The Asian island nation of Sri Lanka has a coastline fringed with numerous golden beaches.

If you look at a map of Sri Lanka (earth view) you’ll see the number of beaches it has is pretty spectacular. But, then again, just one hour away by plane is The Maldives – with picture-perfect white-sand shores.  You’ve got a dilemma: which one should you experience? Here, I weigh up all your options in ‘Sri Lanka vs Maldives beach’…I discover that it really depends on what you want from your relaxation time.

Sri Lankan beaches are, by and large, quite rugged. They’re characterised by huge sweeping stretches of coarser sand and massive palm trees bent over by the wind. They’re loveable, but in a rough-around-the-edges kind of way.

Sri Lankan beaches are a whole different ball game. Some are swimmable all year round, like Unawatuna – but at others there are a load of factors at play which mean you can’t swim – or safe swimming is never guaranteed. The tides, currents and weather all play a part. So, if swimming in the sea is important to you, you’ll need to seek out a swimmable beach to stay on (which often means it’s more built up) or take each day – and its sea conditions – as it comes. You’ll have to go with the flow, and safety first!

Sri Lankan beaches are much better places to base yourself if you like to be able to go out for dinner, enjoy a drink in a lively town, take an excursion to somewhere completely remote, visit a local village or cycle around a paddy rice field. Water sports, snorkelling and diving are possible in Sri Lanka, but they’re a bonus rather than a guarantee and certainly not the reason for going; we’d certainly advise not trying to fit a square into a circle…