flight back home so we decided to take a slightly longer route back to the City so that we could check out Galle Fort. Galle is located on the southwest coast and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to my research the Galle Fort is the largest remaining fortress in Asia built by European occupiers. It was fun to walk the charming streets and to see all of the Dutch colonial buildings. The best part was walking along the walls of the city and taking in the gorgeous coastal views. The lighthouse is also a cool and iconic site to check out.
Earlier I mentioned that we were heading to Negombo to stay the night before our flight back home. I would highly recommend staying here instead of Colombo if you’re flying into Sri Lanka very late and need a place to stay or need a place to stay near the airport before an early departure flight. Negombo is much closer to the airport than Colombo is (approximately 20 minutes away versus 40 minutes) and the traffic in the area is not as prominent and much easier to navigate. There are a lot of very cheap hotels and homestays in the Negombo area as well. A lot of people tend to head to the Sigiriya area first when they arrive in Sri Lanka so this also makes the drive time there a little bit shorter the next morning. If you’re headed to the south coast first though than starting off in Colombo might be more ideal. If you’re also thinking of renting a car you can read more information on car rentals, a company I highly recommend, and our experience driving in Sri Lanka in my first post of this Sri Lanka series all about the Sigiriya area.
I hope this post has helped you narrow down some south coast destinations to check out if you’re short on time like we were! Let me know in the comments if you’ve been to any of these awesome locations or if you plan to soon!
Until next time,
Kelsie