Amagi Beach
A small and very soulful resort on Sri Lanka's west coast: just 43 rooms, and even at full occupancy it feels as if there are hardly any people around.
Geography
Sri Lanka
Amangalla
A rare genre: not a beach resort but a historic residence within the ramparts of 17th-century Galle Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Amanwella
A beach refuge on Sri Lanka's south coast, in Tangalle: a broad strip of golden sand, a coconut grove and modern architecture built for blissful seclusion.
Amaya Beach Passikudah
A straightforward choice on Sri Lanka's east coast: the front line of Passikudah beach, sprawling green grounds and 125 rooms — compact enough that you never…
Anantara Kalutara Resort
The right choice for meeting Sri Lanka without forced marches: an hour's drive from Colombo, an hour from Bandaranaike International Airport — and you are wh…
Anantara Peace Heaven Tangalle
Let's start with the main trade-off: getting here takes about 2.5 hours from Bandaranaike International Airport — the resort stands in the far south, 190 km …
Anantaya Resort & Spa Chilaw
An unconventional dot on the Sri Lankan map: the charming coastal town of Chilaw, away from the well-worn routes — and a resort occupying a large protected e…
Anantaya Resort & Spa Pasikudah
A calm resort on Sri Lanka's east coast, in the scenic bay of Pasikuda — clear water, coral reefs and bright tropical fish.
Araliya Beach Resort & Spa Unawatuna
A clear recipe for a Sri Lankan holiday: Araliya stands on Unawatuna beach, and the main decision here is choosing the right category.
Avani Kalutara Resort
A place with rare geography: Avani Kalutara stands where the Indian Ocean, the Kalu River and tropical gardens meet — you live between river and ocean, in gr…
Beacon Beach Negombo
A practical find for a Sri Lanka itinerary: Beacon Beach stands on the beach in Negombo, 9.1 km from Bandaranaike Airport — a convenient first or last night …
Blue Sky Beach Resort Unawatuna
An intimate place in southern Sri Lanka that people come back to: the atmosphere is like staying with old friends.
Blue Sky Hikkaduwa
Small and honest: just 15 rooms in a five-storey building in Hikkaduwa, about 50 metres from a first-line sandy beach.
Cape Weligama
If you want to gather Sri Lanka's south into one trip — ocean, surfing, whales and Galle — there is no more logical base.
Cinnamon Bentota Beach
The case where the room category decides everything.
Cinnamon Bey
The first question when choosing an ocean-front place with small children is where they will swim.
Citrus Hikkaduwa
Let us set expectations straight away: this is a choice for an active, loud, cheerful holiday — and it should be taken knowingly for exactly that.
Citrus Waskaduwa
If criterion number one is the beach itself, start your search here: the resort has 400 metres of untouched golden-sand crescent on Sri Lanka's west coast, a…
Club Bentota
Advice for anyone choosing Bentota: look not only at the beach but at the river — it is the pairing of the two that makes this place special.
Club Hotel Dolphin
A sensible choice for a first trip to Sri Lanka: Negombo, a long golden beach, and a resort where the kitchen and service are run by seasoned professional te…
Club Palm Bay
A quiet shore away from city bustle: Club Palm Bay stands in the fishing village of Marawila, between the Indian Ocean and a gentle lagoon — twenty acres of …
Club Waskaduwa Beach Resort & Spa
A small boutique resort for those who choose Sri Lanka for the quiet: Waskaduwa, the ocean shore, compact grounds with all the essential infrastructure — and…
Coco Bay Unawatuna
Tiny — just 16 rooms — a boutique resort at the entrance to Unawatuna, right on the shore of the Indian Ocean.
Cool Beach Hotel
The case where value for money is not a figure of speech: Cool Beach Hotel in Hikkaduwa stands on the first beach line, and its own sandy beach with a gentle…
Coral Rock By Bansei
If the plan is to live in the thick of Hikkaduwa without overpaying, Coral Rock by Bansei solves it: very competitive prices, a sandy beach within walking di…
Coral Sands Hotel
A history few can match: in the early seventies the current managing director started here with a caravan site charging 10 rupees a night.
Crescent Unawatuna
A sensible choice in Unawatuna if the budget is not bottomless yet you expect more from service than formal politeness: the combination of price, quality, lo…
Dickwella Resort & Spa
Let's start with the honest part: the transfer here takes about 5 hours — 210 km from the international airport, 178 km from Colombo.
