We had a flight back to Bangkok very late in the evening (actually after midnight), so we decided to spend our last day in Sri Lanka in Negombo, more specifically on Negombo Beach. Negombo is a small beach town located near Bandaranaike International Airport. It is full of decent hotels and restaurants, as well as an OK beach (though a bit polluted).
Negombo beach
Negombo is frquently where tourists spend their first day or two in Sri Lanka resting up after a long and exhausting plane ride. Before they head on to explore Sri Lanka.
The Negombo beach is very popular, both among the local Sri Lankan people, as well as the tourists.
Negombo was once one of the most important sources of cinnamon during the Dutch era, and the town is still full of reminders of the European days. Its culture is heavily influenced by the Catholic Church.
Negombo is full of churches. The locals were so successfully converted to Catholicism by the Europeans, that the town is called `Little Rome`. Most hotels and guesthouses are located at the main road that heads north from the town centre, going parallel to the beach.
We did however not walk around the city at all. We just went straight to the Jetwing Beach Hotel and joined their famous Sunday brunch with food from all over the world. After a week mostly on seafood at Kalpitiya, we were eager to dig into their lunch buffet. We paid a fixed amount to eat and drink as much as we wanted, and to use their swimming pool and beach area. A good deal if you ask me! 🙂
The delicious Sunday brunch at Jetwing Beach Hotel, Negombo. Curd and Treacle (to the left and in the middle), and Wattalappan (to the right). Yummy!!!
We ate and drank a lot at the hotel`s Sunday brunch. The food was sooooooo delicious!! We spent the rest of the day at the beach and swimming pool area, before taking a taxi to the airport.
Going for a walk along Negombo Beach.
Fishing boat with its crew at Negombo Beach.
All of a sudden, walking along the beach, we stumbled upon a photo shoot! They had a full photo shoot set up, with models, lights and lots of photographers.
Lots of photographers taking pictures at the photo shoot we stumbled upon at the beach.
And of course, we had to join the photo shoot and try out our portrait photo skills. Here are some of the result:
We were so pleased to have made the choice to spend our last day in Sri Lanka in Negombo, instead of Colombo. The Jetwing Beach Hotel`s Sunday brunch was lovely and delicious. A relaxed and perfect waiting day for our airplane to Bangkok.
We did however like the beaches in Bentota, Tangalla, Mirissa and Unawatuna better than the one in Negombo in Sri Lanka. But if you are looking for a beach close to the airport, then Negombo Beach is the best choice!
Where To stay in Negombo
Top End
Heritage Negombo
This is a relatively new hotel in Negombo with a great location in a quiet area of the beach. All rooms have a sea view and are spacious, modern and comfortable. The garden and pool are lovely. The breakfast buffet is varied and plentiful. It’s a fairly expensive hotel but a great choice if you want to splurge a bit on your last nights in Sri Lanka.
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Jetwing Lagoon
Situated a little outside Negombo city in beautiful and relaxing surroundings in-between the Indian Ocean and a large lagoon. The rooms are spacious and well decorated in a modern minimalistic style with open-air showers and huge comfortable beds.The hotel has a Sri Lanka's largest swimming pool, 100 meters long! There are not a lot of restaurants in this area but the hotel food is good and the airport is just 30 minutes away.
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Mid-Range
Jetwing Beach
This is the hotel we spent the day at before leaving Sri Lanka. The location is hard to beat, right on the beach! There is also an awesome pool and plenty of sunbeds. The rooms are large, modern and comfortable with sea views and balcony. The staff was friendly and very helpful in arranging our transportation to the airport. If you’re staying here on a Sunday try the brunch, it's spectacular!
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Tranquil Negombo Boutique
If you prefer a small boutique hotel with more personal service then this is a great place to stay. Located about 3km away from Negombo city this is a quiet little oasis. The rooms are large, well equipped and decorated in a modern style and the pool area is lovely.
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Budget
Tropical Villas
Tropical Villas is a new budget place that is getting rave reviews right now. Large, clean rooms, nice pool and a location within walking distance of the beach means this family run place won't stay a “secret” for long. Breakfast is tasty, plentiful and served at a time of your choosing. They even have free bikes available.
