Sri Lankan cuisine is literally, a rich melting pot of fragrant spices, sweet local fruits and colourful vegetables served up in warming curries, fresh noodle and tasty rice dishes. Sri Lankan food is true, feel-good comfort food and we enjoyed every bite during our stay at Centara Ceysands, one of the only 5 star hotels in Bentota, Sri Lanka.
Delicious, fresh buffet breakfast with local flavour and everyday favourites, Centara Ceysands, Bentota.
Centara Ceysands, like most hotels in Sri Lanka, offers Half Board packages which means your breakfast and dinner or breakfast and lunch is included in your nightly rate. So you don’t have to think about what you’re going to have for dinner. Instead, a vast buffet including dishes from the local and traditional – curries, rice, grilled meats, fresh fish to western favourites like pasta and even pizza is already being prepared for you while you’re out seeing the sites or diving into a good book by the pool.
Cafe Bem
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On rising, you can wander down to Cafe Bem to fill your plate with the usual suspects; muesli, eggs, bacon, fresh fruit, soft pastries, curd (yoghurt) and treacle. But the beauty of breakfast in Sri Lanka is you’ll also be able to taste a range of incredible vegetable and meat-based curries, flavourful rice and noodle dishes with your fresh-brewed Sri Lankan tea at the breakfast table. Sitting down to an egg hopper with pieces of chunky chicken and coconut curry with a slight kick of chilli was a deliciously different way to start the day. For the health-conscious traveller, it also packs a good protein punch for the morning in a nice warm dish that helps kick-start your digestive system.
Cafe Bem offers seating on the terrace overlooking the river or in the air conditioning, inside at Centara Ceysands, Bentota, Sri Lanka.
Cafe Bem’s riverside outdoor tables, Centara Ceysands, Bentota, Sri Lanka.
Cafe Bem is where you’ll dine at night too. The culinary theme changes each night, but there is always a wide selection of Asian and western dishes and an extensive and dangerously delicious dessert buffet to finish. I most enjoyed Sri Lanka night where fresh vegetable and meat curries sat ready in a row, fresh and steaming hot. Heat is kept on the more mild side for those a little shy of spice. Roti, dahl curry, steamed fish and vegetables with sambal, yellow rice, eggplant brinjal were just a few of the delights served up.
360 Seafood
360 Seafood is the pick for a feast of fresh, locally caught seafood. Tables are positioned to take in either the beach or river aspect. It’s a relaxing restaurant with incredible food. We sat facing the beach, enjoying the evening breeze off the Indian Ocean and a view across the grounds to the water.
The restaurant’s wine cellar sits on a pontoon, surrounded by a pond and fish. That’s where we started our meal, escorted into the cellar to choose the wine to accompany the meal. A New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc was the perfect match for a substantial menu of seafood terrine, fresh salmon, lobster tail, king prawn and an indulgent dessert platter to finish. The food was fresh, light and delicious.
Ceylon Club is a great spot for a cup of Sri Lankan tea in the cool comfort of air conditioning, Centara Ceysands, Bentota, Sri Lanka
Ceylon Club + Inn Between
Ceylon Club sits in between reception and the beach and it’s the perfect spot for an afternoon cup of tea. The cosy lounge offers snacks, tea and coffee in the comfort of air conditioning for those who want to escape the heat. Just outside on the patio, Inn Between mixes up cocktails and it’s there that live bands, local dancers or other groups entertain guests at sundown each night.
If you like a cheeky cocktail or a snack on your beach chair, the Pool Bar has a good selection of drinks and simple meals. We tried the barbecue meat kebabs and homemade coleslaw. It was a great healthy lunch option enjoyed on our beach chairs in the Sri Lankan sunshine.
Delicious and healthy lunch by the pool at Centara Ceysands, Bentota, Sri Lanka.
Centara Ceysands Resort & Spa
Aluthgama, Sri Lanka , Sri Lanka
Getting there: Colombo is about a 2-hour car ride from Bentota (62 kilometres). The easiest way to get to Bentota is to hire a driver and a car in Colombo. Private cars are readily available inside the airport terminal or outside the airport (where you will likely get a better price if you are a tough negotiator). Centara Ceysands can also arrange transfers for you. We hired a private driver and paid 4500 LKR ($US33) (fare are negotiated with the driver).
WATCH our afternoon spent in Unawatuna and Galle here
The Fit Traveller was a guest of Centara Hotels & Resorts for this stay. As always, the opinions and words are authentically our own.
Skye is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Fit Traveller.
She is a journalist, writer, photographer, intrepid traveller and a former personal trainer with a passion for helping others reach optimal health.
As a TV journalist and producer, Skye has worked for household names such as 60 Minutes, Sunrise, TODAY and Nine News. She has also written for Women’s Health, Fodor’s Travel and Yahoo7 Travel, among many others.
Equally comfortable in a 5-star resort or hiking a far-off mountain, Skye loves the unexpected and enriching life experiences that each trip brings and can often be found in a backstreet chatting to locals with her camera in hand.
Skye is based in Sydney, working to master the balance between motherhood and her appetite for adventure.
Read more about Skye’s story here.