Mark Ellingham, founder of Rough Guides votes Unawatuna the best tropical beach for The Guardian Travel Edition on Saturday May 24 2008

The Experts Choice - Shore thing

It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it. Our writers have scoured the planet for the most gorgeous beaches, from hedonistic Côte d'Azur to tropical Sri Lanka

Unawatuna, on Sri Lanka's south coast, has a perfect blend of Asian ingredients: palm-fringed sands, a coral reef, small-scale guesthouses, fresh seafood cafés, relaxed vendors who offer thick fonds of aloe vera as sun-tan oil. And it is exquisitely framed, by a brilliant white dagoba on a forested promontory. Sri Lankan currents are notoriously dodgy but Unawatuna is unusual in that it allows safe-ish swimming year-round, and if you're here in calmish waters (Christmas is ideal) you can paddle out to the reef and snorkel beside an array of tartan-striped fish. Or ride out on one of the traditional catamarans - basically parallel tree trunks, with a rudimentary sail.

Read the whole article on The Guardian website.