Name: Polhena Beach
Address: Sri Lanka
Rating: 4.0

#2 of 27 things to do in Matara

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What people are saying

By Honeybeetravels

“Snorkel with turtles! Don't miss this”

Jan 2024

... see the rocks coming out of the water) and you'll have an amazing time swimming with these beautiful creatures.

“Turtle snorkelling 🐢”

Sept 2023

We saw 4-5 turtles in total plus some tropical fish and coral.

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Top ways to experience Polhena Beach and nearby attractions

The area

Best nearby

We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.

Restaurants

73 within 3 miles

Colette

13

0.2 mi££££ • French • Healthy

Reef Edge Sea Food Restaurant

81

0.1 mi££ - £££ • Seafood • Asian • Sri Lankan

Fusion 88

4

194 ftChinese • Seafood • Asian • Thai

Bob Sl Restaurant Madiha

135

0.6 mi£ • Asian • Sri Lankan • Vegan Options

Cuture Resort Sea Food Kitchen

1

0.2 mi££££ • Chinese • International • Asian

360 Madiha

254

0.6 mi££ - £££ • Bar • Seafood • Asian

0.3 mi££ - £££ • Cafe • Fast food • Asian

0.4 mi££ - £££ • Cafe • International • British

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Attractions

18 within 6 miles

1.4 miHistoric Sites • Architectural Buildings

Weherahena Buddhist Temple

142

Religious Sites

Dondra Head Lighthouse

222

Points of Interest & Landmarks • Lighthouses

The Shrine of Our Lady of Matara

28

2.6 miPoints of Interest & Landmarks

Matara Paravi Duwa Temple

100

2.6 miReligious Sites

Parrot Rock Bridge

44

Points of Interest & Landmarks

Tea House

6

2.6 miFactory Outlets

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See what travellers are saying

JamieBTW
Manchester, United Kingdom24 contributions
Turtle snorkelling 🐢
We visited Polhena very early (before 8am) on a sunny morning in the monsoon season. We rented some snorkelling gear from the guys on the beach and within about 5 mins we saw a turtle! We saw 4-5 turtles in total plus some tropical fish and coral. We had the bay to ourselves which was very romantic. The water visibility was not the best due to it being the monsoon but we could still see lots of things. It would be incredible in the high season!! We suggest you agree the price of the equipment before you hire as we were charged 3000 LKR which is definitely too much.
Visited September 2023
Travelled as a couple
Written 14 September 2023
Roger T
5 contributions
Great little beach if you want to see turtles
Nice low key beach when we visited. Very freindly snorkel hire people slr1000 for kit and helped us find turtles to swim with. A really good restaurant on eastern side called Fusion88 that served some of the best food we had had in the area
Visited November 2023
Travelled with family
Written 2 November 2023
Steven S
Pattaya, Thailand782 contributions
Worth a visit especially for kids.
Located just to the west of Matara town it is not a long beach (120m) with calm waters conducive to safe swimming. Popular with local families especially on tge weekends. A few vendors and shops in the area.
Visited March 2024
Travelled solo
Written 11 March 2024

These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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4.0

333 reviews

Excellent

145

Very good

111

Average

53

Poor

15

Terrible

9

Es K

Rijsbergen, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands11 contributions

beautiful snorkling

Aug 2022

This beach used to have many locals. Now it is quiet for the moment, because local tourist unfortunately dont have the gasoline to visit at the moment.
But the queiet times of covid surely did the nature some good. I had a very very good guided snorkling tour. With Dilib, you can ask about him at Sunil Rest guesthouse.
I was just 3 steps into the sea and all around me where turtles swimming. you could really swim and play with the turtles, feed them. It was amazing to swim with the turtles. They really seemed to enjoy it. They did not swim away.

Also we swam to the coral reef and saw many colorfull fish and living coral reef. It was amazing.
a guided snorkling tour is not expensive at all. You just need a day of clear water.

