Beach hotels in Sri Lanka

A beach hotel here means the property sits on the sand or within a short walk of it. That covers a wide range: high-rise resorts with a private stretch and sunbeds included, small guest houses across a coastal road, and everything between. The distance we show for each property is straight-line to the centre, not to the water, so read the description of the individual hotel before you assume you can walk out onto the sand.

Before you book, check

• Whether the beach in front is public or belongs to the hotel, and whether sunbeds and umbrellas are included or charged per day.
• What separates the property from the water: a garden is not the same as a four-lane road.
• The season. The same stretch of coast can be flat and warm in one month and unswimmable in another, and hotels rarely say so on the rate page.
• Whether the room rate includes the resort or beach fee some properties add at check-out.

Worth it for: Anyone whose day is built around the water. If you plan to sightsee more than you swim, a central hotel plus a taxi to the coast is usually cheaper and less isolated.