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The Sunkissed Showdown: Sri Lanka or Thailand?

Last week, we got a very intriguing request in our inbox:

“If I can only choose one...should I choose Thailand or Sri Lanka?”

First of all, you’re putting far, far too much power in our hands, anonymous Detour reader.

And second, we completely understand your uncertainty. How are you meant to pick between two of the most beautiful, fascinating countries in the entire world?

We’re going to put this to a public vote from our Detour readers but in the meantime, here’s our attempt to weigh up the pros and cons of these two incredible destinations.

Rice fields near Chiang Mai, Thailand

Round 1: Cost.

When it comes to getting a discounted plane ticket, we have to admit that you’re likely to get a better price flying out to Thailand - it benefits from a number of budget flights competing with each other for customers. (We’ve seen return flights from London for as low as £324, whereas discounted returns to Colombo tend to stay at £420-£520).

However, once you actually get there, things really turn around in Sri Lanka’s favour.

Budget Your Trip estimates that the average traveller will spend 22,690 Baht on a week’s stay in Thailand, or £510. In Sri Lanka, that average cost comes all the way down to 46,888 Sri Lankan rupees, or just £173.

This roughly tracks with the local experience - the average cost of living in Sri Lanka is estimated to be 45% lower than in Thailand overall.

Elephants in Yala National Park, Sri Lanka

But it’s also a reflection of a luxury travel experience that’s more widespread in Thailand and which is going to drive up the average cost. According to Tripadvisor, Sri Lanka has just 69 five-star hotels to Thailand’s 324.

It’s worth bearing in mind that these are both countries with a monsoon-driven low season (which does mean fewer tourists and considerably lower prices), so when you’re budgeting, think long and hard about when you want to go and how much perfect weather means to you.

Thailand’s monsoon season comes during July-October, whereas Sri Lanka actually has two monsoon periods: during April to September, you’ll see heavy rain in the south-west, and in November to March, you’ll see rain in the east.

With much hemming and hawwing, we’re going to give this round to Sri Lanka.

Thailand: 💰💰💰💰💰💰

Sri Lanka: 💰💰💰💰💰💰💰

Looking for a luxury stay?

In Bangkok, we’d highly recommend the Siamotif Boutique Hotel - it’s an old wooden building located on the waterfront of the Noi Canal, close to the local Thai communities and far from the posh high-rise Hiltons and Sheratons of the city.

Visitors sing the praises of the hotel’s relaxed atmosphere, eight custom-built rooms, friendly hosts, and even friendlier cats. Prices start at £63 per night, but we’d say it’s well worth it for the authenticity and atmosphere alone.

For something grander in Colombo, you could book a stay in one of the eleven magnificent suites at the Uga Residence, a stunning boutique hotel built in the 19th-century by a Sri Lankan barrister.

The Residence sees praise for its peace and quiet - a rarity in a city where hotels often need soundproofing to block out the noise pollution - and for its fancy Rare restaurant, which is stocked from the hotel’s own organic garden and which claims to hold “Sri Lanka’s biggest whiskey collection.”

You may need a dram or two once you see the room price, which starts at around £75 per night and then begins climbing fast.

Round 2: Beaches

This is going to be one of those ‘you can’t go wrong with either’ rounds, but we’re going to have to make the obvious call and hand this round to Thailand straight off the bat.

Phra Nang Beach, Krabi, Thailand

Aside from the inevitable Maya Bay (which has just reopened, although visitors can only visit for an hour to protect the local coral), Thailand features three times on Tripadvisor’s Traveller’s Choice Awards 2022 for the best beaches in the world, all of them predictably in Phuket or Krabi.

For something a bit different to the usual crowded suspects, we’d recommend the tiny island of Koh Lipe, further south: it features the usual clear water and sandy beaches, but it’s small enough to walk around, and very charming to boot.

For a break from white sand, we’d also stop off at the nearby isle of Koh Hingham, which is mysteriously and beautifully covered with black pebbles - take one from the island and it’s said that you’ll be forever cursed. (Every year, the local post office receives pebbles by air mail from tourists who did steal one and then regretted their decision.)

If you're a surfer, it's worth bearing in mind that both countries have an entry in CNN's Top Surf Spots across the world - Surin Beach in Phuket and Arugam Bay in Sri Lanka.

Thailand: 🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴

Sri Lanka: 🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴

Round 3: Dining

Since you’re choosing between these two countries, anonymous Detour reader, we’re guessing you’re not scared of spice.

Personally, we think the blazing-hot coconut-based curries and crispy egg hoppers of Sri Lanka are to die for and massively under-rated, but we’ll have to swallow our pride and admit that Thailand wins by far on public and critical opinion here.

It took the second spot in Rough Guides’ reader vote on best global cuisines, and as of 2022 it features an epic 30 Michelin-starred restaurants and street-food stalls to Sri Lanka’s 0.

