Luxury hotel holidays to Sri Lanka's south west coast

Luxury holidays to Sri Lanka's south west coast: luxury hotel holidays, touring holidays and special interest holidays

An Expressions tailor-made holiday to the south-west coast of Sri Lanka incorporates a popular holiday destination for tropical sun, sea and sand. It offers wonderful beaches and a variety of hotels and guests houses to choose from, with the added attraction of having local life and interesting places to see and things to do nearby. What’s more, facing directly west to the Indian Ocean, visitors are treated to the most magical sunset views. This 100-kilometre coastline between the cities of Colombo and Galle is blessed with miles of palm-fringed golden beaches interspersed with harbours, inlets, mangrove-lined rivers and lagoons. Bentota and Beruwela are the primary locations for restaurants and nightclubs which are mostly found in hotels, and also offer a range of watersports along with Hikkaduwa. Hotels of every size and quality vie with private villas, coconut plantations and fishing villages for a space on the beachfront and those priceless Indian Ocean views. We have selected a range of hotels on Sri Lanka's south-west coast which are ideally located to explore the highlights of the region, including luxurious boutique hotels and resorts such as Saman Villas and Serene Pavilions.

Frequently Asked Questions

The hundred kilometres of coast between Colombo and Galle fall into several distinct stretches, and the right choice depends on how close you would like to be to the airport and how much you would like to do. Wadduwa and Kalutara, around an hour and a half to two hours from the airport, are the most convenient for the start or end of a holiday; here Serene Pavilions, an adults-only hotel of individual pavilions, and The Reef, with its colonial-style rooms and Ayurvedic spa, sit beside quieter beaches, while Anantara Kalutara and Avani Kalutara occupy the peninsula where the Kalu Ganga river meets the sea. Bentota and Beruwela, two and a half to three hours from the airport, are the heart of the coast, with a broad river, watersports and the gardens of Geoffrey Bawa and his brother Bevis close at hand; Saman Villas stands on a rocky headland above the beach, and The Villa Bentota, Club Villa, Taj Bentota and the Cinnamon hotels offer a range of styles. Further south, around Balapitiya and Ahungalla, The River House and Shinagawa Beach are quieter, while Hikkaduwa is livelier and more budget-minded. We know these hotels individually and will match one to you.

The coast around Bentota is a particularly good place to understand Bawa, because it holds both his country estate and several of his buildings. Lunuganga, on a promontory above the Dedduwa Lake, was his country home, and he spent some fifty years from 1948 reshaping a former rubber estate into a sequence of terraces, lawns, vistas and pavilions; it is often described as his greatest work. It is managed by the Geoffrey Bawa Trust and can be visited on a guided tour, but it is also possible to stay in one of the small number of rooms, which allows you to see the garden at dawn and dusk without other visitors. Nearby, the Brief Garden was created by his elder brother Bevis Bawa, a landscape designer and artist, and is a more intimate, eccentric place, full of sculpture and planting, with the house still holding Bevis's collection. Among the hotels, The Villa Bentota is a Bawa design, as is the large beach resort at Ahungalla, now Heritance Ahungalla. Our Geoffrey Bawa touring holiday follows his work around the island, from Colombo to Lunuganga, Galle and Tangalle, and we can include any of these visits in a stay on the coast.

A great deal, and the countryside just inland is green, quiet and full of interest. At Balapitiya, a boat trip on the Madu Ganga, a wetland of mangroves and small islands, shows the birdlife, monitor lizards and village life of the lagoon, with a stop on an island where cinnamon is peeled and rolled by hand. A gentler trip on the Bentota river passes mangroves and riverside villages. Ambalangoda is the centre of Sri Lanka's traditional mask-carving, with workshops and a small museum explaining the masks used in healing rituals and folk drama. At Kalutara, the large white stupa beside the bridge and the sacred bo tree draw worshippers throughout the day, and Richmond Castle, an early twentieth-century mansion built for a local landowner, offers a glimpse of the era's grandeur. The twelfth-century Galapata Vihara, a short drive upriver from Bentota, is a quiet temple seldom visited by tourists. Galle Fort is an easy day trip from anywhere on the coast. Turtles nest on several beaches, and there are hatcheries along the coast, but their standards vary widely, so we recommend only those working to genuine conservation principles. Your driver-guide or hotel can arrange any of these, and a few make an easy morning or afternoon away from the beach.

