Tropical paradise: 10 beautiful beach hotels in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s 833-mile-coastline, and numerous pretty beaches, promises a beach scene to suit a variety of interests, including those seeking world-beating surf breaks, child-friendly coves, a lively wining and dining scene or total escapism. Our insider guide to the best beach hotels in Sri Lanka includes villa-style hotels and resorts on curvaceous coves  – home to nesting turtles – and breezy, chicly styled tented rooms on a pristine seven and a half-mile beach, in locations across the island including Habaraduwa, Hikkaduwa, Mirissa and Kalkudah. 

Galle’s curvaceous coastline is home to a string of beaches, yet Habaraduwa’s two-mile champagne-coloured strand, flanked by high-end villas, is picture postcard-pretty. KK Beach is fresh and contemporary, with simplistic, impeccably laid-out interiors and a strong focus on training your gaze towards the indigo ocean. Its rooms are indulgently comfortable yet not overdone and open to the well-tended garden and tropical breezes. The walls of the hotel display artwork by local artists. The food does not disappoint, and you’ll never dine without a sea view. Tables can also be set up beneath palms in the garden or on the beach.

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The Sandhya has a charming location at the centre of unspoilt Kabalana Beach, where surfers slice through the waves by day and the lights of fishing boats illuminate the horizon at night. Modern and minimalist, its pared-back interiors bring to life mid-20th-century modern styling, with a sweeping staircase that leads to the first floor. All nine rooms are Indian Ocean-facing, but they don’t just peek at the sea – their floor-to-ceiling sliding doors really allow you to drink in the rolling waves and the cornflower-blue sky from king-size beds. The Asian-international all-day menu focuses on a farm to table concept.

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This soulful five-bedroom villa-hotel in west coast Hikkaduwa is a real find. It's designed by a renowned Sri Lankan architect and is filled with eye-catching antiques, local artwork and contemporary comforts. Panoramic glass sliding doors reveal views of a garden with an infinity swimming pool and the ocean beyond. The rooms are designed like villas, with four of them gazing seawards – two on the ground floor with terraces, deep balconies for dining, lounging and dipping in and out of an ocean-view whirlpool tub. There are many restaurants nearby, as well as activities such as surfing and snorkelling Hikkaduwa’s reef.

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A relaxing villa-style hotel that’s one of only a handful of properties on Mawella Beach, a quiet and undeveloped coastal stretch near south coast Tangalle. The atmosphere is homely, convivial and inclusive; the lounge and dining area encourage conversation, although most rooms have private terraces for stealing away. Birds, monitor lizards, squirrels and monkeys visit the garden. The best room to book is the spacious master suite, with an ocean-facing bed and walled courtyard with plunge pool. The restaurant serves modern international cuisine sprinkled with Sri Lankan dishes and local flavour infusions.

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Amanwella’s pristine banana-shaped bay is easily one of Sri Lanka’s most scenic. Despite occupying a long beachfront, this contemporary hotel has just 27 suites, which are so spacious and serene that guests are rarely seen around the resort, whose tropical minimalism remains faithful to Aman’s philosophy of barefoot luxury. The main restaurant is a simple, pavilion-style building adjacent to the bar and the two share a terrace, which basks in superb sunset bay-view panoramas every evening. Private dining is also possible; choose from the beach club (which is usually open only for casual lunches), the palm grove or the beach.

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Kalkudah Beach is a real knockout, and perfect if what you’re looking for is miles of near-deserted palm-fringed sand and calm swimming during the summer months. Karpaha Sands, a luxurious tented resort, is very easy on the eye and feels intensely relaxing. The furnishings hail from Bali and Thailand and there’s a strong artsy theme, which makes the hotel feel very unique. Facilities include tropical gardens, a saltwater pool and an Ayurvedic spa. All suites have king-sized beds, daybed-style sofas, terraces and bathrooms with freestanding tubs.

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This hotel is a nature-lover’s paradise, straddling a long promontory between the Rekawa Lagoon and a seemingly endless stretch of wild beach. Rekawa’s beach is a vital nesting ground for Sri Lanka’s five marine turtle species; while Yala, Bundala and Udawalawe national parks can be visited within the day. The palm-shaded grounds, home to resident peacocks, a rescue pony and wild troupes of langur monkeys, are private and serene. Rooms are clean, crisp and spacious, dining is a pleasure, there’s a sensational sea-gazing infinity swimming pool and a near-deserted beach.

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Most guests wind up here for a week at the end of an island-wide itinerary, and this west coast setting is superb. You can wander down on to Balapitiya’s sandy strand from the hotel’s broad garden and scramble up on to the rocks opposite to photograph crimson sunsets. Annika Fernando, a recognised Sri Lankan designer, transformed the interiors of this symmetrical sea-facing hotel into chic, elegant and calming spaces. Furnishings are beautifully crafted and rooms brought alive by contemporary colour-splashed batik cushions. Sip sundowners on the deck or the sunken loungers in the pool.

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This stylish hotel offers a setting of relaxed conviviality beside a slender beach east of whale watching hotspot, Mirissa. The massive saltwater swimming pool is a massive plus, and has two generous wading children’s pools at each end. There’s also a spa and a wine cellar. The palatial Ocean Signature Suites are the best to book, as they have deep well-furnished balconies and offer far-reaching Indian Ocean views from the well-dressed teak four-poster bed. Dining here feels blissfully informal and involves no dressing up. Cuisine is a fusion of international and local flavours, so expect pasta and sandwiches alongside rice and curry.

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Lovers of seclusion will enjoy this remote resort haven that offers top-class food and service on Sri Lanka’s unspoilt north eastern coastline. Sleep in jungle-wrapped cabins and step out onto a wild sweep of beach that’s almost entirely deserted, with parts of it reserved for adults. Accommodation varies between blocks of standard resort-style, lagoon-view rooms to cabins sprinkled in amongst the coastal scrub, which feel much more in keeping with the castaway nature of the resort. Facilities include a shady freeform jungle pool, a gym and a spa. There’s a beachside restaurant where you can sit out at tables on the sand and enjoy excellent barbecues.