Sri Lanka, an island floating in the blue waters of the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal. Endowed with over a thousand miles of beautiful golden beaches fringed with coconut palms. A large percentage of Sri Lankan hotels and resorts are located along the seacoast. The main attraction for the most part is on the beaches and the resorts and less on the nearby towns and villages. However, some places like Galle on the west coast with its historical heritage, are included in the attraction even without the lure of the sun and sand. You can also stop on the drive down the west coast for interesting sidetrip like visiting a batik factory or a turtle hatchery, paying your respects at the local temple or sampling the local fruit and getting first hand knowledge on the art of toddy making.
The western and southern coast beaches begins from Negombo, 13kms north of Colombo and curves south along the coastline for 273kms up to Hambantota. This is definitely the better developed of the two circuits and accounts for most of the hotels and the resorts. South of Colombo it is called the 'Cold Coast' and the resorts stretch from Mt. Lavinia (a suburb of Colombo) along Wadduwa, Kalutara, Beruwala, Bentota, Induruwa, Kosgoda, Ahungalla, Hikkaduwa, Calle, Unawatuna, Koggala, We- ligama, Dickewalla, Tangalle and finally Hambantota. The southern beaches are sandier than the western ones and do not shelve steeply into the sea.
While the eastern and northern coast beaches stretches north in a gentle arc from Arugam Bay till Kuchchaveli approximately 275kms up on the eastern coastline. Fine beaches, typically wide stretches of sand and what seems like miles of clear, shallow water, pretty bays and coves, deep natural harbours, still lagoons and underwater coral gardens. The best ones are those of Nilaveli, Kuchchaveli, Marble Bay, Sweat Bay and Dead Man’s Cove, with its magnificent harbour, north of Trincomalee. The southern section includes the peaceful beaches of Passekudah, Kalkudah and Arugam Bay.