| * |
Mark Warner Watersports Centre – with Red
Dot discounts available. |
* |
Check out lively beach bars and restaurants. |
* |
Loll on a broad, sandy beach. |
* |
Journey north-east to Wilpattu game park. |
| * |
Visit the ruins of Yapahuwa. |
* |
Take a boat trip on sea, lagoon or the old Dutch
canals. |
| |
Cycle along the canal towpaths. |
| * |
Visit the little-explored ruins of
Panduvasnuwara, an ancient Sinhalese capital. |
Negombo has made its name as an unapologetically youthful
and western-influenced resort.
A new century has brought new ambition for a resort that
had catered largely for the budget traveller. Its first
five-star hotel – The Beach – has been followed
by the opening of a Mark Warner watersports centre and
that is already stirring new investment elsewhere.
Red Dot can offer 20 per cent off all Mark Warner watersport
prices to any of its holidaymakers who book in advance.
The booking must be part of a Red Dot holiday. Just ask
your holiday consultant for more information.
Negombo’s proximity to the airport (and, don’t
worry, that does not mean Heathrow noise levels!) makes
it the first port of call for many backpackers and ensures
that it retains a relative buzz for much of the year.
One hour north of Colombo, it also offers the chance to
mix a beach holiday with forays into the capital.
Negombo is a relaxed environment where holidaymakers and
Sri Lankans haggle over this and that, flock to the numerous
bars and restaurants, loll on a mile-long strip of broad,
sandy tropical beach and generally mingle to an extent
rarely seen elsewhere.
The broad, sandy beach now rivals all but the best on
the west coast. For a convenient, value-for-money tropical
holiday, there is no denying its appeal.
The Beach hotel is part of the new upmarket Negombo. Almost
opposite The Beach stands Lord’s restaurant and
nightclub – a rare example in Sri Lanka of an independent
nightclub not run by a major hotel.
There is always a deal to be done in Negombo. Fishermen's
sail boats and oruvas (the rudimentary dug-out canoes)
sweep to and fro along the coast, the bars on the main
strip close reluctantly.
The Dutch colonial influence is most marked in the system
of canals that extend all the way from Negombo south to
Colombo and, more appealingly, north to Puttalam. You
can hire a common-and-garden bicycle easily in Negombo
to explore these canal paths, but if you require a mountain
bike and helmet, then contact Red Dot before you travel
and we'll arrange it for you.
Up the coast is Marawila, whwre the beaches are much quieter.
Or you could visit Chilaw, a sleepy, picturesque fishing
village, which attracts rather more prawns than tourists.
For another taste of Sri Lanka’s cultural heritage,
consider a manageable journey to the little-explored ruins
of Panduvasnuwara, an ancient Sinhalese capital. The impressive
rock fortress of Yapahuwa is also within reasonable distance.
Head further north along the coast road – freakishly,
one of the fastest roads in the country -- and you can
take an alternative route to Wilpattu national park, which
reopened in 2004 and which you may find invitingly free
from tourists. Or you could journey three hours to the
famous ruined capital of Anuradhapura.
Negombo is not for lovers of subtlety and solitude, rushing
waterfalls, hidden coves, expensive artefacts or Colombo
café latte. But, in its own way, it is promising
to bounce back.
|
