Best honeymoon spot!

Hi, we%26#39;re thinking of booking the Club Dolphin in the Waikkal area, we wanted a short transfer from the airport and I am aware that I will have to do an overnight tour to go and see things, is this really the best idea, or shall we make the effort to take a 3 houe transfer to a hotel more south of Sri lanka? Thanks.

Best honeymoon spot!

Hi there,

It all depends on your taste. The concept of overnight tour for the attractions applies to ALL beach resorts, no difference here. Negombo beaches aren%26#39;t bad, it%26#39;s just that the more south the beach stuff is better (--%26gt; e.g. wider) and also has snorkeling/surfing spots. See photos (esp. those of real travellers, not only photoshopped PR material) to see the difference...

All the best,

%26lt;Erik%26gt; %26amp; [Sandya]

Best honeymoon spot!

Hi,

Good point Erik has made about the publicity pics that you%26#39;ll see in brochures and travel agents material. I%26#39;ve seen some pics of hotels along Lewis Place and the Poruthota Road, hotels such as The Goldi Sands, Browns beach, Seashells , etc, taken in such away as to show the hotel surrounded by tropical foliage . They are all actually, direct onto a very busy road and the trees are haging over from the car park on the opposite side of the road.

Many members on here have posted their own pics which are much more accurate.

The beaches in or near Negombo town are very wide , some places about 100 to 150 metres from the hotels to the water line . There%26#39;s always something going on , somewhere on the beaches , local lads sport training, where you%26#39;ll probably be invited to join in, football, volleyball, cricket, etc, fishermen repairing their nets, families raking the sands for shellfish for tea, etc, but it%26#39;s grubby.

There%26#39;s usually rubbish floating around in the brown coloured water and it%26#39;s not the kind of water I%26#39;d choose to swim in, although I have.

The further north you go and the further you get away from the town the beaches get narrower and the water gets cleaner.

If you go south of Colombo, around the Bentota, Beruwella, Kalutara, etc areas, the beaches are far better . Long , clean stretches of golden sands.

Go a bit further, to Hikkaduwa and Unawatuna and you have beaches where you can swim all year around, reef sheltered to keep the heavy waves out.

Go a bit further still and now you%26#39;re getting into the beaches which the pro,s will use for their publicity shots.

Welligama, Mirissa, Dikwella, Tangalle, etc beautiful flat, spotlessly clean beaches bordered by swaying coconut palms, the sort of beaches you expect to find in ther Indian Ocean.

Trouble is, the best beaches are furthest from the inland attractions.

Trips are easiest done from either just north or south of Colombo to get to the elephants, Kandy, most of the cultural triangle and parts of the hill country.

To get to Anuradhapura , Mihintale, and Ritigala, easier from North of Negombo.

To get to Yala and Udawalawe, parks and some parts of the hill country easiest from the southern beach areas.

Because of the layout of the sites and beaches, I reckon anyone who wants to see a bit of Sri Lanka should split their holiday .. maybe a weeks tour and a week on a beach.

OK.. I seem to be rambling again, as is my wont.

I didn%26#39;t mean to write all that, just meant to come on to agree with Erik regarding publicity photo,s

www.kodakgallery.co.uk/Slideshow.jsp…

That link is for the photo%26#39;s of one trip. Not edited, just as they came out of my camera, if you want to browse them, help yourself..If there%26#39;s anything cartches your eye, let me know the album name and the pic number and I can tell you, what and where it is and how to get there.

Rod.