The Golden sands of Unawatuna

After our brief stop at Hikkaduwa I was half expecting to find a similar beach scene, near to Galle Road and I bit too hemmed in with civilization, too busy and full of people and pedestrians.

Unawatuna is just a small town about 20 minutes from Galle but what makes it special is that it’s tucked away from the bustle of the heavily-trafficked Galle Road with a small sign next to a small road indicating that you have to turn this way to go into the beach proper of Unawatuna.

We stayed at the Shangri-la Guesthouse (yes, as in super infringement of IP rights sya! Hahaha) which is a few minutes walk away from the beach. I was a bit disappointed from not being ensconced right in the beach but then I later realized that its the distance away from the beach noise which is its best selling point! God! Can you just imagine, trying to sleep after a day in the sun and night spent boozing around but you can’t sleep a wink coz all your neighbors and their friends are still out there partying and loud music are still blaring from all the bars and restaurants around the beach????

They have guest rooms at the main house and a few private cabanas strewn around the garden. I think I’m really getting older coz I am now very OC about having my own private room as compared to my previous room-sharing guesthouse experience during my younger backpacking days.

The cabanas were quite clean and spacious. It has a queen-sized bed with a mosquito net hanging over it, fan-cooled, and has indoor bathroom (there’s one cabana which has an outdoor toilet pero baka naman masilipan ako! Hahaha) with a small glass pane on the roof para siguro at night you can see the stars while you do what you do in the toilet! Ano yun, titingala ka habang naka-upo? Lol

My stomach is still digesting the huge breakfast I had at Taprobane - Cinnamon Garden Hotel (they have buffet breakfast for only 1785+++ LKR) so I skipped lunch and headed out immediately to the beach.

Unawatuna beach scene reminded me of Kuta beach in Bali, it was crowded with lounging sun worshippers, there were a couple of surfers (although there’s really no waves in the vicinity – maybe they were just body boarding???), and open air restaurants and cafes strung around the half-moon shaped beach. You also have a lot of souvenir vendors plying their trade. It adds up to a very colorful and energetic beach life!

It was slightly cloudy with some off-and-on drizzling throughout the afternoon but it’s definitely an improvement from the nonstop rains the previous weeks. I don’t think I’d get my suntan in this weather though!

Just before sunset, we went off walking towards the end of the beach. Once you get inside the gated temple, you walk up a flight of stairs and then you’ll see the Peace Pagoda.

But once you get passed the Pagoda, a breathtaking view awaits you! As in really, WOW! The perfect vantage point to put your feet up and watch the sunset. Awesome! I love the sound of waves crashing into the boulders and going back into the sea…..

Sadly though, we couldn’t get our perfect sunset…..the sun was covered up by dark clouds…..oh well, hopefully next time!

After stopping over at Sanctuary Spa for a date with Ayurveda massage the following day, we went back to our guesthouse. Need to freshen up a bit before dinner. We went to Thaproban restaurant (they also have accommodation yata) for dinner. I know I was in my element, yakking nonstop about nonsensical things to my host! Hahaha don’t you just love unhurried dinners like that? You take your time in between subo and nonstop chatting! The poor guy’s ears must have blistered though…..lol

We went to the beach for a few drinks before we head on for more serious drinking and dancing. The beach was alive with lights. Tables and chairs in the sand, gentle waves crashing in while sipping Lion beer…..whatta life they have here! lol

I must have enjoyed the place too much ( I did not drink that much, hello??) but for the life of me I just couldn’t remember what the name of the pub that we went to afterwards. It was a great place, full of people, and at one point they had a fire dance right in front of us although the fire crackers did scare me a bit. Ayoko talaga ng mga paputok na yan no!

I don’t know kung sino ang minalas (baka ako pala yun! Hahaha) but when we stepped on the dance floor, the music stopped coz apparently there’s a curfew daw! Ang kuleeettt!!! Someone said that maybe di daw nabigyan ng tong ang lespu kaya me curfew! Hahaha parang Pinas pala ito!

So we ended up going back to the beachfront to look for a place that’s still open and ended up at the Tartaruga bar & restaurant (or was it the nearby one?).

Great place. Great company. What more could I ask for?