Sri Lanka’s Bentota — a perfect quick getaway from South India

Discover why Bentota, Sri Lanka is the perfect quick getaway from South India with beaches, culture, and luxury resorts.

Where can you go for a short, three-day break, say a long weekend that serendipitously pops up on your calendar? You’re in Chennai or somewhere in south India and the question looms: how do you make the most of this rare luxury? A hill station? The tourist spots are crammed. A city break? Not relaxing enough. An out-of-the-way eco resort? Often, the time taken to get there eats into your holiday. 

For me, Sri Lanka ticks all the boxes: it’s close enough to south India to make for a quick flight, it can accommodate diverse interests ranging from history to wildlife; from food to culture, and it offers, in spades, my personal must for a real holiday – the beach. 

On a recent trip, I was at Bentota, a resort town on the island nation’s southern coast, about an hour and half away from Colombo. Getting there presented no issues: a pleasant flight on Sri Lankan Airlines to Colombo, and from there, Bentota is about an hour and a half’s drive away.

Believed to have been named after a mythical demon, ‘Bem’ who ruled the river banks ‘tota’, a portion of this coastal town, once a fishing/farming village, and now popular with tourists, is sandwiched between the river and the sea.

Cinnamon Bentota Beach, the resort I stayed at, embraces you with its stunning Geoffery Bawa architecture, the pops of art work scattered across the property, and everywhere you turn, the soothing murmur of water. The views from the rooms at the resort are unbeatable: open the front door for a glimpse of boats bobbing on the lagoon; open the casement windows opposite, and watch the waves of the Indian Ocean crash.

The thing about holidays is that they mean something different to every person who goes on them. Bentota manages, however, to meet almost all criteria: want to lie on a pool/beach lounger sipping refreshing drinks with an occasional dip? Check. Want to sample different kinds of food? Check. Want to go for energetic walks in the morning, indulge in water sports in the afternoon and kick back in the evening? Check. Want to learn a little about local culture through perhaps a traditional mask painting class? Check. Want to have the children occupied while you revel in the luxury of doing nothing? Check.

Want to have your wedding here? Check. The report, spread across 11 acres, with 159 rooms, has now become an attractive site for destination weddings, says Radhey Tawar, Cinammon Hotels & Resorts’ Chief Commercial Officer. “Couples from India as well as Indian expats from the Middle East, the UK and U.S. find it advantageous: the flying time from India is short, the drive from Colombo is straightforward and we offer an Indian Chef to meet food needs,” he says.