Must Visit Beaches in Down South Sri Lanka

Golden sandy beaches and warm waters can only mean that you've found yourself in the sunny island of Sri Lanka! Make sure you visit these beaches in the south of Sri Lanka.

1. Hikkaduwa
Known for its rave worthy beach parties that attract party goers from all around the little island and the rest of the world, Hikkaduwa is a great beach to head to. The surrounding reefs around the beach provide a great place for snorkelling. With plenty of marine life thriving within the waters of Hikkaduwa, you'll be able to snorkel and spot various fish species. Sometimes, if you're lucky enough, maybe even see a sea turtle or two. The Hikkaduwa beach is also known to be ideal for surfing and attracts large crowds of surfing enthusiasts during the peak season.

2. Mirissa
The beaches of Mirissa are your ideal spot for sunny beach days, where you can simply lay on the sand all day while taking in the magnificent beauty of the big blue ocean. The waters of Maldives are inhabited with a variety of marine life, and one of the most popular things to do here is whale and dolphin watching. With plenty of tour companies planning whale watching tours, you'll be able to find one that will give you a great chance to see the magnificent creatures, from blue whales, spinner dolphins and so much more.

3. Unawatuna
With much calmer waters than most of the other beaches in the south of Sri Lanka, Unawatuna beach is known for calm shallow waters that are great for swimming and simply relaxing, without worrying about the towering waves! Some parts of Unawatuna have bits of coral reefs that are slowly beginning to thrive and grow, following their destruction by the 2004 tsunami. In Unawatuna, hotel options are quite abundant, with properties such as CoCo Bay Unawatuna becoming seemingly quite popular with tourists.

www.cocobayunawatuna.com

4. Dalawella
Dalawella beach, not quite as common as the other beaches mentioned above, and with good reason! The beach here is a combination of soft sandy beaches with pool like water, and the other side with a blanket of coral covering the golden sands and the shores which are quite hard to swim in. Walk around and explore and you'll find the perfect stretch of beach that to spend the rest of your day.

5. Bentota
Bentota beach is popular for being a destination for water activities. With the lagoon located nearby, there are many water sport providers that offer sports like jet skiing, banana boats, water skiing, wind surfing and so much more, that will add thrill, excitement and adventure to your holiday on the sunny island of Sri Lanka. Some of the water activity organizers even plan a river boat safari where visitors can explore the thick mangrove forests and keep an eye out for the diverse range of wildlife that can be found here such as water monitors, kingfishers and crocodiles to name a few.

Places to eat in Galle – Try Out these Culinary Treats

 

La Mer Beach Restaurant

The La Mer Beach restaurant, at the CoCo Bay Unawatuna is a must for food loving travellers to Galle. The restaurant, set on the beach is one of the highest rated restaurants in Unawatuna. La Mer is a beautifully designed fine dining restaurant that offers stunning beach views and an impressive Mediterranean menu. The delicious offerings at La Mer include fresh seafood, authentic Italian pastas and pizzas, excellent cuts of meat, imaginative sandwiches, authentic southern province dishes from Sri Lanka and a great selection of vegetarian options. La Mer also presents great desserts and international quality coffees. Out of the many restaurants at Unawatuna hotels, La Mer stands out as a great option to try a wide variety of delicious treats. 

Crepeology

Located on Lein Bahn Street within the Galle Fort, Crepeology serves a delicious selection of savoury and sweet crepes. The pancakes are cooked to perfection and served stuffed with simple choices such as pesto chicken all the way to chicken curry! The restaurant also serves some great Italian sodas and lovely sweet crepes for dessert. In fact, you can enjoy a full meal of crepes at Crepeology. The upstairs seating area is highly recommended.

A Minute by Tuk Tuk

Located in the Galle Dutch Fortress, A Minute by Tuk Tuk is a great place to stop by for a meal. Guests are treated to a lovely view of the ocean from the restaurant and a great menu. Some of the most popular dishes include Calamari Twist, prawn curry with roast bread and panna cotta with treacle for a local twist.