Earls Reef Beach Hotel
If the beach is just your base for expeditions, Earls Reef Beach Hotel is put together the right way: Beruwala, the south-west coast, and the main emphasis o…
Eden Resort & Spa
An oasis of calm on the Indian Ocean: Eden Resort & Spa stands in Beruwala, on one of the best beaches of the west coast, its grounds all but drowning in tro…
Ekho Surf
Ekho Surf's main practical argument is geography: compared with most resorts on Sri Lanka's south-west and southern coasts, it is noticeably closer to the ai…
Epic Unawatuna
An intimate boutique resort in Unawatuna, on Sri Lanka's south coast, for those who want to escape the noise and be alone with themselves.
Eva Lanka
If you are looking for a place in Sri Lanka that feels like home rather than a conveyor-belt beach format, look closely at Eva Lanka.
Flower Garden Hotel
The practical picture: the resort stands in Unawatuna, on Sri Lanka's south coast — the magnificent local beaches are within easy reach and the centre of Gal…
Gloria Grand Hotel
If your plan is Unawatuna on foot — no taxis between the beach and dinner — take this address.
Haritha Villas Spa
If the task is to hide away beautifully in southern Sri Lanka, Haritha Villas + Spa solves it better than most.
Heritance Ahungalla
A good way to see Sri Lanka's south-west without sacrificing comfort: Heritance Ahungalla stands on one of the island's most beautiful beaches and doubles as…
Heritance Ayurveda Maha Gedara
If an ordinary beach holiday no longer restores you, here is a more serious option.
Hibiscus Beach Hotel
An almost universal option on Sri Lanka's south-west coast — if not for a couple of honest 'buts'.
Hikka Tranz By Cinnamon
Choose Hikka Tranz by Cinnamon if you want Sri Lanka alive rather than hushed: Hikkaduwa is a place of tropical charm and party energy, and the resort stands…
Holiday Inn Unawatuna
A sensible budget on the beachfront of Unawatuna — the shortest way to describe this Holiday Inn.
Hotel Bay Watch Unawatuna
A small house with a big veranda — that is Bay Watch: three floors, just 8 rooms and a genuinely homely atmosphere in the very centre of Unawatuna.
Hotel Sumadai
Sumadai is for those who come to Sri Lanka for the exotic and for emotion, not for sterile gloss.
Jie Jie Beach By Jetwing
An hour and a half from the airport and you are already by the ocean: on Sri Lanka's south-west coast, where many beaches sit three to five hours away, that …
Joe’s Resort Bentota
If your main question is whether children can swim safely, the answer here is yes: Induruwa's beach is sheltered by a coastal reef, and the sea at Joe's Reso…
Joe’s Resort Unawatuna
A practical plan for southern Sri Lanka: stay by Unawatuna beach and collect your impressions around it — and Joe's Resort Unawatuna fits that scenario bette…
Jungle Beach Trincomalee
The main compromise first: Uga Jungle Beach lies about 265 km from the airport — nearly 6 hours on the road.
Koggala Beach
The main thing first: this is not a resort for lying by the pool.
Lagoon Paradise Beach Resort
A place for those who come to Sri Lanka for unspoilt nature rather than gloss.
Marriott Weligama
The main compromise first: Marriott Weligama is about a 3-hour drive from the international airport (173 km).
Mermaid Hotel & Club
Sri Lanka without gloss or bustle: a small coconut grove, a friendly fishing village next door, and a building stretched along a golden sand beach — that is …
Nilaveli Beach Hotel
The three stars here describe the category, not the experience: on Sri Lanka's north-east coast this resort surprises with its scale — large, green, well-kep…
Pandanus Beach Resort & Spa
The right base for an active acquaintance with Sri Lanka: from Induruwa you can easily reach the sea-turtle hatchery, whale watching, the Dutch fort in Galle…
Pullman Bentota Resort & Spa
A rare geography: the ocean on one side, the Bentota river with its mangroves on the other.
Radisson Blue Resort
The south of Sri Lanka done with taste: a resort wrapped in an open-air pool, landscaped gardens and ocean panoramas, roughly 2.5 kilometres from Galle Fort,…
Radisson Collection Galle
A rare combination for Sri Lanka: a five-star beach resort a few minutes from Galle Fort.
