An alcohol-free evening in Hiriketiya and Dikwella

If you do not drink, the easiest evening near Hiriketiya is at Ohana on Turtle Beach, less than five minutes away by road: we serve no alcohol at all, and the list of mocktails, iced teas and elixirs is a long one. Around us, an evening without a drink is simple wherever dinner, not the bar, is the reason people come.

Why is an alcohol-free evening different here?

Hiriketiya at dusk is built around the sundowner. That is a fine thing if you want it. If you do not, you can feel like the odd one out.

A place that serves no alcohol changes the room. Nobody asks what you are having and why. The tables are quieter, children are still up, the evening ends early and well. We chose it for health above all, and so that our doors stay open to everyone: families, children, Muslim guests, anybody. People do not drink for many reasons: faith, health, pregnancy, an early surf, or simply no taste for it. Nobody has to explain.

What do you drink instead?

Something made with the same care. Our mocktails are built from fruit, leaves and spices of the island.

• Karapincha Mojito, 2,200 LKR. Curry leaf, the scent of every Sri Lankan kitchen, takes the mint's place, with lime, our curry leaf syrup and local orange.
• Spicy Guava, 2,400 LKR. Guava, fresh ginger, lime and a sliver of green chilli, shaken over ice. Sweet first, then a slow heat.
• Pinepash, 2,200 LKR. Pineapple and passion fruit with lime, mint and ginger syrup.
• Twilight Fizz, 1,500 LKR. Butterfly pea blue, turned violet by a squeeze of lime, with a little Ceylon cinnamon tea. The colour of the sky just after sunset.
• After Sun, 1,700 LKR. Cucumber, king coconut water and mint over coconut ice cubes.
• Watermelon Lemonade, 1,900 LKR. Pink and fizzy, with basil seeds and kithul treacle.

For the table:

• Iced Tea Jug, 3,600 LKR. One litre with four tall glasses, still or sparkling. Choose Ceylon cinnamon, lemongrass and ginger, passion fruit or mango. Each starts from a syrup our team cooks here.
• A single iced tea is 1,200 to 1,400 LKR.
• Soda, Your Way, 900 LKR. Half a litre, plain or with fresh lime, salty or sweet, or with our ginger syrup.
• Coconut Water, 800 LKR. From the golden king coconut, over ice.
• Filtered water is on the house, all evening.

And for the end of the night:

• The Ohana Ritual, 3,300 LKR. Three small Ayurvedic elixirs on a wooden board, drunk from left to right.
• Ashwagandha Moon Milk, 2,400 LKR. Warm milk with ashwagandha root, turmeric, cardamom and cinnamon. It is traditionally taken in the evening, before sleep. It is not advised in pregnancy, and it is a drink, not a medicine.
• A pot of Ceylon Tea, 700 LKR. Coffee is served until 18:00, so have your espresso before dinner.

What is in the elixirs is told in Ayurvedic drinks explained.

How does the evening go without a sundowner?

The same way, and nobody misses it.

• 16:00. A sunbed, a swim, the first glass.
• About 17:30. Something to nibble with the second: Papadam Nachos, 2,100 LKR, or a Baja Fish Taco, 1,800 LKR.
• About 18:00. The sun goes down. It sets between 17:45 and 18:30 all year.
• After. A table on the sand, with oil lamps and candles. A whole fish for two, or a platter with a jug of iced tea in the middle.
• By 21:00 the kitchen closes, and you are home with a clear head.

On Sundays at 6 PM there is the Bonfire Circle on the sand, free: a fire, a moment to look back on the week, no glass needed. On other evenings, with enough people, we can light a fire as the sun goes down: ask us. The whole evening is on the page for our sunset dinner on the beach in Dikwella.

Where else is an evening without alcohol easy?

This guide is written by Ohana. We are on the list, and we say where we think we fit.

We have to be honest about what we could check. We know one place nearby that serves no alcohol by its own choice, and it is ours. For the others we could not confirm what each pours, so we do not call any of them alcohol-free. What we can tell you is where food is the reason to come, and where drink is.

• Ohana, Turtle Beach, Dikwella. No alcohol, by choice. Mocktails, iced teas, elixirs, seafood on the sand, families at the next table.
• Garlic Cafe, Hiriketiya. A simple Sri Lankan kitchen with a menu at night and a rice and curry buffet by day. People come to eat.
• Lemon Grass Cafe, Hiriketiya. A family-run wooden shack with a curry plate of the day. As plain and as kind as a meal gets. Ask how late they serve.
• La Luna, Hiriketiya. A cafe opposite the beach, in a green corner, known for brunch by day and for pizzas in the evening.

And the other side, said plainly: Smoke & Bitters at Pehembiya, RAA at the tip of the bay and Dots Bay House on the sand are built around their drinks, and they are very good at it. If you do not drink they will still feed you well, but the room is a bar.

Ask before you sit down if it matters to you. A simple "do you serve alcohol here?" offends nobody.

Is there a night when the whole coast slows down?

Yes, about once a month. Every full moon is a Poya day, a Buddhist holy day and a public holiday in Sri Lanka. Many shops and businesses close, and the island keeps the day quietly. What is open and what is poured that night differs from other nights, so ask where you are staying.

For someone who does not drink it is a gentle night to be out, with the moon full over the water. Check the date of the next Poya when you plan your week.

For more evenings of this kind, see our sunset spots near Hiriketiya and the quiet beach near Hiriketiya.

Good to know

• No alcohol is served at Ohana, and guests do not bring their own. There are mocktails, iced teas, elixirs and king coconut water.
• Lunch and dinner are served from 11:00 to 21:00, every day. Coffee is served until 18:00.
• Prices are in LKR, plus a 10% service charge. Filtered water is on the house.
• Sunbeds are free for the whole day, one for each person, when each person spends 10,000 LKR on food and drinks; otherwise they cost 1,000 LKR an hour each. A towel comes with every sunbed.
• We are at Turtle Beach, Dikwella, less than five minutes by road from Hiriketiya.