We tell you about Negombo, a resort town in Sri Lanka. Find out if it's worth going here on vacation.
What the resort looks like
Negombo is a convenient resting point after a long flight, acclimatization and smooth immersion in a new environment. Many begin and end in it the circular route in Sri Lanka, because:
- close to airport
- developed infrastructure
- there is a beach.
Should you go for a long vacation in Negombo? Not. Use as a staging post for a day or two.
Negombo is conventionally divided into two parts - a bustling center with attractions, shops, cheap cafes and a tourist area with a beach, restaurants, beautiful villas and hotels. This is a typical Asian city: a lot of noise, advertisements, garbage, sewer smells, pesky tuk-tukers and barkers in cafes.
When is the best time to go
The high season, when there is almost no rainfall, is from December to March. Mostly tourists come at this time. We rested in Negombo in March: it is hot and humid during the day, pleasantly cool in the evening.
Low season from April to November. At this time it rains a lot and is too humid.
How to get from the airport to Negombo
The cheapest way is to call a knock knock with the Pick Me app. The trip to the city costs at least 500 rupees. To do this, buy a Dialog SIM card in the arrivals area and install the Pick Me application. Then leave the airport and go further - tuk-tuk cannot enter the airport area. Call and wait. The screen will display the driver's number and a moving tuk-tuk figurine - just like in Uber.
And you don't even have to bother. Find a tuk-tuk driver and bargain up to Rs 550 - we did just that. A weighty argument in the bargaining is the cost of the trip in the Pick Me app. The driver will not resist! However, buy a SIM card anyway - it will come in handy for calling a tuk-tuk more than once and will save a lot of money.
The most expensive taxi is at the airport. It's cheaper to get an Uber and call a taxi outside the airport.
Note! The application does not work everywhere. In Sigiriya, Nuwara Eliya, Ella and Mirissa - no. We only used it in Colombo and Negombo.
Where to withdraw money without commission at Negombo airport. At a Bank of Ceylon ATM. It is located in the arrivals hall on the left side - by the toilets and the food court.
Where to buy a SIM card at the airport. The operator's desk in the arrivals hall is bright and eye-catching - located to the diagonal left of the green corridor. Dialog has a base rate of Rs 1,300 for 4GB. On top of it, you can buy additional gigabytes - 9GB costs 2600 rupees. If you run out of traffic, buy it in supermarkets or shops with the inscription Dialog.
Beach at Negombo
He is here alone, very wide and extended. There is no natural shadow. The beach in Negombo is so-so - there is a lot of rubbish in the sand, and the water in the ocean is muddy due to waves and silt. Tourists hardly bathe.
At sunset, when the coolness sets in, locals come to rest. Adults watch the sunset and eat fast food, while children wallow in the surf.
Prices for hotels in Negombo
Very modest guesthouses with a shared bathroom and a fan in the room cost $ 5-8.
Simple guesthouses with air conditioning and private bathroom - $ 13-20. Breakfast is almost always included in this price.
On Rumguru in high season, 3 * hotels cost from $ 17, 4 * - from $ 30, 5 * - from $ 50.
We stayed in the tourist part of town in the small Negombo Fortress guesthouse for $ 17 per night. The price - quality ratio is excellent! Very hearty breakfasts are already included in the price. There is both an air conditioner and a ceiling fan. The host is hospitality itself.
Food prices in Negombo
The choice of establishments and the assortment is wide. If the national cuisine is too spicy for you, choose European dishes or establishments with a different cuisine from the menu. We saw Italian, Japanese, German and Greek.
Food prices in Negombo are different: high in the tourist area and low in the city center. If in Vietnam and Thailand we fit into $ 10 for two a day, then in the tourist zone it costs only lunch or dinner for two (from 1500 rupees). And this is the minimum - it is impossible to leave less. Plus a 10% service charge is usually added.
But in the center of Negombo, food prices are 2-3 times lower! It seems to be more profitable to ride a tuk-tuk to the center and eat there. For comparison: curry rice by the beach costs at least 500 rupees, and in a cafe opposite Negombo Plaza - from 180 rupees.
Inexpensive cafes and restaurants that we recommend. They are in the tourist zone, except for the last one:
- Jude. We went all the time - here is the cheapest food in the tourist zone, and at the same time delicious. There are only 4 tables, so there are no seats after 19:30 - come earlier. The staff are very helpful and once set a table for us in their guesthouse room so we wouldn't wait. The minimum check is 1600 rupees. Address: no 100 / 11B beach road Palagature west.
- Greek Grill. Greek restaurant with low prices. Address: 63 Porutota Rd.
- Ruwini Restaurant. It is more expensive and not so tasty at all, but the incredible Mix Lassi for 300 rupees. Address: 57 / A Cemetery Road Kudapaduwa.
- Tastees downtown. Low prices and delicious! We recommend an almond cocktail with dates. Located opposite Negombo Plaza.
ATM machines
Bank of Ceylon issues money without commission - they saw it only in the city center. HNB charges a commission of Rs 300.
Transport
Knock-knock. It is convenient to move around the city by tuk-tuk - a kind of three-wheeled moped. Call through the Pick Me app - it's much cheaper that way. Residents also use it. This requires a local SIM card.
Here's what you need to know:
- The drivers are either a little sluggish, or they don't know the city well. Sometimes they are driven according to the principle "Will you show the road?" or answer the call to Pick Me and drive the other way! They may call and ask where you are waiting.
- In-app payment in cash. Have petty money because drivers don't always have change.
- If you catch a knock-knock without an application, bargain - the price is overstated three times.
Buses. Tourists don't need city buses - tuk-tuks are more convenient. But it is useful to know about intercity buses.
There are no air conditioners (Non AC) - they are large and go slowly, often stop. It is colorful, but inconvenient to sit, Sri Lankan pop music is thundering, blowing from open windows.
Air-conditioned minivans are much more comfortable. Tickets cost a penny: for example, a two-hour trip to Kurinigala by minivan - 230 rupees ($ 1.5), on a regular Non AC bus from Curinigala to Dumbolla - 100 rupees.
Attractions Negombo
The city is boring, there is almost nothing to do, there are few attractions in Negombo.
Fish market
Large colorful market - interesting photos are obtained. You can observe how the catch is unloaded and dried on the sand. Come in the morning. We were almost at noon - even at this time it was very busy, although the merchants were gradually leaving. The market is closed on Sunday.
Canals and lagoon
The canals are picturesque. Houses stretch along them and there are fishing boats. It is interesting to observe the life of the locals: someone is playing, someone is washing, someone is just sitting. You can take a guided tour or walk on your own. We warn you: the smell is specific, there is a lot of garbage floating around.
It is notable for its unusual entrance in the form of the mouth of a predatory animal. Inside - a colorful (perhaps even too much) image of the life of the Buddha. Admission is free, but the monk asked to buy a brochure explaining the paintings in the temple for 1000 rupees. We politely declined.