Calorie Counter (Galle Fort)

Calorie Counter is one of our go-to spots for getting a healthy work lunch delivered in Colombo, so we were pleasantly surprised to find their snazzy new spot in the Galle Fort. It's healthy enough for you to feel good, but tasty enough for you to not curl up in a ball reconsidering your existence.

The dish was perfectly executed, with lovely soft smoked salmon perched on local multigrain toasted bread. The eggs came perfectly poached, and topped with a low-fat hollandaise alternative (avocado!). Don't let the healthy tag fool you - it's a pretty hefty portion, more suited to brunch than breakfast.

Pedlar's Inn Cafe

Pedlar's Inn Cafe is a popular stop in Galle fort  the food is alright, but mostly it's the ambience that makes this place one of the better hangout spots when you're at the fort.

The Original Rocket Burger

If you are craving for a delicious burger, The Original Rocket Burger is the perfect choice. Located within the Fort, Rocket Burger stays true to its name and offers a menu with a great selection of burgers to cater to a wide range of preferences. Some of the most popular choices include the massive Lighthouse Burger and the Bulgogi Burger. The burgers are served, piled high with toppings and are best eaten on the spot while it is piping hot and fresh off the grill.

 

Diving in Unawatuna  

The tropical island of Sri Lanka, off the Southern Coast of India, is a gem that is saturated with natural splendour and historical heritage. There’s one place on the island in particular that is rich in both natural wonder and historical myth in equal measure, and that is the renowned coastal town of Unawatuna. Currently, Unawatuna is one the most sought after holiday destinations due to her stunning scenery and the presence of luxury hotels such as CoCo Bay Unawatuna. The fact that her waters contain everything from rich corals to sunken wrecks also means that diving is one of the top things to do in Unawatuna.

The mythical epic known as the Ramayana describes a beach paradise, and his fairly detailed descriptions have been interpreted by many as being descriptive of Unawatuna. The beaches off Unawatuna have also been reviewed by various travel-mediums as being one of the best in the entire world.

As incredible as the beaches are, the sights to be seen within the waters around these said beaches is what is truly incredible. This is why there is no shortage of diving institutions around the waters of Unawatuna. These diving schools provide all sorts of services, ranging from training courses associated with diving, such as the chance to earn a PADI certificate, or demanding excursions for experienced divers.

These excursions can include night-time dives, or even voyages to visit the many ship-wrecks that are beneath the waters surrounding Unawatuna.

There is even a myriad of marine life to be seen within the waters of this famed coastal town, the most noteworthy of which, are the highly endangered turtle-species that treat this area like home.

If you ever find yourself in Unawatuna, don’t miss out on this valuable opportunity to explore her waters. Caleb Falcon is a travel writer who specializes in writing content based on the many exciting world adventures that await intrepid travellers.

Jungle beach - The best Place for Diving 

Japanese Peace Pagoda in Rumassala

During the colonial times, Rumassala was famous as Buona Vista and was decorated with a number of mythical tales. For instance, India's famous epic 'Ramayana' has reference to Rumassala as the abode of its female protagonist, Sita. In fact, the birth of Rumassala is largely described in Ramayana. Hanuman, a character in Ramayana, was carrying the Himalayan Mountain and accidentally dropped a part of it. That part later came to be known as Rumassala. The mountain is well known as a place where a large number of medicinal plants grow naturally. As for medicinal plants, the epic describes how Hanuman, a monkey soldier, was sent to India to collect more medicinal herbs from Himalaya to heal Lakshmana, another character in Ramayana. He is said to have been injured in a battle with Ravana, Lanka's king according to Ramayana. Many other tales also surround this mount called Rumassala.

Since Rumassala is located in Unawatuna, hotels could easily be found in the area for accommodation purposes. Being a tourist hotspot Unawatuna is home to a large number of hotels. The best option is to stay at a hotel nearby such as CoCo Bay Unawatuna or others in the area for a few days and explore more myths surrounding the mountain. You will meet many locals who would willingly share what they have heard of the mountain.