Riff Hikkaduwa Hotel
The essentials of Riff Hikkaduwa fit into three facts: an ocean view from every room, Hikkaduwa's coral reef 1.5 km away, and a 145 km transfer from Colombo'…
Ritas Hikkaduwa
Simple, honest beach Sri Lanka with no pretensions to luxury: the resort stands right on the public sandy beach of Narigama, in a quiet and beautiful stretch…
Riu Sri Lanka Ahungalla
If you want Sri Lanka without surprises, take the proven chain: a five-star RIU in Ahungalla, right on the beachfront, the ocean just beyond the terrace.
Royal Palms Beach
The main thing to know about Royal Palms Beach before booking: the resort stands in Kalutara, 80 km from the airport, and the transfer takes about 2.5 hours.
Saman Villas Resort
Who to recommend Saman Villas to: couples who want seclusion, not infrastructure.
Sayura Beach Unawatuna
The beach decides everything: Sayura Beach stands on sandy Dalawella, sheltered by a natural coral reef — there are no big waves, and even children can swim …
Sea View Beach Hotel
Choose this resort if your plan for the trip is not a closed territory but Unawatuna itself: the beach once named the best in the world by Discovery begins a…
Shangri-La Hambantota 5* Deluxe
The largest resort in Sri Lanka: 58 hectares along the ancient spice route on the island's untouched southern shore.
Sheraton Kosgoda Turtle Beach Resort
Choose this resort for the experiences, not the beach: Kosgoda's main magnet is its world-famous sea-turtle rescue project, and you can meet the turtles duri…
Shinagawa Beach Hotel
A small and very quiet boutique resort of just 26 rooms in the southwest of Sri Lanka, in the fishing village of Balapitiya.
Siddhalepa Ayurveda Resort
A resort where Ayurveda is not a line in the spa menu but the basis of everything: behind Siddhalepa stand two hundred years of Ayurvedic heritage and a link…
Sun N Sea
A very homely story on the edge of Unawatuna bay: just 10 rooms, no crowds, noise or bustle — a small resort where everyone feels like a regular.
Taj Bentota Resort & Spa
Before you book, know this: Taj Bentota is under renovation.
Tangerine Beach Hotel
A large beach resort where the main asset is handed to everyone without exception: each of the 179 rooms and suites has a panoramic ocean view from its own b…
Temple Tree Resort & Spa
'Nothing superfluous!' — that motto describes the resort more precisely than any epithet.
Thaala Bentota Resort
If architecture matters to you as much as the ocean, remember the name: Geoffrey Bawa.
Thambapanni Retreat
The trick of this place is its position: you live in the quiet of the jungle and swim at Unawatuna.
Thaproban Pavilion Resort & Spa
A modest five-star in the south-west of Sri Lanka that wins on setting rather than polish: cliffs, the ocean and a very green estate.
The Beach House Mirissa
A ready answer to the question of how to rent a piece of Sri Lanka just for your own people: The Beach House Mirissa can be taken over entirely — all six rooms.
The Blue Water Hotel And Spa
A resort worth the trip for the architecture alone: Blue Water was designed by Geoffrey Bawa, the Sri Lankan architect regarded as one of Asia's most influen…
The Fortress Resort & Spa
If the aim of the trip is a reset rather than ticking boxes on a route, The Fortress builds the holiday around exactly that.
The Long Beach Resort
A case where honesty matters more than advertising: The Long Beach has fine grounds and rare quiet, but the swimming comes with caveats.
The Palms
A sensible script for a first Sri Lanka: a beachfront setting, Ayurveda and straightforward logistics in one place.
Turyaa Kalutara
A calm family resort in Kalutara — a spot on the ocean shore where Sri Lanka's cultural motifs sit alongside a carefree beach rhythm, far from the bustle.
Twenty-Two Weligambay
The numbers first: 174 km from Colombo airport, around three hours' transfer.
Uga Bay
A practical breakdown for anyone eyeing Sri Lanka's east coast: this resort stands on the golden beach of Pasikudah, and there are four categories of accommo…
Villa Tangalle Lagoon
A calm base in Tangalle — one of the largest towns in Sri Lanka's south — for those who want to combine beach, surf and real Sri Lankan life all around.
W15 Hotel
If the point of the trip is surfing in Weligama, W15 settles the question of a base: 45 metres to the beach access, every local water sport close at hand, an…