A huge wide beach with reddish sand. Close to Colombo Airport. As reported by many other reviewers, it is a working beach and mainly visited by locals and their families. I visited out of season and noted very few tourists. I was approached by some locals trying to sell things, but a polite firm no generally does the trick. There was evidence of rubbish but it wasnt the worst beach i have encountered. Sea can be rough and swimming is not always possible. There are a hand full of bar/restaurants further back overlooking the beach. these are mainly frequented by tourists. lots of hawker stalls on the beach area selling mainly snack foods. There were no sunbeds or umbrellas that i could see. Worth a quick walk in the early evening but not a relaxing sunbathing/swimming beach.

A beach with a lot of potential but needs work. The sand is nice and the sea very pleasant, but getting from one to the other meant negotiating a tricky slope ( we're pensioners ). The sea has strong waves so not ideal for swimming but nice to sit at the edge and let the waves wash over. Only a couple of beach shacks offering sunbeds, food, drink and WiFi. We used Sea Look which can be found down a lane opposite Queen's Restaurant on Lewis Place. They don't charge for the beds and the food is reasonable. Toilets are fine as well. No loud music from them and a peaceful way to spend the day.

Sri Lanka is just getting back on its feet after covid and then a bomb attack decimated the tourist industry. This is an excellent time to visit. People are desperate for tourists to come and are very welcoming. The exchange rate is also very attractive…we got 406 rupees/£ at the airport which is the best place to exchange. We stayed at the Heritance hotel for 5 nights at the end of our three week visit. The hotel was excellent. This is the Main Street of Negombo and is gradually coming to life as restaurants and shops get busier. The place looks better at night when everything is lit up. There are many tourist souvenir shops and bars restaurants. Terrific value for money. Our fav restaurant was Boho half way up the street and then Prego right across the road from the hotel. There are other restaurants highlighted on Apple Maps but either had changed name or have yet to reopen. Heritance have developed a restaurant and Swiss cafe right across from the hotel. In our 5 days there we didn’t see anyone use either. The restaurant has a Middle Eastern menu, I suggest this was a big part of the problem. The souvenir shops we used all offered discounts without asking. We loved Diane’s just across from the Gelato cafe. We met the owner and it turned out she had visited U.K. and Edinburgh where we come from. Lovely lady…give her your business. We also used Maya which had some great hippy chic clothes but the staff need a shake to get them away from their phone screens….it was also full of moths and mozzies the night we were there. The beach itself is public so you share it all with the locals and it gets very busy at weekends. During the week it’s perfect for some yoga on the beach early morning or just walking off breakfast. You will get approached by tat sellers but just be polite but firm. Don’t be rude, they’re just trying to make a living. Finally the folk have seen really hard times over the last few years. So be prepared to tip. A little goes a long way for them. If we are at a small hotel we will “adopt” a waiter or pool guy and ensure they get a decent tip at the end of our stay. If we all did that it would make a huge difference to their families and be a great incentive to improve their understanding of service. Go, you’ll love it.