We spent our second week in the area of Galle and Unawatuna , still on the Southern coast of Sri Lanka. About a 40 minute drive from Hikkaduwa, we potentially could have just done this as a day trip, rather than keep moving along. But we live and learn.
We stayed in an Airbnb not too far from Galle fort and about ten minutes from Unawatuna beach. We thought from the description that we were getting a whole villa as with the last place in Hikkaduwa but actually it was a room with a bathroom and a fridge. It had a shared kitchen which was very ill equipped but it was a little bungalow with it’s own porch and it was set in a beautiful garden. Across the garden a few metres away were more rooms with a few people staying in them. We didn’t mind too much but we were realising that we need a bigger space to stay in where possible. We also noted that what is stated as an “entire place” on Airbnb, often isn’t in Sri Lanka.
What was really nice was that there was a boy there the same age as Matilda so they all played together in the gardens for the whole stay, ate lunches together, had a small birthday party for the boys mum and had daily water balloon fights, in amongst spotting iguanas and palm squirrels running around the jungle like garden.
One small problem with this property, which I have written about on “mum stuff” is that the garden actually lead to a huge gate which went straight onto the road. Matilda and her friend were trusted but Nate kept making a bee line for it if he was unattended for even a second and. That made it quite a stressful stay, even though it was a beautiful setting.
A pattern was slowly emerging of what was and wasn’t going to work for us accommodation wise and so I decided to make a list. We are on a mission to find the dream toddler accommodation!
Galle fort is the main attraction in Galle Town along with the markets. Galle was conquered by the Portuguese in the late 16th century, taken over by the Dutch in the 17th century and then for over 200 years, became Sri Lanka’s main spice trading port.
There is a fish market not too far from the fort where the local fishermen sell the daily catch. The kids found it fun to see all the different types of seafood and the fishermen in return found it fun to wave the things with legs in their faces!
Galle train station in the town is part of the costal route which serves Colombo to the north and stations in between. The only further south station that is serves is Matara.
We really enjoyed the fort, although it was an obvious tourist trap as far as prices were concerned. We had a traditional Sri Lankan breakfast with 10 different types of curry at a tiny little, traditional little café called Lucky Fort Restaurant, just off one of the sides streets. We’d been waiting for one of these since we arrived and we weren’t disappointed. It was delicious and even the kids ate some.
The fort is full of lovely looking eateries and many different types of food (we had an ice cream from an Italian stand after the curry). These also all looked lovely but more touristy and more expensive than where we had eaten.
The fort is also full of lovely little boutiques and gem shops with seriously overpriced things, but still, nice to look at.
A local had told us that there were a couple of beaches around the fort, which there were but sadly they didn’t look very nice and were full of rubbish and plastic.
We went on an extremely hot day and so like an oasis in the desert we spotted a very “London” looking craft beer pub. Due to our brains being friend in the heat we thought this looked very appealing and as we were so thirsty we didn’t stop to think about the price. Needless to say 2 beers and 2 soft drinks for the kids came to about £10. Expected in London but that is extortionate in Sri Lanka and a big chunk of our budget.
We walked around the walls and down the narrow lanes and I was very envious and intrigued by the split seconds view I got of glamourous looking hotels behind doors and crumbling walls. I’d love to come back and stay here one day. I will be looking into the cost. I’m assuming it’s a lot!
Galle lighthouse is the structure that immediately makes you recognise the fort. It is still a working lighthouse and is of course featured on most photos of the area.
There is a walk that you can do of the walls which I regret not doing now but the sun was blazing and it would have been too much with the kids. Perhaps if we go back we can plan better and go early in the morning.
Japanese Peace Pagoda
We have explained to her that his teachings live on but she’s still learning to understand. She loves Buddha though and any stories about him. I have been looking out for anything that teaches Buddhism for kids as I think she’d really like the stories.
The pagoda is also set in beautiful gardens and our tuk tuk driver told us that all of the plants in it are Ayurvedic.
Unawatuna Beach
As I mentioned before, our accommodation was about a 10 minute tuk tuk ride to Unawatuna beach. We actually loved the beach road that it was on. Very hustle bustle, bursting with tuk tuks, cars, tourists, cafes and restaurants and shops. We came back here a couple of times and for lunch and dinner and really liked the vibe. We had the best Kotu curry of our whole trip here, went to a really cute coffee shop one day and also had some great hoppers for lunch.
What we weren’t too keen on was the actual beach. It really is a surfing beach and the waves are big and strong (probably great if you want to surf but not for swimming with kids). I went in the water with Matilda and it was actually pretty scary so we didn’t stay long. The beach is lined with restaurants and cafes and was nice for a drink but it was extremely touristy and not the same vibe as Hikkaduwa which we had loved.
You could also note the large concrete hotels being constructed down the road. If you want to visit Sri Lanka I would suggest that you do so soon. I fear in the net few years the landscape will be changing dramatically. Especially as it was named the number one place to go in 2019 by the Lonely Planet.
One night we jumped into a tuk tuk and said “take us somewhere local” and so he did. I couldn’t even show you on a map where it was but we got out at a busy junction and sat in a tiny restaurant with plastic chairs and cut up news paper for napkins. The food was delicious and the kids played with the chefs while watching them cook on a hot plate where the rice jumped.
Dewata Beach and M.S.P. Surf School & Cafe
Our favourite little gem, and probably the thing which made our visit here, was one we stumbled upon by accident. One day we were walking to the supermarket but we were so hot that we jumped into a tuk tuk and asked him to take us somewhere for a cold drink. We were expecting a little stall on the side of the road with some plastic chairs. He pulled up somewhere that didn’t really look like anything more than a metal gate so we weren’t sure if we were going to get a drink. As we got out so did he and he opened the gate and took us through to the most amazing beach and surf bar!
We later discovered it was called Dewata beach and we loved it. The surfers that ran the bar were in love with the kids and kept taking them off to play. We were actually surprised that young cool surfers were interested in kids but we began to realise that everywhere in Sri Lanka the locals adore kids. Shouts of “baby baby” followed us everywhere we went with cuddles and hair ruffles. The Sri Lankans are always on hand to make sure the children were happy and comfortable anywhere we went and were very forgiving for any noise and mess in restaurants (good news for us!). They also love to tell you about their children and show you photos so it’s a great ice breaker.
