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New Parrot Restaurant sri lANKAN $
(96 Main st; mains rs 100-400; hclosed sun
evening) Head up the stairs to this simple
place that offers reliably good noodles, rice,
kotthu, soup and ‘devilled’ dishes. Try the
special fried rice with chicken or omelette.
Dutch Bank Cafe CAF e, iNTerNATioNAl $$
(88 inner harbour rd; meals rs 400-800; W) A
beautifully designed new (air-conditioned)
cafe-restaurant in a historic building that
combines dramatic architectural features –
check out those exposed stone arches – with
contemporary design. Menu-wise there’s
everything from pasta, sandwiches and noo-
dle dishes to Sri Lankan specials. Drinks-
wise you’ll find espresso and cappuccino
(Rs 300), good juices and shakes. It faces the
Inner Harbour.
Green Park
Beach Hotel iNDiAN, iNTerNATioNAl $$
(%222 2369; 312 Dyke st; meals rs 350-650; W)
This slightly dated hotel on Dutch Bay has
a vast menu that includes local, Western
(pasta, pizza and salads) and recommended
North Indian dishes, including tasty biri-
yanis and kormas. They also offer espresso
(but no alcohol).
8 Information
Commercial Bank (Central rd) and HNB (Cour t
r d) both have ATMs.
Khethush Internet Browsing Spot (380
Court rd; internet per hr rs 40; h8am-8pm
Mon- sat)
Post Office (Post office rd; h7am-7pm Mon-
s at, 8.30am-4.30pm sun)
Trincomalee Public Library (Dockyard rd;
internet per hr rs 40; h8am-5.30pm Tue-sun)
Fast internet in spacious bright surrounds.TRINCO TO BATTI
New bridges and the upgraded A15 highway between Trincomalee and Batticaloa have
cut travel times considerably, and this scenic coastal route now begs to be explored.
Heading out of Trinco the A15 loops around the fringes of giant bite-shaped Trinco-
malee Bay, passing the airport. After 17km there’s a turnoff on the left (signposted just
before the Kinniya bridge) for Marble Beach (%026-302 1000; http://www.marblebeach.lk;
Marble Beach; chalets Us$120-150, villas from Us$250 incl full board; aW), a glorious cove
bookended by wooded headlands. There’s a strip of golden sand, no trash and a drinks
stand. School groups descend on the beach from time to time (afternoons are quiet-
er), but otherwise it’s a lovely place to kick back with sheltered swimming and a little
snorkelling. On the north side of the bay a section of the beach is reserved for guests of
the resort (but diners are welcome to use the restaurant; book ahead). Marble Beach is
managed by the Sri Lankan Air Force and you have to pay an entrance fee of Rs 20/50
per person/car.
Continuing south over the Kinniya beach the A15 hugs the coastline then crosses
another bridge before the Muslim town of Mutur where the roadside MNU Hotel &
Restaurant (%077 350 2377; Batticalao rd ) provides Chinese, local, and even some
Arabic food and has clean, good-value rooms.
Pushing on south, there’s a turnoff at the Km 101 post for the important stupa Se-
ruwawila Rajamaha Viharaya, one of the holiest Buddhist monuments in Sri Lanka,
founded in the 2nd century BC, but only rediscovered (and reconstructed) in the 1920s.
It deteriorated badly in the civil-war years, but was renovated in 2009.
Continuing south, the A15 cuts through an ocean of rice paddies and then a very
sparselypopulated region of scrub bush and wetlands.
Just after the Panichchankeni bridge, at the Km 58 post, Tranquility Coral
Cottages (%011-262 5404; http://tccvakaraisl.com; s allithievu rd, Panichchankeni;
cottages incl meals rs 4000-8000) is 2km from the highway and offers an unplugged,
off-the-grid beach experience. Here you can enjoy empty white sands, explore the
Panichchankeni lagoon, snorkel the reefs around Sallithievu (an islet connected by a
sandbar to the mainland) and taste home-style cooking. The wooden cottages are
spacious but perhaps a little pricey for true Robinson Crusoes.
From here it’s 27km south to the twin beaches of Kalkudah and Passekudah.