A traditional fishing village, Bentota’s golden shores started gaining prominence in the 1980s as one of the best beach locales in the world. Boasting miles of golden sand and palm fringed shores, this little town is surrounded by water; the Benthara river splits the town in two and flows in parallel to the land, creating the Bentota lagoon and a long sliver of beach known as paradise island.
Although small, the town had a significant historic importance within the island, due to its strategic location. 13th century inscriptions identify the town as having played a part in the Arabian spice trade, while the Portuguese built a small fort in the 16th century at the river mouth. After the Dutch conquest of Sri Lanka’s coast, they in-turn converted one of the larger buildings in the fort in to a “Rest House”, starting Bentota’s long association as a holiday destination within the island.
Bentota offers a mix of larger scale, beach resorts and luxury boutique hotels. The town is also quite well known for the various water sports, river cruises and other water-based activities it offers. A honeymoon in Bentota can include hours on the beach, a sunset cruise, ayurveda treatments, great seafood and total relaxation.