Only eight miles from the BIA (Colombo) International Airport, and situated on the western coastline, Negombo town is a thriving local community, one of the main fishing towns of Sri Lanka and especially renowned for its tiger prawns. Negombo is also one of the largest Roman Catholic communities in Sri Lanka, often referred to as Little Italy, with many wayside shrines and huge churches. Living happily alongside the small Muslim and Hindu communities as well as traditional Buddhists, there is always someone’s religious occasion to celebrate.

Leaving Negombo town, and following the splendid wide sandy beach, is Beach Road, lined with large tourist hotels, small guesthouses and seaside villas. The area has been recently much improved with upmarket hotels, such as Jetwing’s The Beach and Auveydia Pavilions offering five-star facilities and services. No longer considered cheap but cheerful, Negombo is enjoying a revival and has all the facilities of other major beach destinations – at half the cost!

A wide variety of restaurants and bars have endless supplies of the locally caught fresh seafood as well as traditional Sri Lankan fare at the most affordable prices. Try out Lords for stylish décor and amazing food at unbelievably low prices, it’s also fun to sit outside the pavement-front Rodeo Bar and watch the world go by, while sampling tasty offerings from their extensive but cheap menu. Watch the dramatic sunsets from this often forgotten coastal resort and then join in the fun and lively nightlife along Beach Road with ex pats, tourists and locals all enjoying the balmy night breezes.