A Sri Lankan beach so perfect, even the locals can't stay away

I've been living with my family in the small coastal town of Mirissa, on the south-western tip of the teardrop, for several months and we've barely sighted another foreigner. We first arrived in August, when monsoonal rains determined our movements each day - when we'd swim at the beach versus when we'd do our shopping, for instance. But as the months progressed and the skies eventually cleared, backpackers began trickling into town, lured by the same beach that attracted us.

We'd looked at others, but none are as nice as Mirissa's, where a broad sweep of sand shaded by swaying coconut palms arcs between an island at one end and a headland at the other. It looks idyllic, and it is. The fruits from those palm trees even flavour our curries and quench our thirst. Honestly, life doesn't get much better. There's no way you'll catch us scrambling up those trees to harvest our own coconuts, though. That's best left to others.