You can also take your own snorkling gear or rent snorkling gear.
We are no great swimmers, but my child and me already with our own snorkling gear not far in the sea could see many coloured fish. So highly recommended.

also many beaches in Sri Lanka are not safe for swimming for small children. But here there is little current en no waves because the beach is protected by the 4 km long coral reef.
Good place for families and children.

Written 2 August 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

cutelady Baluch

Muscat Governorate, Oman3,452 contributions

Polhena Matara Beach

Feb 2020 • Friends

Polhena beach is a large sea pool which has a uniform height up to a large distance from the coast. And due to the coral reef, the tides are blocked. Therefore the water is very calm and relaxing. This is done to protect and secure the tourists who are especially enjoying quality time with their families and friends in Matara. These characteristics make it a perfect place to have a sea bath in Polhena Beach It is relatively more famous among Sri Lankans than the tourists

Written 5 March 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

tim

Weligama, Sri Lanka1 contribution

Good for turtle spotting, not the best beach.

Jan 2022 • Couples

This is a great place to see turtles. The water is really shallow and the visibility is poor close to the shore but once you get out further it improves. We went mid morning on a Thursday and it wasn’t busy but it was windy. I think an early start would have been better. We were out for about an hour and saw 4 large turtles who all seemed used to being watched and weren’t startled by us. The beach itself is nothing special and we didn’t hang around after snorkelling.

Written 7 January 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Evarts Photography

Colombo, Sri Lanka755 contributions

Never go on a weekend or holiday

Dec 2020

This place gets very crowded with public during holidays and weekends. Therefore you will not be able to enjoy if you go on those days. Go on a weekday. This is a small strip of very calm beach and you can snorkel nearby. The water is very clean.

Written 1 May 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

cazanne48

232 contributions

Swimming with green turtles

Mar 2020 • Couples

Fabulous beach, quieter than Mirissa beach. More local people. For two days running we had the most wonderful experience swimming with green turtles. Most people very respectful of these amazing creatures. You do not have to pay for a tour, just go swimming.

Written 31 March 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Vinu

Colombo, Sri Lanka2 contributions

Stunning beach but not always secluded

Mar 2020

Beautiful beach and great for a morning bath. Note that this is a sea frequented by many locals. If youre looking for a secluded sea swim try and go on a weekday or early morning.

Written 16 February 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Steven S

Pattaya, Thailand782 contributions

Worth a visit especially for kids.

Mar 2024 • Solo

Located just to the west of Matara town it is not a long beach (120m) with calm waters conducive to safe swimming. Popular with local families especially on tge weekends. A few vendors and shops in the area.

Written 12 March 2024

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lucien H

Madihe East, Sri Lanka1 contribution

polhena beach Sri Lanka

My name is Sabine V. I live in Sri Lanka for more then three years in the village named Madiha close to polhena .
I read in "tripadviser" that someone accused Nishanta from Coral Beach abusing children and hè was in court for that !
Now I know Nishanta and his family for à long time and it is sad that people dont know what the impact is of such lies on internet for those people ! This man and his family are the honest people i know. Shame on you !!!

Written 29 July 2012

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

maiasocrate33

bordeaux2 contributions

i agree with sabine

Aug 2012 • Friends

we went in polhena beach and meet nishanta and is family this summer. We have a great time an absolutely no problem....It's very dangerous to write such lies in internet. This report as well as this of maria seems to be a fake made by another hotel....

Written 22 August 2012

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

NotFromParis

Melbourne3 contributions

Don't bother!!!

Mar 2016

We snorkel frequently back in Australia / Indonesia. Went to check out Polhena as has been advised that it was the best snorkelling spot close to Mirissa. So disappointing. The visibility is almost zero, the coral is mostly dead, the whole sea floor was covered in dirty-looking silt plus the odd plastic bag. We spent 20 mins in the water before being so grossed out that we left. Also the "beach" (dirty rubbish strewn strip of sand) had a very weird menacing kind of vibe - lots of local guys many of whom were drunk at 10.30am, no women at all. We were advised of frequent daily thefts of bags from the beach by several other travellers. Definitely would not recommend Polhena to anyone.

Written 8 March 2016

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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