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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.
Where to stay close to Dalawella Beach
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.
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.
Palm tree swing
To find the popular palm tree rope 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.
I 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.
Thank you so much Sasha 😀 It means a lot to hear that!!
Beautiful pictures. I wish I could take such gorgeous images when I’m on vacation 🙂
Thanks Chen!! I owe it all to my camera 😉
OMG your pictures are stunningly beautiful! It gives me a summer feeling when I read your post. Keep up the good work!
Thank you for your kind words Sandra! That’s exactly the vibe I’m going for 😉
This location looks absolutely gorgeous! So glad I stumbled upon your blog!!
xx, Danielle | Pineapple & Prosecco
Looks like a fabulous time! Pizza, pineapples, and beautiful beaches!
Beautiful beach and yet so secluded. Great post!
Thanks Ken 🙂
Looks 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
Thanks 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
Thanks Claire! The swing is to the right of Wijaya when facing the water, past the large rock. Just keep going until you see it 😉
Hi 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
Hi 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 😉
Oo ok, good to know, thank you so much! Did you visit Marissa beach too? Deciding between the two…
Lovely blog by the way 🙂
Thank 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 😉
Ah right ok, I’ll do that. Thank you Charlotte! Happy travels
Just 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!
Thanks 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 😉
I’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.
It 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 😉
There 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.
Nice photographs. Visit again to Sri Lanka soon.!
Thank you 😀 I can’t wait to go back to Sri Lanka one day!