Coconut trees, secret beaches, rural hotel escapes and the best coconut roti and onion sambol we have ever had. Not to mention the whales that are witnessed in season here in Mirissa. Do you need to be tempted any more?
1) Go Whale watching
Mirissa prides itself for mainly one thing, Whale watching. Everyone and their mum is selling tours to see these giants of the sea up close. The whale watching season runs from around end of November until the end of April. There is no guarantee but you might be able to see Blue Whales, Sperm Whales and some Dolphins. Do keep in mind to book in advance and to put your alarm extra early as most tours start around sunrise! Sometimes when travelling it is impossible to cram every possible thing into the itinerary and unfortunately we skipped the Whale watching. Maybe a regret, but we can’t live life regretting ayy!
2) Visit Coconut Tree Hill
The one and only most Instagrammed corner of Mirissa is of course Coconut Tree Hill! This cliffside forest of coconut trees is the best backdrop for your new profile picture! We wanted to be there by sunrise to catch some beautiful colours and avoid the many tourists and it did not disappoint!
Getting there was a little tricky at 5:45 in the morning as many routes to the hill are on private terrain and the gates were locked… Eventually we spoke to a local who told us we had to go via the beach, which we did. We must admit we were very much on edge, wondering if we would be shot on sight for trespassing but fortunately we survived and escaped with a couple of photos. If you are planning to visit after 8 am you can just walk the main road (Matara Rd.) until you reach the Coconut Reach Hotel and the alley on the right with coconut tree hill painted on it. Turn right and walk trough the gates up to the hill.
3) Conquer Parrot Rock
Another must see in Mirissa is Parrot Rock. This little piece of heaven is a small island only accessible by low tide. The stone stairs and makeshift ‘bridge’ is not for the faint-hearted as it is very flimsy and slippery when wet. When you do get to the top however, the view over Mirissa Beach is spectacular, especially by sunrise! There are also lots of birds on the small island and benches to relax and enjoy your surroundings.
4) Indulge yourself in the local cuisine
One of life’s true pleasures is eating good food, Mirissa offers lots of local and western restaurants. We were so bummed to find out that the best roti shop in Mirissa ‘No. 1 Dewmini Roti Shop’ was closed… We walked by every day hoping for a treat but it looked like a wedding or an event was going on with lots of people and music. Where better to get married than in a roti shop, are we right? We loved going to ´Extreme Café´ for breakfast, you´ll have to try their coconut roti with onion sambol, it´s the best! Sorry about the terrible photo, but my mouth was watering so much I couldn’t take the camera out. I just had to dive in.
5) Stay in a Boutique Hotel
Not to sound snobby, but you can stay in luxury throughout Sri Lanka for very reasonable prices. We stayed in D Canal House and were welcomed with a walk through their magical garden to reception. The rooms were unreal and our sunrise room was stunning, the perfect place to sip a Ceylon tea and enjoy the warmth of the morning. Check out the different rooms available here! After our sunrise trek to Coconut Hill we dreamt of nothing more than plunging ourselves into their stunning pool and relaxing the day away. This was of course after the coconut roti and banana pancakes! Not sure how Mandy was floating though after that…
6) Have a beach day
Beaches are not hard to find in Mirissa, but Secret Beach is the place to be. Walk around 30 minutes from Mirissa town to this picture perfect piece of heaven. We do recommend walking as the roads aren’t the best to drive on. Have a drink at the Secret Beach Bar and choose one of the 3 amazing beaches to work on your tan. Another option is to hop in a tuk tuk and drive around 15 minutes to Weligama. Here you can rent a surfboard and have a lush day riding the waves until sunset.
If you’re like us and can’t get enough of amazing beaches, follow our trip to surfers paradise Hiriketiya!
Travelling Translated
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