Romantic things to do in Dikwella, for two

The most romantic things to do in Dikwella are slow ones: a swim in a quiet bay in the morning, a walk on the long beach in the last light, and a dinner on the sand when the sun has gone. Here are eight, for couples of every age, with what each asks of your legs and of your day.

What makes Dikwella good for two?

It is quiet. Hiriketiya, the next bay, has the surf and the music. Dikwella has a long empty beach, a small town that is not there for visitors, and bays where you hear the water.

Nothing here needs a schedule. The good days for two have one plan in the morning, a long lunch, and one plan for the evening. The list below is written that way.

Eight things to do together

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

• A sunset and a dinner on the sand. This one is ours. Two sunbeds from 16:00, something to nibble while the sun goes down, then a candlelit table in the first row and a whole red snapper to share. No alcohol, soft music, no hurry. It is the evening we like most, and it is described in sunset dinner on the beach in Dikwella.
• A morning swim where the turtles feed. Also at ours, and free. The bay at Turtle Beach is calm and round, wild sea turtles often feed on the reef, and we lend snorkel masks at no charge. Go in where the sand is clear, keep your distance, never touch. Then have breakfast with wet hair.
• A walk on Dikwella's long beach. Late in the afternoon, when the heat has gone. The sand is wide and there are few people. Walk towards the Pehembiya end, where the fishermen's outrigger canoes lie, and watch the light change. It costs nothing and it is often the hour people remember.
• Blue Beach Island, early. A palm-covered rock joined to the shore by a strip of white sand, at Nilwella, about fifteen minutes by tuk-tuk. Go in the morning, before it is hot. There is almost nothing there, which is the point: bring water and a hat.
• The Hummanaya blowhole. About 5 km from Dikwella. The sea is pressed up through a crack in the rock and thrown into the air, as high as 25 to 30 metres on a strong day. It is at its strongest in the rough months, from about May to September. There are steps up to the platform, so take them slowly.
• Mulkirigala rock temple. About 40 minutes inland. An old Buddhist temple on a rock some 200 metres high, with around 500 steps to the top. Go early, carry water, and dress as you would for any temple: shoulders and knees covered. It is a real climb. If steps are hard for you, leave this one out.
• A night with the nesting turtles at Rekawa. Near Tangalle, 30 to 45 minutes from Dikwella. A local project takes visitors to the beach after dark, usually from about 8 PM, to wait for a turtle coming ashore to lay. Red light only, no flash, and nothing is promised. Waiting on a dark beach together is its own kind of evening.
• Making something together. In our shala, the Ocean Treasures Workshop is guided jewellery from shells and natural materials, and you each leave with a piece you made. Its dates are on our events page. And on request, when there are enough people, we light a bonfire on the sand as the sun goes down: a fire, feet in the sand, a quiet hour.

And if you are lucky

Next to us, a man who has lived here for many years protects turtle eggs and releases the hatchlings to the sea. With some luck a release happens at Ohana or beside it, around sunset, while you are at your table. It cannot be promised or booked, and nobody touches a hatchling. You sit at your table and watch them find the sea.

What suits which couple?

• If you walk with difficulty. The dinner on the sand, the beach walk on firm wet sand, the workshop and the bonfire ask very little. Leave Mulkirigala's upper steps and the island's sandbar to others.
• If you like to move. Mulkirigala early in the morning, a swim at noon, the blowhole on the way back.
• If it is your honeymoon or an anniversary. Keep one evening empty for the dinner, and tell the restaurant what the evening is. Our notes on planning an anniversary or proposal dinner say what to ask.
• If you want other people around. Go to Hiriketiya at dusk. It has the bars, the music and the crowd, and for that kind of evening it suits better than we do.

How do you put a day together?

One way, without hurry:

• 08:00. Breakfast by the bay, then a swim with a mask.
• 11:00. A tuk-tuk to the blowhole or to Blue Beach Island, back by one.
• 13:30. A long lunch in the shade, and nothing after it.
• 16:00. Two sunbeds. A Twilight Fizz, 1,500 LKR, which turns from blue to violet with a squeeze of lime, or a Karapincha Mojito, 2,200 LKR.
• About 18:00. The sun goes down over the sea. The swings under the palms are a good place for it.
• After. A table in the first row. Red Snapper for Two, 15,900 LKR, then a Grilled Pineapple, 1,700 LKR, with one spoon each.

The evening also comes as one pass, with the sunbeds, the aperitivo, the table, the fish and the dessert together. What it holds and how to reserve is on the page for our sunset dinner on the beach in Dikwella. For more ideas, there is the longer list of things to do in Dikwella.

Good to know

• Ohana is at Turtle Beach, Dikwella, less than five minutes by road from Hiriketiya, and open every day.
• Sunset is between about 17:45 and 18:30 all year. For the evening, come at 16:00.
• Lunch and dinner are served from 11:00 to 21:00. Prices are in LKR, plus a 10% service charge.
• No alcohol is served. There are mocktails, iced teas and king coconut water.
• Reserve by noon when you can, so the fish is chosen for you.