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Sri Lanka is one of my favourite countries in the world. I love everything about it; the Sri Lankan people, the culture, the landscape and especially the food. This was my third trip to Sri Lanka. Previously I have explored the cultural triangle in the heart of the island and the mountainous regions of Kaduruketha and Ella. However, this time I wanted to see what the East Coast of Sri Lanka has to offer.
Where to Stay on the East Coast of Sri Lanka
For this trip I stayed at the fabulous 5* beachfront, boutique hotel – Sun Siyam Pasikudah. My room was huge and thankfully strongly air conditioned, It felt like a sanctuary in Sri Lanka’s heat and humidity. One thing about hotels in Sri Lanka is that you’ll always have a giant outdoor bathroom and Sun Siyam Pasikudah is no exception. I even had a little frog visitor one morning in the shower, which I was delighted about (I LOVE frogs).
There’s a lovely welcome ceremony upon arrival, a very much needed cool towel and a refreshing welcome drink. Facilities-wise, the hotel has a large infinity pool just on the edge of the beach that appears to flow into the sea. There’s a lovely poolside bar and restaurant for casual dining.
The main restaurant has wonderful buffets full of global cuisine and local Sri Lankan food. They make a great iced coffee as well, which is very important for me on my travels. The staff are incredibly kind and attentive, they even left me some aloe vera gel in my room to soothe my sunburn.
There are kayaks and snorkelling equipment on site which you can use during your stay. They also provide reef shoes for you to wear as there is a lot of coral on the beach and in the sea in front of the hotel. Overall, I loved my stay here, just watch out for the monkeys!
** You can book direct on the Sun Siyam website **
Rates are always subject to change, but as a guide villas start from €252 per night sleeping up to two adults and two kids under 12.
Things to do in East Sri Lanka
There’s a lot to do in East Sri Lanka, but here are a few of my favourites that I did during my 5 days there. It’s really the kind of destination where it can be as relaxed or as adventurous as you want.
Whale Watching in Trincomalee
We did a whale watching trip in Trincomalee in the hopes of spotting blue whales and sperm whales. Unfortunately, we didn’t spot any whales this time. However, we saw A LOT of dolphins and they were doing all sorts of acrobatics to keep us entertained.
This trip also included a stop at pigeon island national park for a snorkel and a swim. We spotted a few sea turtles while we were snorkelling which made up for the lack or whales. The company we went with was Pigeon Island Diving.
Tuk Tuk Tour of Pasikudah
This was one of my favourite things I did during my time in East Sri Lanka. There’s something about the breeze flowing through your hair in a tuk tuk that makes me feel alive.
On this tour we visited local beaches, artisans, markets and the most gorgeous temple I’ve ever seen. Sri Munai Murukan Kovil Hindu temple is absolutely spectacular. It’s small, but bright and colourful and has a story of survival behind it. Literally, you can see the original wall of the temple, the only part that survived the tsunami. It was very interesting to meet the guardians of the temple and hearing about the long road to rebuilding the temple.
Local Cooking Lesson
We had a wonderful cooking lesson with the chef from Sun Siyam Pasikudah. First we visited the local food market and picked up fresh ingredients and spices for our dishes. The smells, the sounds, the tastes; this market was a sensory extravaganza!
Our cooking station was set up on the beach at the hotel. It’s got to be one of the most beautiful places that I’ve ever cooked a meal. We cooked the most delicious lentil daal and several varieties of curry. By the end of our cooking class we had a full spread and got to eat lunch on beach with a gorgeous seaview. I absolutely loved this experience and have already applied a few things I learned to my cooking back home.
Traditional Sri Lankan Breakfast
Sun Siyam Pasikudah offer a traditional Sri Lankan Breakfast served in giant leaves, The breakfast includes coconut roti, string hoppers, lentil daal, coconut sambal and plenty more. I know curry for breakfast may seem unusual at first, but trust me, you get used to it very quickly! This traditional breakfast was one of the best things I ate on this trip.
Thirukoneswaram Kovil Temple at Trincomalee
This Hindu temple is perched on a cliff top in Trincomalee and cuts a striking silhouette with spectacular sea views. The temple is dedicated to Shiva and is known for it’s vibrant architecture. I was amazed by how beautiful this temple was, with lots of stunning sculptures both inside and outside on the nearby cliff walk.
There are lots of local vendors on the walk up to the temple if you’d like to pick up a souvenir or snack. You can also purchase offerings to bring to the temple. We visited during a public holiday so it was incredibly busy. The locals were very kind and welcoming as we explored the temple, even offering us a cold yoghurt snack.
Sunset Drinks on the Sea
For a truly dreamy experience I really recommend sunset cocktails on a floating pontoon at Sun Siyam Pasikudah. The wonderful staff ferry you over to the pontoon on a raft and even set up a cocktail bar on the pontoon to provide you with fresh cocktails through the night.
The sunset was a perfect wash of orange and pink and as the night rolled on we could even see a lightning storm in the distance. A local band even came out to our pontoon to play us a few tunes as we bobbed along on the waves.
How to Get to Sri Lanka
Normally I would fly through Dubai or Qatar to get to Sri Lanka. However, this time I flew from Dublin to London and then hopped on the Sri Lankan Airlines direct flight to Colombo. Once you land in Colombo you’ll need to drive across the island to the East Coast. Sun Siyam Pasikudah can organise a private (thankfully air conditioned) transfer, which is what I did on this trip. The journey was roughly 6hrs and we stopped along the way to get coffee and lunch.
Make sure to keep your eyes open on the road as you’ll probably see elephants along the roadside.