Bentota is where the Sri Lankan beach holiday starts to feel genuinely luxurious – a beautiful west coast stretch of golden sand backed by river estuary and bordered by some of the island’s finest resort properties. The Bentota River offers excellent water sports and boat safari options, the Madu River wetland is just a short drive away, and the calm, swimmable beach stretches for long enough to walk from end to end without reaching a fence. It’s the most developed of the west coast resorts, and it earns that status.