It’s not a huge market - one of the first things to recognise is that, in terms of beach villas for sale in Sri Lanka, it isn’t a huge selling market. In other parts of the world, the beach villa market is well developed - coastlines scored with private villas and commercial multi-unit developments. That’s just not the case here. Actually we can only think of one, recently finished, multi-property beachfront villa development, and that only has six units. So a search for a beach villa in Sri Lanka may require a degree of patience, as well as a little flexibility in where you’re open to looking and what you’re willing to invest in.

Beach villas for sale in Sri Lanka come at a premium to inland property - probably a fairly obvious point but the variance gets more and more pronounced as investors recognise the commercial value of beachfront land and snap up plots, most particularly on the stretch from Galle to Mirissa, and even beyond.

This isn’t to say that beach villas for sale in Sri Lanka can’t be considered good value (see below) but it shouldn’t be a surprise when the price tag on some - given the returns they can generate - far outstrips villas a little inland.

But can still represent good value - beach villas for sale in Sri Lanka, at least in the parts of the coast we mostly operate, are largely now considered commercial assets; that is, the owners, while probably enjoying them for a fair portion of the year, rent them out to earn a decent return on investment. Seeing them in that light, as income generators, means sellers often take a different view on price.

We’ve had situations where a buyer is convinced he could buy the bare land and build for half the price a villa owner is asking. The owner, though, knows (or so he tells us) that he’s earning enough from the villa as is to warrant a healthy yield on the price tag he’s put down. You could describe it as the difference between cost and value - the buyer sees the cost, the owner sees the value.

A mile or two makes a big difference - we’ve a good understanding of Sri Lanka’s South Coast but we’re always learning more about and being happily surprised by the subtleties and nuance of each beautiful individual location. Beachfront villages have their own character, and often unique politics too; one beach may be a surfer’s dream, it’s neighbour the proverbial mill-pond.

Character and mood shift as you move down the coast away from Galle and it takes a bit of time, or conversation with those who’ve spent the time, to get a good understanding of that and what would suit best.

I’m afraid, like so many of these questions we rhetorically put, there’s no single right answer. With the market here still much on the up a better question might be: where can I buy a beach villa in Sri Lanka?

You only really find beach villas for sale in Sri Lanka on the West (really the South West) and Southern coasts. A sort of mini-boom in beach villa construction took off after the opening of the Southern Expressway in 2015, connecting Galle and the South to Colombo. We’re not talking hundreds but dozens of beach villas were built along the few miles stretching west from Galle towards Thalpe and Habaraduwa. The so-called Golden Mile came about on the Thalpe coastline with that particular stretch attracting considerable foreign (and a fair bit of local) investment.

More recently the coastline has seen more in the way of hotel and hospitality development than in anything bringing beach villas for sale. One group has recently completed a six-unit multi-property development - of luxury beach villas - in Midigama, but that’s about it on the commercial side.

As you move further down the coast there’s a thinning occurance of beach villas for sale but the stretches here - past Matara, say, on the coast road to Tangalle - are perhaps some of the most eye-catching with untouched beach locations and supreme ocean views.

Quite obviously, beach villas for sale close to Galle tend to attract the highest prices but in terms of return can generate reasonable yield with good occupancy. Those further down the coast might come at a relative discount but need a little more thought on the marketing side should you wish to rent out with decent income. That’s not to say it can’t be done. There are beautiful new villas on seemingly untouched beaches in the Deep South that garner decent rental revenue - a function of clever, attractive design and good marketing.

That, then, is very much a non-answer to the question we put. If you’re mulling the best location for a beach villa for sale in Sri Lanka it might be best to give us a call.

Access and privacy - we mention it on other pages but there is no such thing, technically, as a private beach in Sri Lanka. While you of course have control of access through your property to the beach, the beachland directly in front of your villa is public and so you can’t control who sits, strolls or swims.

Some beach villas for sale in Sri Lanka have a degree more privacy than others of course. Those at the end of the beach get less passing traffic; those on a headland (while they might not have wide sandy beach in front) benefit from a feeling of exclusivity - amongst other things.

Just have a think about how busy the beach in front of your villa may get and how you’d feel about that or screen yourself if needed to give a little more privacy.

Development - there are regulations around real estate development of all kinds in Sri Lanka but restrictions can be particularly tight on beach villa land. That’s really no bad thing - none of the buyers or sellers we work with inclined to see massive high-rises blotting the beach skyline.

But it means some careful thought’s needed about how you might develop a beach villa you buy, should you wish to do so. The Coastal Conservation Department (CCD) regulates around how close you can build to the sea and that includes where a swimming pool can go. That regulation is regardless of where your technical boundary comes. There are regulations around how high you can build and, in some cases, how close to the road.

Maintenance - it’s worth thinking about the materials used in any beach villa for sale in Sri Lanka. Whilst often providing a stunning location, an oceanfront position is hard-wearing on a house. Wooden decks and cladding might look beautiful in the first year or two but can quickly become a real liability.

We’ve seen beach villas that have been standing decades and still looking great where others - flash when brand new - haven’t worn anywhere near as well. Getting it right, on the beach in particular, is a fine art. It’s always worth checking the age of a beach villa for sale and getting some background on maintenance history.

Planning in advance

It’s an obvious point but the longer in advance you can try and schedule visits the better. The majority of our beach villas for sale are rented out and so at certain times of the year, getting in to view can be a juggling act.

Giving an agent a call on the morning you’re hoping to see a villa for sale problem won’t work out well.

Whether you’re in Sri Lanka already or if you’re flying in to look at property for sale the more time you can give your agent (us!) the better placed we’ll be to schedule suitable viewings with decent timings.

Doing good prep

Looking for any property in Sri Lanka - and beach villas for sale are no exception - can be time consuming. Drive times can be longer than expected and with the villa market still not crammed full of options you may need to cover a few miles to find the perfect property.

So it’s best to do some good prep before hitting the road. Give your agent as much information as possible - the more the better - and have an open conversation with them about your likes and dislikes. Ask for videos if available and try to really narrow down viewings to villas that you’re genuinely excited about and keen to see.

Think about the time of year

In terms of look and feel, beach villas in Sri Lanka are of course somewhat subject to the monsoons that reach the island. Beach villas for sale on the South Coast will, typically, look their absolute best from late December to early April - when skies are blue and seas are calm.

The South West monsoon rolls in (normally!) from early May and so from then until July seas may look a bit choppier, skies not quite so quintessentially tropical and the overall feel may not be quite so idyllic.

On the other hand, everywhere’s likely to be a bit quieter and so, if you’re ok with some tropical downpours, then visiting in that May/June period may be a good bet. You may find much more opportunity to actually stay at a villa you’re interested in, and at a lower rate than earlier in the year.