You rarely find a Sri Lankan who doesn’t enjoy a good holiday on the beach. However, not all beach stretches in the island offer a perfect combination of relaxation and activity. Mirissa, gloriously, does. The need for a good, long ‘out-of-the-monotony’ experience propelled me towards this laid-back town and here’s a list of 5 things, I think, every Sri Lankan should keep in mind when travelling here.
Catch of the day at Central Beach Restaurant
1. Experience Mirissa like a tourist
This is very easy said and done, mainly because most visitors to these magical stretch of beach ARE foreigners, whether you opt to go there off-season or in season. All the more reason for you to put on your bathing suits, sunscreen and shades and just frolic in the sea! Be curious. Ask questions. Move about. Interact. Whether it’s a gamut of tourists enjoying our coastal stretch of paradise or the laid-back charm of our local restaurateurs and waiters, the beach demands that you let your guard down and just soak up the sun.
2. Explore, explore, explore…
The secluded crescent shaped beach of Mirissa is pretty small and dotted with quite a few restaurants and guest-houses, so walking the length of it is pretty easy. At any given time, you can see curious tourists strolling along the beach, popping into one or two of the restaurants that catch their fancy. You’d see people enjoying late breakfasts and lunches. Meal times take their own interpretation – eat when hungry – and happy hours, well, cease to be for just an hour.
Zephyr food
If you’re a first timer here, make sure you check out the following places.
Beach Wadiya Restaurant – You can sip a cool drink here after a spell in the sun. They have a wide range of beverages on offer and their restaurant is a popular place for their delicious sea food dishes.
Zephyr Restaurant & Bar – Offering a beautiful blend of great food and contagious ambience, Zephyr is a must-visit for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Central Beach Restaurant – We had an amazing Sri Lankan lunch here and also a delicious whole garoupa for dinner.
Our World Cafe
Our World Wi-Fi-café – A great place to take a break and have a thambili, while on a stroll. The free Wi-Fi doesn’t hurt either.
View from Giragala
3. Visit Parrot Rock (Giragala)
Your trip to Mirissa, cannot be complete, without climbing Parrot Rock and breathing in the unbelievably beautiful view, at least once (although once you do it, you’d want to go back again and again!). The steps leading up can be a bit wobbly and give you jitters, but as long as you’re careful while climbing up and getting down, you’ll be fine! Best times to get to the summit would be early mornings and late evenings. I needed a lot of persuasion to climb down. It wasn’t easy leaving that view!
Body boarding
4. Body board
One of the more popular pastimes in Mirissa is body boarding - a surface water sport where you ride a body board on the crest, face, and curl of a wave carrying you towards shore. You can either be brave and take on large waves or stay with the loads of kids closer to shore.
5. Go inland
Tearing yourself from the beach is going to be hard but if you have enough days left, try and go in-land and explore some of the great restaurants there. Dewmini Roti shop with the best local rotti dishes is a must-try. For some reasonably priced massages, you can visit Badora Spa or Secret Root Spa.
Garoupa for dinner at Central Beach
Text and photographs by Jennifer Rodrigo
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