When you come from Colombo, you need to pass Galle to reach Rumassala. Having reached there, you will come across the board which directs you to Rumassala Sama Chaitya – also known as Japanese Peace Pagoda. The peace pagoda was set up in 2004. You will find four similar stupas in Adam's Peak, Walapane, Ampara and Bandarawela. The stupa was built by funds from Japan, in a bid to strengthen friendship ties with Sri Lanka – hence it is known as Japanese Peace Pagoda. With that mission aside, you will hear another interesting story about Rumassala from the Portuguese era. The Portuguese are said to have given fake signals from this mountain to Arab trading ships which ultimately hit the rocks and sank down.

Madol Duwa -The island of literature

In the serene setting of Koggala Lake, less than half an hour from CoCo Bay Unawatuna is an island that is a household name among every Sri Lankan: Madol Duwa. Duwa, meaning island, Madol refers to the mangroves that are holding the island in its grasp. Madol Duwa became famous among the locals with the publishing of a young adult novel of the same name, which describes the adventures of two teenagers running away from home seeking refuge on the island. Akin to Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Fin, the novel became so popular that it was made into a movie in the 1970s, and is now translated into English, and is a part of the local curriculum as well.

Visiting Madol Duwa should be among your list of things to do in Unawatuna, Galle, Hikkaduwa, or Koggala due to its unique beauty. The island can be reached only by a boat. Set off towards the island late in the evening and you will be greeted with beautiful views of the lake mirroring the blue skies above. The island has a clear route marked through the trees, that will lead you through it. There are a stone mortar and pestle in the middle of the shrubbery, a well that is falling apart, and if you look closely, you will be able to see the fallen roof of a cave that inspired the whole story. Walking through the island is not a tiring task, but be careful not to stray from the path for there could be vipers around. However, the island is rather small that if you keep walking in one direction for a steady 20 minutes, you would reach the other end. When you visit Madol Duwa, do not forget to climb to the mound at the west end of the island. If you are lucky, a lone fisherman would be out at the lake, and you will be able to capture a panoramic view of the lake and its lonely companion with a setting sun.

COCOBAY- 4^TH CONSECUTIVE TRAVELERS CHOICE AWARD

The prestigious 'TRIP ADVISOR' has bestowed the highest honor on COCO BAY by awarding the TRAVELER'S CHOICE AWARD 2017. This is the 4th consecutive year the COCO BAY has bagged this award since inception. In addition the COCO BAY has also been selected as one of the best 25 hotels in Sri Lanka for Service, Hotels for romance and Small hotels.

These awards are based on customer reviews and opinions and awarded to 1% of reputed hotels, worldwide.

The COCO BAY is a luxury boutique hotel located on a semi private beach overlooking the historic Galle Fort across the Indian Ocean. All 16 rooms and suites are with splendid sea view and luxuriously furnished with all facilities including private Jacuzzi's. The 3 Aqua Romance rooms are featured with small private pools and are in much demand.

The COCO BAY is a magnet for the discerning traveler looking for a peaceful and serene holiday with the best of facilities, impeccable service and wonderful food served on the beach complimented by a fine range of wines and cocktails.  

The resort enjoys a high percentage of repeat clientele who return to enjoy the SERENE AMBIENCE, GREAT FACILITIES, THE OUTSTANDING SERVICE and the EXCELLENT CUISINE on offer.

CoCo Bay Unawatuna is a 2017 Travelers' Choice Award Winner

Congratulations! You're a winner in the following categories: Top 25 Small Hotels - Sri Lanka Top 25 Hotels for Service — Sri Lanka Travelers' Choice awards are the highest honor TripAdvisor can give – meaning your business is truly exceptional. Based on reviews and opinions from millions of travelers, you're in the top 1% of hotels.

This is an award worth showcasing - claim your free winner's plaque today!