Our Last Day In Sri Lanka Spent At Negombo Beach-Nerd Nomads

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 is frequently 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.

_DSC8216 — 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 center, 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.

_DSC8141 — Going for a walk along Negombo Beach.

_DSC8142 — Fishing boat with its crew at Negombo Beach.

All of a sudden, walking along the beach, we stumbled upon a photoshoot! They had a full model shoot set up, with models, lights and lots of photographers.

_DSC8157 — Lots of photographers taking pictures at the photoshoot we stumbled upon at the beach.

And of course, we had to join the photoshoot 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. You can get that and other great books by clicking on the pictures below which will take you to Amazon.com (affiliate links):

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