After very pleasant six days at Exotica Bungalows at Hikkaduwa, we came to the Red Parrot Beach ‘Villa’ at Ambalangoda for five nights of rest and relaxation.
The little Air B&B villa is right on the beach off the busy Colombo Road and has an open varanda, sitting and dinning room, a well equipped kitchen, a bathroom and two air-conditioned bedrooms with four-poster beds.
There is a grocery store and a bakery on the main road, a short distance from the villa and a restaurant about 100 yards away on the beach. The restaurant in the Sea Breeze Hotel next to the Villa is open to visitors.
The Villa serves western and Sri Lankan breakfasts daily.
That evening we walked to a food outlet and bought crisp Hoppers and Wadai for dinner, sat outside sipping Scotch & water and watched the sunset.
Day Two
The two ladies who look after the villa, served us fresh fruit, Kiribath and tea for breakfast. Kiribath is a traditional Sri Lankan dish made from rice. cooked with coconut milk and can be considered a form of rice cake or rice pudding and is an essential dish in Sri Lankan cuisine.
We relaxed on the beach and watched fishermen with their boats, a group of tourists picking up beach rubbish, Little Turns diving for fish, White-headed Fish Eagles circling above and a Curlew feeding on the beach.
The owner of the Red Parrot Beach Villa released baby Sea Turtles in the evening. Sea turtle release in Sri Lanka is a popular eco-tourism activity, particularly along the southern coast (Hikkaduwa, Bentota, Kosgoda), where hatcheries release baby turtles, often at sunset, to avoid predators. Peak hatching season runs from February to June, though nesting occurs year-round, with hatchlings typically released within days of hatching.
Day 3
Early morning, we watched a traditional fishing canoe going out to sea to lay a fish net offshore. Later, a group of chanting men hauled the net in.
Day 4
We had dinner – grilled cuttlefish and French fries, at a beach cafe close to the Villa. The sunset was stunning.
Day 5
The sea was rough in the morning and there were oil patches from the Iranian ship the America torpedoed recently close to Sri Lanka.
A group of fishermen were sorting out their catch on the beach. “We caught lobsters today and sold them to a merchant at Rs. 10,000 a kilo” one said.
That evening, we sat on the beach sipping Gin & Tonic and watched another magical sunset.
Day 6
We checked out of Red Parrot Villa after breakfast, said goodbye to the excellent staff and drove to Colombo.
- Published: 18 March 2026
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