Yes, for anyone with an interest in nature, it is one of the most rewarding experiences in Sri Lanka. Sinharaja is the island's last large area of undisturbed lowland rainforest and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, home to a remarkable number of endemic species, including birds, frogs, lizards and trees found nowhere else. It is particularly known for its mixed-species bird flocks, which can include a dozen or more species moving through the canopy together, and for endemic birds such as the Sri Lanka blue magpie. The forest is explored on foot, with a local guide or tracker, on trails that can be steep, muddy and slippery, and leeches are common, especially after rain, so leech socks and good walking shoes are essential; your lodge will provide advice and equipment. Sinharaja lies inland, around two to three hours from the coast, so we recommend spending one or two nights at Rainforest Eco Lodge or Rainforest Edge, both set on the edge of the forest, which allows early-morning walks when the birdlife is most active. The drier months, broadly from January to April, are the best time to visit. It combines naturally with a stay on the south-west or south coast.

The sea along the south-west coast is at its calmest and safest from around November to April, when many of the beaches are suitable for swimming, though conditions vary from beach to beach and there can be strong currents even in the calm season. We recommend swimming only where your hotel advises that it is safe, staying within your depth, and avoiding the sea after heavy rain or when red flags are flying. During the south-west monsoon, from around May to July, the sea becomes rough and swimming is not advisable, and many beachfront hotels keep their pools as the main focus at this time. The Bentota river, protected from the open sea, is the centre for watersports, with kayaking, waterskiing, windsurfing and sailing, and diving can be arranged with qualified instructors. At Hikkaduwa, a shallow coral reef close to the shore offers easy snorkelling in the calm season, and sea turtles are often seen feeding there. Several hotels also offer river and lagoon activities, such as kayaking through the mangroves, which can be enjoyed in most weather. We will advise on the best beaches and hotels for swimming, depending on when you travel.

Yes. The south-west coast has a long tradition of Ayurveda, and several of our hotels here have practitioners and treatment facilities, from relaxing massages and herbal baths to more structured programmes. Ayurveda is a traditional system of medicine based on balancing the body's constitution through diet, herbal remedies, massage and lifestyle, and in Sri Lanka it is practised alongside conventional medicine. For a short holiday, individual treatments such as oil massages, steam baths and shirodhara, in which warm oil is poured in a steady stream over the forehead, can be enjoyed as part of a relaxing stay. Those who would like a more complete programme should allow at least a week, and ideally two, since a proper Ayurvedic treatment begins with a consultation with a doctor, who will prescribe a course of treatments and a diet to follow. We can advise on the hotels with the most experienced practitioners, including The Reef at Wadduwa, which has an Ayurvedic spa, and on dedicated retreats elsewhere on the island. If you have a medical condition, we suggest you consult your own doctor before booking a programme, and always tell the Ayurvedic practitioner about any medication you take.

The best time is from November to March, the dry season on this coast, when days are sunny, the sea is calmer and temperatures average around 26°C to 30°C, eased by sea breezes. April is usually still good, though the heat and humidity build towards the monsoon. The south-west monsoon brings heavy, intermittent rain, wind and rough seas, normally from May to July, and September and October can also be changeable. Rain at this time tends to come in heavy downpours followed by sunshine rather than settled grey days, and the countryside is lush and green, so it remains a pleasant place to travel, but it is not the season for a beach holiday; between May and September, the east coast, around Trincomalee and Passikudah, is the better choice for the beach. Humidity is high throughout the year, at its most noticeable in the evenings. The coast's Buddhist temples celebrate the full-moon Poya days each month, with Vesak in May bringing lanterns and decorations to every village. Because the south-west coast is so close to Colombo and the airport, it also makes a relaxing end to a touring holiday at any time of year, and we will advise on the right hotel and season for your plans.

Our bespoke, luxury hotel holidays can be

● Single centre or multi-centre
● Long or short stays
● Combine a number of different hotels in different regions
● Utilise a variety of transport arrangements to Sri Lanka and within Sri Lanka, combining flights, rail, and private transfers

Our special interest holidays to Sri Lanka

● Cultural tours for individuals
● Cookery
● Visits to local festivals
● Private guided sightseeing
● Safari and wildlife experiences
● Scenic train travel
● Family holidays
● Eco experiences
● Ayurveda and other spa holidays
● Walking and cycling
● Bird-watching
● Garden visits

Included in all our holidays

● Concierge service
● Handcrafted helpful hints and local information provided with all our holidays
● Personal service by your sales consultant who looks after all aspects of your holiday

