Everything you need to know about Mirissa Sri Lanka
Why visit Mirissa?
Mirissa is the next coastal town along from Tangalle and is known for it's famous whale watching tours and hippy laid back vibe. We really loved our stay here and and are so glad we made this part of our trip. Compared to Tangalle it was significantly more busy, especially when it came to night life but much more costly when it came to food and accommodation. However it was still a beautiful and a worth while place to stop along the coast. We loved the vibe of the town and we especially enjoyed finding the amazing Shady Lane Mirissa, a perfect spot for breakfast or to work for the day if you are a digital nomad. We noticed that this area is developing fast so if you want to see it at it's best come soon. I hope you enjoy this post on everything you need to know about Mirissa.
How to get there?
We had planned on using a driver for getting around the coast but in the end we decided to just arrange cars and tuk tuks whilst we were there. This worked out perfectly as the drive is easy to arrange via car or van services from either the place you are staying or by using the Sri Lankan version of Uber called Pick Me. In all honesty we found Pick Me unreliable, but it was helpful to gauge on how much to pay for cars when booking with private companies. To get to to Mirissa we asked the owners of our guest house in Tangalle to arrange transport for us they simply called a man and the next day a small van arrived to collect us. In total the journey took just shy of 1 hour and was really comfortable.
Total travel time - 50 minutes
Cost: £25 (we paid £30)
Where to stay
After 5/6 days in the mountains and then at the beach I was desperate for a pool. The weather was perfect but it was hot, hot, hot and I just needed to dip into a cool pool and read my book on a lounger for a couple of days. I think when travelling it is important to give yourself those days to relax when you need them because other wise you just wear yourself out and are not able to enjoy the experiences you have planned.
In light of that we started to search for a place with a pool for a few days stay and we managed to find our accommodation Esprit Hotel via booking. com. Although the price was significantly more than else where in the area it had the pool we were after, so we went ahead and booked for two nights.
Unfortunately, when we arrived the very kind owner had to tell us that a double booking had been made and that we couldn't have the room that we had reserved. I was so gutted, I had my heart set on the pool and everything else in the area was sold out! Thankfully as there was a mix up the owner sorted us out the loveliest little guest house opposite to the hotel. He also allowed us full use of the pool and breakfast to say sorry for the error.
What to do in Mirissa
As mentioned in my blog post about Tangalle we just LOVE to hire scooters when we are away, the freedom that they give is next to none when exploring a new place. Again, we just asked at the hotel desk about hire and the very next day our little moped was there ready and waiting. It cost us about the same to rent as last time (give or take a couple of quid) and gave us the freedom to not only explore the town but actually take a trip to neighboring places such as Welligama
Afternoon trip to Welligama
If you love to surf or want to learn to surf then I would say a trip to Welligama will be well up your street. As with every trip I did a fair bit or research and I am personally really happy we chose not to stay in Welligama over Mirissa. Whilst we did enjoy our afternoon trip there, we found the beaches to be incomparable to those of Tangalle and Mirissa. It wasn't dirty as such, in that I didn't visibly see a lot of rubbish it just didn't have any wow factor. That said Dan loved his surfing experience there, it was ridiculously cheap to hire a board at something like 500 rupees an hour and whilst Dan did that, I enjoyed a coconut from the comfort of a sun lounger. It took is just 15 minutes to get there on the scooter and we went late afternoon which meant we got to experience a really gorgeous sunset before a cool evening ride back to Mirissa town.
The food was also the bomb, call me hashtag #basic but it was so good to enjoy some fresh avo, eggs and toast after enjoying Sri Lankan curry every day for breakfast lunch and dinner. We also couldn't get enough of their icy cold smoothie bowls and home made delicious french toast. Which whilst it looked too perfect to eat was definitely not! We may or may not have come back two days in a row for these and I often think about their perfect ice cold mango smoothie bowl.
Shady Lane
This was my favorite food spot in Mirissa, not only did it serve the most delicious vegetarian and vegan friendly food but I also loved the chilled and laid back vibe of the place. With my job meaning I have to work from where ever I am, I always love to seek out a spot where I can crack on with some emails. This was the perfect place for that, the internet was fast, there were comfy seats and it wasn't too busy early in the morning.
Palm Tree Valley
If you are a sucker for a good photo then I would recommend a trip to Palm Tree Valley for an amazing shot overlooking the ocean. We actually stumbled upon this place by complete accident when we went to take photos on the root top of Hotel Esprit with some friends. We saw that there was a small little beach across the road from where we were staying and decided to venture over. It was then we spotted the ginormous gathering of tall palm trees where the sun was setting it was so beautiful especially at sunset! We all collectively decided to climb the side of the rock to the top and it was such a cool experience. I definitely nearly stacked it a few times on the way up and down so if you do take the route we did, be sure to wear comfortable shoes! I have included the link to the exact location via google maps above to make finding it a bit easier!
Other places not to be missed
Dewmini roti shop
This place does the best sweet and savory rotis along the coast. Tucked away a few backstreets away on the opposite side of the beach, this fairly small local family spot is worth the journey for lunch. Not only is it dirt cheap but the food was just so good. A plate or fried rice, one savory roti and one sweet came to just 750 rupee's which for two people is a grand total of £3.50. Again we made a trip to here twice, the second time bringing some friends we made along the way with us.
Secret Root Spa
Sri Lanka, much like India is very big on its Ayurvedic medicine and treatments and if you are looking to experience this then I would wholly recommend a trip to this spa. I didn't get any photos to show, one because we got the last available slot in the evening meaning it was too dark, and two because I was far too busy actually enjoying the experience. Set in a beautiful serene garden the spa has a small but perfect menu of treatments to enjoy. A full body 1 hour 30 minute full body massage will set you back a whopping £15 that's right guys! I also went for a steam bath which is 'a sweat therapy using a combination of specially selected herbs and medicines to cleanse the skin of sweat and toxins' it was so good also ridiculously priced at 1500 Sri Lankan rupis ! I actually wish we went back for another before we left.
So that's all of my tips for Mirissa, I hope you found this post helpful and if you have any questions please leave me a comment below and I will get back to you asap.
Don't forget if you haven't read my other Sri Lanka travel posts you can find them all here: