What to pack for a beach day in Sri Lanka

For a beach day in Sri Lanka, pack sun protection first, then something to cover up with, a little cash and a dry bag. Leave the rest at the hotel: on this coast you need less than you think.

What goes in the bag?

The short list, in order of how much you will miss it:

• A long-sleeved swim shirt. It does more than any cream, and it does not wash off.
• Sunscreen that is kind to the reef. More about it below.
• A hat with a brim, and sunglasses.
• A sarong or a light shirt. For shade, for lunch, and for the ride home.
• Cash in rupees, in small notes. For the tuk-tuk and a king coconut. Many drivers prefer cash.
• A dry bag or a zip bag for the phone and the money.
• A book. A real one does not mind sand.
• Your own water bottle. Refill it where the water is filtered.

That is all. A beach day here is not an expedition.

Which sunscreen is kind to the reef?

Sri Lanka lies close to the equator, and the sun is strong even through cloud. You will use a lot of sunscreen, and some of it ends in the sea, over coral and sea grass where turtles feed.

What groups that study this advise:

• Choose a mineral sunscreen. The filter should be zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, and "non-nano" where the label says so.
• Avoid oxybenzone and octinoxate. These are the two chemical filters most often named as harmful to coral.
• Do not trust the front of the tube. Phrases like "reef friendly" are not regulated. Turn it round and read the ingredients.
• Cover up first. Every part of you under a shirt needs no cream at all.

It is simplest to buy it before you fly, so that you are not looking for the right tube in a small town. If you forget, we have mineral sunscreen at Ohana, and it is also for sale. The whole subject is in reef-friendly sunscreen explained.

What should you wear?

On the sand, swimwear is normal, though nude or topless sunbathing is not allowed in Sri Lanka. Away from the sand, a little care is noticed and liked.

• In town and on the road: put a shirt or a sarong over your swimwear.
• At a temple: shoulders and legs covered, and shoes and hats off at the entrance. A sarong in the bag solves it in ten seconds.
• In the water: where there are rocks, there may be sea urchins. Water shoes help, but the better habit is to walk in where the sand is clear.
• In the evening: something light with long sleeves keeps the mosquitoes off at dusk.

What can you leave at home when you come to us?

Quite a lot. At Ohana, on Turtle Beach in Dikwella:

• A snorkel mask. We lend masks free, for grown-ups and for children. Ask us when you arrive. We have no fins and no swim shirts, so bring your own if you want them.
• Water. Filtered water is on the house, all day, as much as you like. Please do not bring plastic bottles for us to throw away.
• An umbrella. There is shade under the palms, in the cabanas and in the lounge.
• A charger's worry. There are power sockets at almost every table, and Wi-Fi for people who work.
• Lunch. The kitchen cooks to order from 08:00 to 21:00.
• A towel. At Ohana one of our towels comes with every sunbed, and there are a shower and a changing room, with toilets close by.

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. The garden and the sunbeds are on the page of our beach club in Dikwella.

What is worth adding for children and for grandparents?

For children: a swim shirt and a hat that ties under the chin, a second set of dry clothes, and one toy for the sand. A bucket is enough. Our bay is calm and sheltered by a reef, and there are two swings under the palms, high chairs and a changing table.

For older travellers: a hat with a wide brim, any medicine you take at midday, and sandals that close firmly, because soft sand is tiring in loose ones. We wrote more in the south coast for older travellers.

For everybody, from May to November: a light rain jacket or a second sarong. Showers come fast and leave fast.

What should stay out of the bag?

• Food for the animals. Never feed the turtles. And our five beach dogs eat well already: feed them love, not your plate.
• Valuables you would cry over. Bring the phone, leave the passport in the hotel.
• A speaker. The sea has its own sound.

And for the turtles? Bring patience and nothing else. Wild sea turtles often feed on the reef in front of us. Float, keep your distance, and never touch or chase one. A camera in a waterproof case is welcome. A flash is not.

With the bag ready, the only thing left is to choose the beach. We describe nine of them fairly in beaches near Hiriketiya.

Good to know

• Ohana is at Turtle Beach, Dikwella, less than five minutes by road from Hiriketiya.
• Snorkel masks are lent free, and 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.
• Sea urchins live in the rocks: walk in where the sand is clear.
• Breakfast is served from 08:00 to 11:00, lunch and dinner from 11:00 to 21:00, every day.