Sri Lanka - Mirissa Merry Christmas

After Colombo and the Hill Country Mirissa was the perfect beach stop on our tour of Sri Lanka with the girls.  As well as enjoying time on the lovely clean beach at Mirissa, we all agreed that our guest house near the beach was idyllic.  We could easily have stayed longer than our planned four days, and if you're coming to this part of Sri Lanka we heartily recommend a stay at The Spice House.

Mirissa is made up of several small bays, but the largest bay (maybe 500m from end to end) has clean golden sand backed by palm trees and lined with small cafes and beach bars.  There's nothing very luxurious or sophisticated here, and even though it was Xmas week it wasn't too crowded during the day.  I must confess we were never on the beach at the end of the day, or the evening, as the splendid pool and tropical gardens at The Spice House drew us back there after the beach got too hot for us.  We had very comfortable first floor rooms at the back of the old Colonial house, now a gorgeous boutique hotel. Doors from our rooms opened onto a long balcony and looking out over the gardens, pool and jungle beyond was delightful.  The owners, an English husband and Sri Lankan wife, maintain high standards and this all adds up to a fabulous stay.

The view from our balcony at The Spice House

It was only a few minutes in a tuktuk from the Spice House to the beach or a hot 10 minute walk along the main road. The main coast road is closely packed with hotels, guest houses and restaurants and huge Sri Lankan buses zoom along here too, so we were glad the Spice House was set back from this up a small side road. Our only disappointment in Mirissa was the food.  Perhaps we made poor choices (thanks to Trip Advisor) but apart from our Xmas lunch at The Spice House, Mirissa did not wow us with culinary delights.  We certainly didn't starve and price reflected quality, but don't come to Mirissa for the food.

On the other hand the beach is worth coming for.  The south west beaches of Sri Lanka are famous for surfing and as Mirissa's waves are good for learning to surf the waves here are fairly vigorous but not terrifying. Although I wasn't brave enough to take the waves on, Gordon enjoyed being thrown about under them, but required ibuprofen the next day to sort out his aching back! Worth it, he claimed.

We had a wonderfully relaxing and memorable time in Mirissa and were sad to leave on Boxing Day morning to drive to Galle, north of Mirissa. For the girls Boxing Day was a full day of travelling - Galle to Colombo train and then late evening flight back to KL.  We loved spending Xmas with the girls and remain grateful that, as they get further into their twenties, they actually want to spend a good chunk of their holiday time with us, their parents.  There were conversations about where in the world we might all meet for another holiday and this brought warm feelings to my heart.

Xmas day in Mirissa

Galle Fort was hot and steamy and after a not very thorough inspection of the ramparts and a quick glance at the sea views and iconic lighthouse, we lingered over lunch in a cafe with delightfully cold air conditioning.  Mid afternoon we waved the girls off as they piled into a tuktuk with a boot large enough to accommodate Joanne's trunk and Ellen's hand luggage  (see my previous blog post which explains the luggage).  They reported later that the train ride along the coast was scenic, but hot and crowded.  It took a nano second for me to decide that Galle to Colombo Fort by train was not for me.

After spending the night in Galle Fort at a simple guest house,  an early morning stroll around the ramparts changed my opinion of the place.  The day before it'd been hot and crowded with very little charm, but now we noticed old Dutch buildings, amazingly preserved ramparts, and the area full of history and character.  There are a huge number of shops selling gem stones and just walking past them you are encouraged to step inside and have a look. We resisted.  A few hours in Galle is enough, but we were glad we'd a second chance to see the fort before it filled up with people for the day.

We had yet another incompetent taxi driver for the 2.5 hour journey from Galle to Colombo. He had no clue about where to go once we got to the outskirts of Colombo but Google maps and my phone saved the day.  Checking in at the Renuka City Hotel for our final night in Sri Lanka it was nice to be remembered by the reception staff.  For a mid priced hotel in Colombo the Renuka City Hotel is wonderful (pay a bit extra for a deluxe room though).  At 5pm we jumped into a tuktuk and sped off to the Cinnamon Red Hotel for sundowners on the open air rooftop bar called Cloud Red on the 26th floor.  Great views of Colombo.  This was a breezy experience but after a couple of delicious cocktails and tapas we didn't notice the howling wind. A fine last night in Sri Lanka.