Over one thousand kilometers of palm fringed sandy beaches encircle the Island. Sri Lanka is never out of season for a beach holiday. There is always some part of the beach that has friendly and warm waters. The beach resorts in the West Coast, South Coast and the East Coast are popular among the tourists who enjoy taking a dip in the warm waters and relaxing on the sandy beach.
West Coast Beach Resorts
South Coast Beach Resorts
East Coast Beach Resorts
West Coast Beach Resorts
The West Coast stretches northwards from Mt. Lavinia a southern suburb of Colombo. Mt. Lavinia and Negombo are the best developed beach resorts in this region. Isolated hotels have sprung up in most places along the western coastal stretch.
Mt. Lavinia
Eleven kilometers south of from Colombo along the road to Galle is the beach resort of Mt. Lavinia. The sea is safe for bathing and is a popular bathing spot with clean sandy beaches. The name Lavinia reminds of a secret love affair between a British Governor and a local damsel who used to meet at the holiday house of the Governor which stood on the spot where the Mt. Lavinia Hotel is located.
Negombo
The major beach resort in the West Coast is Negombo. The wide sandy beaches and the safe sea attract thousands of visitors to Negombo, a traditional fishing town. Several hotels ranging from luxury hotels to small motels, guest houses and restaurants have come up along the coastal stretch called Lewis Place. The fish market is worth visiting where busy trading of a variety of fish including prawns, crabs and seer takes place wide in the mornings when the fishing crafts return to the shore with their catch. The most popular fishing craft is the outrigger canoe called oruwa dug out from a huge log and is seen in large numbers in the Negombo lagoon.
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South Coast Beach Resorts
The southern coastal belt is the most popular among the tourists and comes to life mainly from October through April when the monsoon moves north east and the sea becomes calm with blue skies. It is an ideal place to spend the Winter vacation fully made use of by the European tourists. The main beach resorts are at Beruwala, Bentota and Hikkaduwa having several beach hotels with their exclusive beachfronts. Another interesting stretch of beach in the south is Unawatuna.
Beruwala
An hour's drive from Colombo along the south coast will take the visitor to Beruwala that marks the beginning of the South Coast Beach Resort. Several tourist hotels of "Star" grade provide comfortable accommodation and meals. Beruwala is considered to be the first Muslim settlement in the Island established by the Arab traders as far back as the 8th century. There is a famous Muslim mosque at the beachhead close to which is a light house one of several erected along the Sri Lankan.
Bentota
Four kilometers to the south of Beruwala is the Bentota National Tourist Resort, a romantic rendezvous of river and sea. It is a planned resort with four-star class hotels, a Railway Station, Post Office, Bank, Shopping Arcade, a Tourist Information Centre, and an abundance of water based recreational activities.
Hikkaduwa
Hikkaduwa (99 km. from Colombo) is the place for underwater delights where there is a marine sanctuary abundant with rare corals and tropical fish. The underwater world of colourful corals and beautiful shoals of fish can be explored either by snorkeling or taking a ride in a glass bottom boat.
Unawatuna
Four kilometers south of Galle is Unawatuna (120 km. from Colombo), a beautiful stretch of beach in the south safe for bathing. Rumasssala, a rocky outcrop projecting into the sea at Unawatuna is connected with the legendary Ramayana as a piece of mountain fallen from the portion of Himalaya brought to Lanka by Hanuman who went in search of a medicinal herb to treat Laxamana, Rama’s brother wounded in battle.
The road leading south from Colombo passes through the Southern Beach Resorts winding its way through stretches of coconut land. An alert visitor will spot a man high up in the air crossing from tree to tree on two ropes tied tightly to the trees like a tight rope walker in a circus. He is a ‘toddy tapper’ getting about his daily chores tapping the sap off the tender inflorescence of the coconut trees which is used to distill Sri Lankan Arrack and other alcoholic beverages.
A half hour's drive from Bentota is Ambalangoda, the home of "mask making" in Sri Lanka. Colourful masks worn during traditional dance performances are carved out of soft wood and brightly painted. 
Galle the southern capital (116 km. from Colombo) was the seaport of Sri Lanka before the Colombo Port was developed. Its main attraction is the Fort that has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The Fort was built by the Portuguese in 1619 and subsequently expanded and developed by the Dutch and the British the one time colonial masters of the Island. What now remains is mostly the work of the Dutch and the British.
At Kudawella (189 km. from Colombo) is a blowhole, rare geological formation on the rocky beach throwing huge columns of water high up into the air with a loud noise like a natural spout. This noise has given the village its name Hoommane. Huge ocean waves breaking on the rocks are thrown up through an opening in the rock causing this wonderful sight that should not be missed by anyone going along the southern coastal road.
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East Coast Beach Resorts
From April to October, the East Coast comes to life. It is one of the best stretches of beach in Sri Lanka. The Eastern beaches stretch for over 300 kilometers along which tourist resorts have developed in Nilaveli, 16 km. from Trincomalee and Kalkudah, 32 km. north of Batticaloa.
Trincomalee
Horatio Nelson, the British admiral of the 18th century had on arriving at the Trincomalee harbour described it as the finest harbour in the world. It is a beautiful natural harbour worthy of that description and had been in use from the days of the early Sinhala kings. The old Portuguese/Dutch Fort reminiscent of the colonial rule of the Island has the year 1676 inscribed above its entrance by the Dutch. It was subsequently named Ford Frederick by the British.
Nilaveli
Nilaveli is a prime beach resort in the East Coast. It is ideally suited for sun bathing, sea bathing and diving. A few meters off shore is a small rocky island good for snorkeling.
Kalkudah & Passekudah
These are very fine beaches in the East Coast. Kalkudah Bay is a 2 km. long wide stretch of beach well protected from the monsoon by the off shore reef. Passekudah Bay is another wide beach 4 km. long just south of Kalkudah. The combined area of Passekudah and Kalkudah was declared a National Holiday Resort in 1973. This is an ideal stretch for bathing, windsurfing and water skiing.
Batticaloa
Batticaloa town in the East Coast like most other coastal townships was under Portuguese and Dutch rule. A Dutch Fort stands close to the Batticaloa lagoon. The most famous attraction of Batticaloa is its ‘Singing Fish’. On full moon nights a faint but distinct musical sound rises from the lagoon waters. This is attributed to a noise emanated by a kind of fish found in the lagoon.
Note: Owing to the prevailing civil unrest in the North and the East of the Island tourists who intend visiting those areas are advised to check with the Defense Authorities before proceeding.
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