Below we’ve put together the answers to many of the questions we’re asked by guests visiting Fire Dragon Hideaway.  From buying your Sri Lankan Tourist Visa online to changing travel money and airport pick ups.  We hope you find it useful.  If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for here, please do email us at info@firedragonhideawaynegombo.com.

Getting Your Visa Before You Arrive

Sri Lanka now requests that you purchase your Tourist Visa online, at least 24 hours in advance of your flight landing in Colombo Airport.

Can you arrange an airport pick up or an airport drop?

Yes we can!  We’ll ask you to send your flight details to us so that the driver can track your flight to check if it is early or late.  The prices for airport pick up are 2000 LKR (about $14 USD) for a car and 2500 LKR (about $17.50 USD) for a van.  Airport drop prices are 1500 LKR for a car and 2000 LKR for a van.  Please pay the driver directly for your trip.

How far is Fire Dragon Hideaway from the airport?

Fire Dragon Hideaway is 12km from the airport.  We travel the back routes and the journey takes 15-25 minutes depending upon traffic.

Is Fire Dragon Hideaway family friendly and child friendly?

Yes it is.  We have family rooms and a family friendly menu.  Please see here for more details.

How far is Fire Dragon Hideaway from Negombo Town?

Negombo town is 10 mins by car and 13-15 mins by tuk tuk from Fire Dragon Hideaway.  Negombo town has a large supermarket (Arpico) where you can buy western products, various clothes shops, fruit/veg and fish markets, clothes markets, Nawaloka hospital for health check ups and vaccinations, lots of local restaurants (and a Burger King and Pizza Hut!).

How far is Fire Dragon Hideaway from the Negombo Beach Area?

Fire Dragon Hideaway is again about 10 mins by car and about 12 mins by tuk tuk from the Negombo beach area.  The beach stretch is quite long and if you want to get dropped and wander around the restaurants, bars and tourist shops, Jetwing Blue Hotel is a good place to be dropped and picked up.  If you’re more interested in spending time on a nice beach rather than seeing the Negombo shops, bars and restaurant, we recommend Waikkal beach.

Are there any restaurants within walking distance of Fire Dragon Hideaway?

Yes there are.  There’s our onsite restaurant, which is about a 15m walk from your Cabana!  At the end of our track there is a bakery and some small shops to buy snacks.  Lemongrass Restaurant is a 15 min walk from Fire Dragon Hideaway and offers a range of Sri Lankan food (including rice and curry, fried rice, friend noodles, paratha and snacks) and is open every day except Monday.  There is a very local restaurant just a 5 minute walk from Fire Dragon Hideaway.  The owners do not speak much english and you need to take your own alcohol, however if you’d like to experience some good Sri Lankan cooking, in a traditional environment, we can arrange a booking for you and help you to order the kind of food you like!

Where is the best place to change money?

If you need to change money on arrival, we recommend you only change a small amount in the airport or take it out the Commercial Bank ATM for your transfer.  We can then direct you to our recommended money changers where you’ll get a much better exchange rate if you have larger sums to exchange.

Do you take credit and debit cards?

Yes we do.  Fire Dragon Hideaway takes VISA and MASTERCARD.  Please note, only a few places outside of the major towns take cards, so please check with other places on arrival.

Can you arrange a vehicle for long tours, day trips and drops?

Yes we can.  We would ask you for a plan, or we can give you a plan and then we put you directly in touch with our tour partner to finalise your booking.  There is more information here.

Can Fire Dragon book bus tickets and train tickets for guests?

Yes, we can arrange for bus tickets for the tourist buses from Negombo in advance and we can book train tickets through our tour partner.  However, please check the online train ticket booking sites first, as booking via us should be a last resort.

Is Negombo beach nice and are there any other beaches nearby you can recommend?

Negombo is not the cleanest beach in the area as it is a working beach for local Fishermen.  The beach in front of the Jetwing Hotels is clean and it’s nice to sit out there for a drink at sunset.  If you’re looking for a nice, clean and quiet beach to spend the day, we recommend Waikkal beach and it is located about 25 mins from Fire Dragon Hideaway by tuk tuk and costs 1500 LKR for a return trip.

What’s the best place to get to if we’re travelling to Fire Dragon Hideaway by public transport?

We can arrange pick-ups and drops to the following nearby bus and train stations:

  • Kochchikade
  • Negombo
  • Gampaha
  • Colombo
  • Veyangoda
  • Mirigama
  • Kurunegala
  • Colombo Bandaranaike Airport

What’s interesting to visit in Negombo?

There are many things to visit in Negombo.  We recommend the Muthurajawela Marsh boat trip for families.  Some people also enjoy and early morning trip to Negombo Fish Market around 5.30-6.00am.  We’ve listed out the other key sites of interest in Negombo here.

Should we take a SIM card at the airport?

You can take a tourist SIM from the airport and the packages are about $10-15 USD depending upon your data usage.  You’ll need to give a copy of your passport and we recommend Dialog for best coverage.  If you take a SIM outside the airport it will cost you about 150 LKR for the SIM and about 200 LKR to buy a small amount of calling data and 1GB of data.

What are the bed configurations at Fire Dragon Hideaway?

Rooms have either double/kingsize beds and adult sized bunk beds or double beds and single beds, depending upon the room type.

What are the food options at Fire Dragon Hideaway?

At Fire Dragon Hideaway, we offer a western breakfast as standard, and we can also offer a Sri Lankan breakfast if you order in advance.  For vegans we serve flora instead of butter and we offer coconut milk porridge and fruit for breakfast.

We offer a separate à la carte lunch and dinner menus and we also have an Animal Café onsite, where you can order cakes, sandwiches, snacks and cappuccino between 10am and 5pm.

What should we bring to Sri Lanka that may be difficult to find in the shops?

  • Sunscreen.
  • Decaffeinated coffee.
  • Tampax.
  • Mosquito spray.

How many people can you fit in a three-wheeler or tuk tuk?

Three adults or two adults and 2 small children.

How often will I see an ATM?

Frequently.  Please be aware that HNB does not accept foreign bank cards and from personal experience, you’ll get the best results with a foreign card in a Commercial Bank ATM (e.g. your card is less likely to be stopped!)  PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE inform your bank before you travel to Sri Lanka as it is a high risk zone and they may stop your card.

Is there Malaria in Sri Lanka?

No – Sri Lanka is Malaria-free.  Yipee!  Please note that Dengue Fever does exist in Sri Lanka and there is no vaccination for this.  Please spray yourself and your children if you’re walking around or sitting and eating in the early morning or around dusk.

Any specific Medicine I should bring to Sri Lanka?

We always recommend bringing a few anti-histamine tablets and a re-hydration solution (such as dioralyte) in addition to your standard first aid kit.

What can I get done in Negombo that I could save money on?

A few things you might be interested in:

  • A full health check up for under $200 USD.
  • Vaccinations.
  • Changing a cracked iPhone or Ipad screen.
  • Watch mending.
  • Eye testing and prescription glasses are much cheaper in Sri Lanka and high quality.

Please send us any other questions you have to info@firedragonhideawaynegombo.com and we’ll post the answers here!