Unawatuna, Sri Lanka

Lying behind a crescent of beach lapped by turquoise waters, Unawatuna's setting is so perfect it could be a cliché. Easily the most popular beach town in the South, Unawatuna doesn't offer the same opportunities for surfing or diving as other parts of the coast but the waves are good for swimming and the sands are clean and white.Unawatuna has a classic mellow traveller vibe and pretty much every bit of development is aimed at the mostly young visitors who flock here. With the coast road a kilometre away, Unawatuna isn't plagued by the same kinds of traffic irritations found at many other beach towns. It's quiet, which only adds to the allure. At night people wander the beach, sipping cold beers at the many simple beachside cafés.In late 2004, however, this idyllic scene turned horrible. The tsunami caused major damage, washing away many of the guesthouses and killing hundreds. Thanks to generous donations from foreigners who had vacationed here, as well as the efforts of teams of foreign volunteers, who were drawn by Unawatuna's natural allures, reconstruction happened faster here than any other place in Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, the calamity was not turned into an opportunity to right some of the previous excesses of development. Business owners ignored plans for a setback from the water and rebuilt their places right on the sand. Some guesthouses sit on the high-tide mark. This, coupled with an unsightly pile of rocks dumped in the middle of the beach, detracts from the area's natural beauty.