Galkissa, which people usually call Mount Lavinia is an old and fun place by the sea in Sri Lanka. It has a mix of old colonial style, beautiful beaches and a lively city feel. Mount Lavinia is a short drive south of Colombo. So you can easily get away from the busy city without having to travel too far.

The town has a rock sticking out into the Indian Ocean. Which separates the busy city part from a long stretch of golden sand beach. For a time people have loved visiting Mount Lavinia. Because it has a special atmosphere where old and new things exist together. You can find heritage mixed with modern restaurants, cool cafes and a relaxed surf culture.

Whether you want to relax on the weekend watch the sunset while eating dinner. Or explore Colombo Mount Lavinia gives you a taste of life by the sea in Sri Lanka with a lot of history. The heart of Mount Lavinia is the Mount Lavinia Hotel. It’s  a big and impressive building on the rock cliff that has been a part of the area since 1806. This hotel  first built as a country house for Sir Thomas Maitland. He is a who  the Governor of Ceylon. It is said that the governor had a romance with a beautiful local dancer named Lovina Aponsuwa.

As night falls Galkissa beach changes into a cool place with candles everywhere. It is a place to go at night if you like the beach in Sri Lanka. You can see the coastline and it is all lit up with lights from the places to eat and drink that are right on the beach. This makes it really nice to take a walk on the beach at night under the stars.

You can sit on the beach in chairs and eat big prawns, calamari and spicy fish that the local fishermen caught. The wind at night is really nice. You can hear music from live bands and local people singing. This makes everyone want to talk to each other and have a time with drinks, like cocktails and ginger beer. Galkissa beach is a place to go if you want to have fun on your last night on the island or if you just want to relax after a busy day of looking around the city.

Today the Mount Lavinia Hotel is an old building that still has a lot of romance and colonial style. You can walk through its halls have tea on the open terrace and look out at the amazing views of the Colombo skyline by the sea. Below the hotel the beach is a lot of fun in the afternoons with people walking by the water playing volleyball and watching the sun set over the ocean. There are restaurants and bars, by the beach where you can eat fresh fish with local spices and listen to the sound of the waves.