Prices of beach land for sale on Mawella Beach vary from around LKR 1.5m per perch (if you're lucky) up to around LKR 2.5m per perch in the prime spots.

This is for land right on the beach itself. If you head a hundred yards or so inland (sometimes less) then we can offer small plots of land (around a quarter of an acre, let's say) for approx. LKR 1m per perch. (That's around USD 130,000.)

Pricing of course is typically a function (in part) of size of the land for sale and Mawella is fairly unique in having large chunks of bare land on the market - plots from 1 acre up to 10 acres. We're not seeing major discounts on these large plots, though, and so keeping your eyes open for smaller pieces coming to market may be the best bet.

Of course depends on the exact deal you're doing! We would say, though, that Mawella has all the makings of a superb beachfront location - a wide, shallow and beautifully sandy beach that isn't a surfing beach and has already attracted good, high quality villa investment.

With that in mind we think it's well protected against low-end mass development and so for a buyer/investor pitching something at the smarter end it's a good bet, with appreciation in price still likely.

Mawella Beach is fast becoming one of the most sought after in Sri Lanka amongst buyers and investors looking for high quality villa options or developments.

It differs from several on Sri Lanka's South Coast in being some distance from the main coast road. This has perhaps slowed development a little as it's been a less obvious spot and there remain good chunks of bare land for sale within a calm and easy walk of the beach.

The extension of the Southern Expressway has brought it within manageable reach of Colombo; what once felt too remote for some will now feel well located for most buyers.

One major plus (for a certain type of buyer) is the fact that there's no real surf break on Mawella Beach. Where the likes of Hiriketiya and beaches around Ahangama teem (and do very well for some) with surfers, Mawella has an altogether quieter feel. It is also consistently good for swimming (and occasional body boarding!) through the year - not all beaches can boast that.