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Dalawella beach is located in the Unawatuna area southwest on the island of Sri Lanka. We discovered this tranquil spot while staying in central Unawatuna. Though the main beach is quite nice it’s also very touristy with lots of hawkers and restaurant owners eager to have you eat at their establishment. So to escape this we got a tuk-tuk and ventured the mere 3 minutes down the road for some peace and quiet under the palm trees at Dalawella beach. You shouldn’t pay your driver any more than 200Rs for the short drive, though they will probably quote you double that.
The only part of the beach that is swimmable is in front of an awesome beach restaurant called Wijaya. They specialize in pizza and have a large wood fired oven. Not so great for your bikini body but I promise your taste buds will thank you. We got one with smoked chicken, peppers and loads of cheese. It was delicious, one of the best meals we had during our whole trip.
If I were to visit this part of the island again I would definitely stay in the Dalawella beach area as opposed to the main Unawatuna beach stretch. We walked past so many nice looking hotels and the whole atmosphere was just more relaxed. And best of all there were almost no other people. We found a fun palm tree swing and a local guy made sure we got our daily dose of coconuts and fresh fruit. So in other words, our time here couldn’t have turned out much better.
Be sure to sign up and claim your $35 credit with Airbnb here!
Salt Beach House was one of the places we saw that looked amazing. The open plan villa can accommodate up to 5 people and has a private 8m swimming pool. At $350 a night, it’s quite expensive, so whenever I find 4 other people willing to pay up I’m there.
Cheaper options are the highly rated Eka Beach B & B for just over $70 a night or the stunning Beach Grove Villas for only $50 a night.
Pineapple bracelet – white braided bracelet – pastel bead bracelet – gold bar bracelet
I had to take advantage of the tropical location and the pineapple we got for lunch, so we snapped some shots of my new arm candy. Pura Vida makes some of my favorite jewelry for travel, their bracelets are all 100% waterproof. Perfect for a trip like this. Use PVSAVE to get 10% off your entire order. Be sure to check out their charity section where a portion of each sale goes to different charities.
To find the palm tree swing look for Salt Beach House. There is a turquoise sign visible from the main road with an entrance to the beach just to the right. There is also one more entrance a little further down the road. You’ll find the swing in the middle of the two next to a villa called Ambalama.
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25 Comments
Sasha
7. October 2016 at 16:37I am obsessed with your blog! The photos are beautiful, the writing is so nicely written. I’ve probably commented this already on another post but I just have to say it again! Amazing post.
Charlotte
10. October 2016 at 05:11Thank you so much Sasha 😀 It means a lot to hear that!!
chen
7. October 2016 at 18:56Beautiful pictures. I wish I could take such gorgeous images when I’m on vacation 🙂
Charlotte
10. October 2016 at 05:13Thanks Chen!! I owe it all to my camera 😉
sandra
7. October 2016 at 21:01OMG your pictures are stunningly beautiful! It gives me a summer feeling when I read your post. Keep up the good work!
Charlotte
10. October 2016 at 05:14Thank you for your kind words Sandra! That’s exactly the vibe I’m going for 😉
Danielle
7. October 2016 at 23:23This location looks absolutely gorgeous! So glad I stumbled upon your blog!!
xx, Danielle | Pineapple & Prosecco
Christian
8. October 2016 at 07:11Looks like a fabulous time! Pizza, pineapples, and beautiful beaches!
Ken Schneider
13. October 2016 at 23:26Beautiful beach and yet so secluded. Great post!
Charlotte
20. October 2016 at 04:11Thanks Ken 🙂
Olivia
18. November 2016 at 12:45Looks like you created some wonderful memories! I’m glad you mentioned the food vs. bikini bod dilemma – it’s something I consider on EVERY trip. The food always wins though ahha! xo
Claire
26. November 2016 at 17:30Thanks for this! Amazing photos! We stayed on that beach this year but never came across the swing, we stayed next to Wijay cafe, where abiuts is the swing in relation to that? ? X
Charlotte
28. November 2016 at 14:07Thanks Claire! The swing is to the right of Wijaya when facing the water, past the large rock. Just keep going until you see it 😉
Megan
30. January 2017 at 19:32Hi there – I’m thinking of going here, but with flopping and snoozing on the beach my main goal, I’d like to know if it’s really windy?
Thanks a lot
Charlotte
30. January 2017 at 20:25Hi Megan! We had one really windy day, but for the rest of our stay the weather was nice and calm. I can definitely recommend this area 😉
Megan
30. January 2017 at 22:51Oo ok, good to know, thank you so much! Did you visit Marissa beach too? Deciding between the two…
Lovely blog by the way 🙂
Charlotte
31. January 2017 at 02:15Thank you!! No I wish we had time to check out Mirissa as well. I’ve heard it’s one of the nicest beaches on the island, but that it’s starting to get super touristy. No matter where you end up staying you can easily get a tuk-tuk and go back and forth. I think it’s a 40 minute drive between the two 😉
Megan
31. January 2017 at 13:34Ah right ok, I’ll do that. Thank you Charlotte! Happy travels
Angela Gordon
2. February 2018 at 15:18Just want to say to Megan that we went to Mirissa today and Dellawella yesterday, Dellawella won our hearts hands down. Could not really see what all the fuss is about in Mirissa, yes the beach is nice but felt too touristy, no locals there and the food at the restaurants was more expensive and less authentic.
Glad you mentioned the Pizza place Charlotte as hadn’t realised it was there, didn’t look around the corner but stopped at the hotel restaurant on the beach, next to huge rock, food was fine there though!
Charlotte
3. February 2018 at 07:25Thanks for stopping by Angela! So happy you liked Dalawella beach and that I didn’t miss out on anything by not going to Mirissa. Good to know 😉
Crazy Sexy Fun Traveler
30. October 2018 at 00:15I’m just planning my month in Sri Lanka since next week and trying to pick a beach to stay at for a week but cannot decide :/ Any help would be much appreciated.
Charlotte
23. November 2018 at 11:25It really depends on when you’re going. Arugam Bay, which feels very much like Canggu in Bali, is great from May-September. There are many stunning beaches there to choose from. But I also love the south coast, especially the Ahangama area where more and more cool cafés and boutique hotels are popping up. From there you can easily take a tuk-tuk to Dalawella beach or the other way to Mirissa. The whole coast is lined with beaches so you would be spoilt for choice 😉
Mani
26. April 2019 at 20:43There are some absolutely stunning beaches in Sri Lanka with golden sands and great waves for surfing. However, I like Dalawella beach because it’s still new and not crowded and also Unawatuna beach.
Hemi
30. June 2020 at 13:27Nice photographs. Visit again to Sri Lanka soon.!
Charlotte
30. June 2020 at 20:53Thank you 😀 I can’t wait to go back to Sri Lanka one day!