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Travel Guides
We used the Lonely Planet`s Sri Lanka travel guide on our trip, which we love. You can get that and other great books by clicking on the pictures below:
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Can you picture yourself at Negombo Beach? We would love to hear from you in the comment area below! If you like this blog post and find it useful, please share and like on social media! Thanks! 🙂
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Even if it’s not the greatest beach, it still seems like a perfect spot to wait for your flight! The buffet at Jetwing Beach Hotel is a great tip – especially the use of their pool.
Negombo is touristy but has many nice hotels and the beach was OK. The best of it however is that it is super close to the airport and so much nicer than Colombo! So absolute the perfect place to hang out and wait for your flight. Negombo has many cool restaurants, cafes, pubs and shops too.
Woww Great Pics !
Thank you so much Pharatah!! It is easy to take good pictures in Sri Lanka, as it is such a beautiful country! 🙂 Negombo is not the best beach in Sri Lanka, but we had a great day there.
Guys, Thank you!
I’m just starting planning a trip to SL at christmas for three weeks and I’ve just found your blog and will be reading every word! it’s perfect! Also, you’ve got some amazing pictures and stories 🙂 I’m so excited to go!
Thanks again!
Hi Oli,
Thank you so much for commenting! Wow, lucky you who are going to Sri Lanka for Christmas! I`m sure you will love it just as much as we do. We have also written a travel guide to this great country: http://nerdnomads.com/guide-to-sri-lanka
Have an awesome trip to Sri Lanka!
Cheers,
Maria
Loved your blog..keep coming back to it; I think it’s because I sense I like so many of the things you do. After having read your report I am really looking forward to planning our trip to Sri Lanka and heading there in January. I was thinking about not going as I am 78 and I really couldn’t physically manage some of the top attractions I had read about BUT after reading this blog I am anxious for my husband and me to get there. Thanks so much!
I
Hi Sadie,
Wow, thank you so much for your nice comment! It made my day!
So cool that you are going to Sri Lanka with your husband. There really is no age limit when it comes to traveling. I will tell my parents about you, my father is 75. Hope your story will encourage him and my mom to travel more. I really want them to see Sri Lanka. We met several senior tourists in Sri Lanka, they seemed to have a great time.
If you have any questions, don`t hesitate to send us an email.
Have a great trip! You will love Sri Lanka!
-Maria-
Hi and thank you for your wonderful blog. One quick question: Where did you leave your luggage while discovering Negombo?
Just asking because it seems that we will also spend your last day in Negombo and waiting for our after-midnight flight to Dubai.
Cheers, Chris
Hi Chris,
We left our luggage at the Jetwing Beach Hotel. We had their Sunday brunch and relaxed by the pool for a few hours. Our plane left around midnight and the hotel arranged for a taxi for us to the airport.
Have a great trip to Sri Lanka!
Hey Maria, we’ve got the same problem as you wrote about above – our flight leaves at midnight and we’re traveling back to negombo from polonarruwa that same day. We’d really like to find somewhere where we can have a shower and get changed before we head to the airport (and ideally eat and lounge by the pool). Do you have any more info about the day pass at jetwing? That would be ideal but we haven’t been able to find any info about it…
Thanks!!
Hi Jon,
We attended the Sunday Brunch at Sands restaurant at Jetwing Beach Hotel in Negombo: http://www.jetwinghotels.com/jetwingbeach/hotel-restaurant-negombo.html
We paid a certain amount and got to eat as much as we wanted and use the hotel´s pool, sunbeds, and beach for as long as we wanted. You should just email or call them and ask if they still have this or if they have something similar on weekdays. Other hotels by Negombo Beach might have something similar, that you can pay for spending the day there.
Have a great trip to Sri Lanka!
-Maria-
I am on my to visit Siri Lanka from 22 June to july 4, want to stay by a beach, then going to Kandy, any specific suggestions, thanks for your blog as I decided to visit Siri Lanka after i read it.
Hi Mohamed,
So cool that you are visiting Sri Lanka in June/July!!
It is the monsoon season at the South and West coast of Sri Lanka then with lots of rain. So the East Coast of Sri Lanka usually has the best weather in June/ July. Arugam Bay is a nice and popular beach and is good for surfing. Further north on the East coast there are some really nice beaches north of Batticaloa, called Kalkudah Bay. The beaches around Trincomalee are also beautiful.
Have a great trip to Sri Lanka!!
All the best,
Maria