Hikkaduwa or Bentota - what to choose

Bentota and Hikkaduwa are one of the most popular beaches on the west coast of Sri Lanka, are close to each other, are subject to the same seasons, so very often the question arises which one to choose for recreation. To make it easier for you to deal with this question, read our comparison of these resorts.

Seasons

As already mentioned, the resorts are not far from each other (they are separated by a little more than 30 kilometers), and therefore the weather and seasons are the same here. The high season lasts from October to April, the low from May to September.

Hotels

There are plenty of hotels in both resorts, but in Hikkaduwa there is much more choice of budget accommodation, inexpensive hostels. In Bentota, by contrast, there are more expensive luxury hotels for package holidays. That is why Bentota is considered a more "package" place, and Hikkaduwa attracts more independent tourists and young people.

Beaches

It is difficult to say unequivocally where the beaches are better, they are just basically different here. Perhaps the only thing that unites them is that they are not perfect.

Hikkaduwa Beach has a length of about 6 kilometers, while the Strip suitable for swimming and Recreation is only 3 kilometers. The closer to the center of Hikkaduwa you move along the beach, the narrower it becomes, and in some places simply stops.

Bentota has several areas and beaches: Bentota Beach, Induruwa, Kosgoda, Alutgama. In general, these beaches are wider, longer and more beautiful than Hikkaduwa.

Entertainment and beach amenities are plentiful in both Hikkaduwa and Bentota, as long as you don't find yourself too far from the center.

Infrastructure: travel agencies, transport rental, restaurants, etc.

In Hikkaduwa, everything is quite compact, and if you settle along the main road

Galle Road is not too far from the center (the center we mean is the bus station area), you will have access to everything you need on foot. Along the road there is everything you need: a lot of travel agencies, shops, supermarkets, liquor stores, rent motorcycles and bicycles, cafes and restaurants, currency exchange.

Bentota also has a center, but the resort area itself is so stretched that your hotel can be very far from the center and any infrastructure. So, the beaches of Induruva and Kosgoda in Bentota are very far from the center, so even in order to eat inexpensively outside the hotel, from there you have to go to the city by taxi or tuk-tuk. There is also no large number of travel agencies, exchange offices and other infrastructure necessary for tourists concentrated in one place. To find a motorcycle rental, most likely you will have to seek help from someone from the local or do it through the hotel.

In general, according to our assessment, Hikkaduwa is somewhat more convenient and developed in terms of tourist infrastructure.

Party and nightlife

There is no nightlife in either place, but still Hikkaduwa looks much more advanced and touristy than Bentota. There are several bars with modern music, small parties are sometimes held right on the beaches, and on Fridays the Vibration Hotel hosts a very progressive disco all night long.

Excursions and attractions

There are almost no attractions in both Hikkaduwa and Bentota, but there is a huge selection of excursions throughout Sri Lanka. Moreover, in Hikkaduwa there are objectively more excursion offers, there are inexpensive group tours, and even Russian-speaking guides and travel agencies. In Unawatuna there is nothing like this, there are only individual tours on tuk-tuks or cars.

If you rent a motorcycle or hire a tuk-tuk with a driver, you can see several interesting places in the vicinity of both resorts.