Call us on 01392 441245

Highlights of Bentota, Wadduwa & the south west coast

In addition to relaxing on the beach, there are plenty of other things to see and do in this region. In and around Wadduwa: Fishing life along the coast; Long beach walks; Kalutara – famous for its historic Bo tree, grown from a sapling of the Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura, and Gangatilaka Vihara Temple - the only Buddhist shrine in the world which is hollow; Kalu Ganga (river) and Bolgoda lake; Richmond Castle – a 19th century spice plantation mansion, built for a regional Governor resembling an Indian Maharaja’s palace design, now open to the public. In and around Bentota/Beruwela: Watersports at Bentota/Beruwela on the Bentota river (there is a well-equipped centre offering a range of motorised and non-motorised water sports, including diving); Bentota mangrove river boat trip; Long beach walks; Brief Garden – home and landscaped gardens created by Bevis Bawa, the artist brother of Geoffrey Bawa. Behind a bamboo hedge lie walled gardens, bowers, lawns, sculptures and a Japanese garden; Lunuganga Estate – the home of celebrated Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa; Aluthgama – shops and market; Galapita Vihara Buddhist Temple - 12th century, 5 km upriver. Inland: Singharaja Rainforest; Plantations, farming and craft villages. Between Bentota and Galle: Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery; Buddhist Temples – e.g. Kumarakanda Vihara; Balapitiya –boat trips on Madu Ganga river and lagoon – birdlife, water monitors, islands; Mask carving and painting in Ambalangoda; Moonstone quarry in Meetyagoda; Beach walks; Hikkaduwa - tourist shops and restaurants, lower budget; Fishing trips, Snorkelling and scuba diving, waterskiing, kayaking, windsurfing and sailing – at Hikkaduwa (12 km from Galle). Wherever you stay on the south-west coast, day excursions can be made to historic Galle, Buddhist temples, Sinharaja Rainforest, Ambalangoda mask factory, the Kosgoda turtle hatchery. The water sports facilities at Bentota/Beruwela (or Hikkaduwa) are within an hour’s drive from any of the hotels.

Cultural highlights of Bentota, Wadduwa & the south west coast

In the small towns and villages that straddle the main trunk road and railway line, Buddhist temples sit alongside churches and mosques whilst livelihoods are gained through a mix of tourism, trading and fishing, farming and skilled crafts. It is fascinating to stroll along the beach and watch the fishermen preparing to launch their brightly-painted boats, later seeing them return with their catch. A venture into the hinterland reveals a world of lush plantations, tropical forests and lagoons. The rural villages are often known for a particular skill such as furniture or mask-making and weaving using dyed reed. Wadduwa, Bentota, Beruwela and the stretch of coast between Bentota and Galle all offer golden sand beaches, small fishing communities and watersports. Further inland, the Sinharaja rainforest is the only large undisturbed rainforest left in Sri Lanka where over 800 of the island’s endemic species of flora and fauna can be found.

Climate of Bentota, Wadduwa & the south west coast

The south-western part of Sri Lanka is the wet tropical zone. It is warm and humid all year round. Sea breezes make the coast a little cooler. The sunny, dry season is between November and March with average temperatures at around 26C. The south-west monsoon brings intermittent torrential rain, winds and rough seas, normally in May, June and July, with temperatures of up to 32C.There is also changeable weather during September and October. Humidity fluctuates between 70% in the day and 90% at night, which can be oppressive in built up areas.

Travel around the region

We include private transfers with all our holidays to Sri Lanka, and a personal chauffer with all our touring holidays. Driving Distances: Colombo International Airport to Wadduwa – 1.5 to 2 hours (56 km), Colombo International Airport to Bentota – 2 ½ to 3 hours (90 km), Colombo International Airport to Galle – 3 hours (150 km), Wadduwa to Kandy – 4 hours, Bentota to Kandy – 4.5 hours (180 km), Colombo to Wadduwa – 45 mins to 1 hour (30 km).

Bentota, Wadduwa & the south west coast travel information

Sri Lankan Airways operates daily flights to Colombo from London Heathrow. Most flights leave London in the afternoon or evening. Flight time is about 11 hours. From Colombo you can also take the Sri Lankan air taxi to regional centres throughout the country.

Our bespoke, luxury hotel holidays can be

Our special interest holidays to Sri Lanka

Included in all our holidays

● Concierge service
● Handcrafted helpful hints and local information provided with all our holidays
● Personal service by your sales consultant who looks after all aspects of your holiday

Call us on 01392 441245

Here you will find a map of South West Coast showing the locations of the hotels that we offer

Our bespoke, luxury hotel holidays can be

Our special interest holidays to Sri Lanka

Included in all our holidays

● Concierge service
● Handcrafted helpful hints and local information provided with all our holidays
● Personal service by your sales consultant who looks after all aspects of your holiday