Thailand: 🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜

Sri Lanka: 🍛🍛🍛🍛🍛

Looking for some splendid street food?

Bangkok’s street food stalls and push-carts are just incredible - usually family-owned, often decades-old, with a huge amount of character and charm.

You might be intrigued by Raan Jay Fai, in Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon district - the 76-year-old chef at this Michelin-starred street side restaurant has featured on Netflix, infamously wearing ski goggles as she cooks. Although fame comes with its drawbacks, and Jay Fai’s reviews have been visibly dipping, with heated customers complaining about her 1000-baht crab omelettes.

Less contentious is the beloved Jok Khlong San cart, way out to the west in Lak Song - which offers thick rice-porridge congee - and in central Sukhumvit district, Rung Reung.

This delicious minced-pork-noodle joint was supposedly passed down by its original owner to his two sons - who then began bickering with each other and split the restaurant in two.

There are now two identically-named Rung Reung restaurants side-by-side, with the same decor and the same recipes. Pay them a visit yourself and join the endless debates about which is better.

In Colombo, we’d head to the infamously hectic Pettah market, where you can, amongst other things, try wood-apple - this hugely popular Sri Lankan coconut-like delicacy is said, politely, to smell like “blue cheese”, or less politely, “funky.” It does taste delicious in a juice or a dessert, we promise you.

Round 4: Things To Do

Sigiriya Rock, Sri Lanka

Again, Detour reader - in either of these incredible countries, you’re going to be able to build up a travel itinerary that’s ludicrously varied, jam-packed with exciting activities and authentic local culture.

Temples, national parks, wildlife, architecture - it’s all there.

But we are going to argue that Sri Lanka just about takes the edge between the two.

From the diversity of its landscapes - Yala National Park is broadly considered one of the best safari destinations outside of Africa, while the nation’s mountainous cloud forests are mysterious and stunning - to the astonishing scope of a history that takes in everything from prehistoric ruins to colonial tea plantations, there’s just so much to do and see.

The lake at Kandy, Sri Lanka

Three fascinating sights in Sri Lanka:

• For nature: Makandawa Forest. This unspoilt rainforest and nature reserve has something for every adventurous soul: you can hike up to the Belilena Caves, where some of humanity’s 32,000-year-old prehistoric ancestors dwelled, then cool off afterwards in the white-water rafting hubs of the Kelani River.
• For history: Sigiriya. Often described as the eighth wonder of the world - a 5th-century ruined fortress perched atop a huge rock, with intricate water gardens running down its slopes. (If you don’t want to climb the 1,200 steps or pay the relatively pricey entrance fee, South East Asia Backpacker has some tips on sights you can visit nearby, including Pidurangala Rock, which will give you a great view of Sigiriya for a far cheaper price.)
• For culture: Kandy and the Temple of the Tooth. Sri Lanka has a huge variety of stunning Buddhist temples - we have a soft spot for Wewurukannala Vihara, where visitors have to pass through a Tunnel of Hell, with a very violent mannequin display being tortured for their sins. But this temple in the historic city of Kandy is our favourite. Built to hold a sacred tooth belonging to the Buddha, it’s a beautiful complex overlooking Kandy’s equally-stunning man-made lake.

Thailand: 📷📷📷📷📷📷📷📷📷

Sri Lanka:📷📷📷📷📷📷📷📷📷📷

And as the final bell rings, there we have it: a 2:2 dead heat between Thailand and Sri Lanka. (Stop yelling at us, we said it was a hard choice!)

Readers, we appeal to you on this one - where should our anonymous traveller go? Vote for your favourite here and let’s help them figure out their next adventure.

Other really useful stuff

• Current COVID-19 entry requirements for Thailand and Sri Lanka
• A useful walkthrough from Responsible Travel about where to visit during Sri Lanka's monsoon seasons
• Atlas Obscura's epic list of 94 unusual, unknown or just plain weird things to see in Thailand.

Our Pick of the Clicks

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across the web this week.

• Londoners have been marvelling at Richmond’s “invisible house”, which we imagine gets a lot of confused birds bouncing off its walls.
• The Independent has been reporting on one man in Japan who is literally paid to do nothing. What do you mean, “same”?
• Electric planes are coming faster than you’d think, Afar Magazine claims. (They reckon 2026.)
• The BBC is shining a light on Tübingen - the stunning vegan-friendly German city that’s now being sued by McDonalds.
• You can now buy the entirety of Yorkshire for £20,000 - yorkshire.com, that is. The Yorkshire tourist board has had a funding collapse, so they’re selling the domain to the highest bidder.
• And finally, the travel industry has been moving quickly to help refugees affected by the situation in Ukraine. Here’s how your holidays can help.

Commiserations to the New Zealand couple who, in a shocking Guinness-Record-related twist, do not own the world’s largest potato.

They’re probably boiling with rage.

Literally gratin their teeth with frustration.

And their friends probably roasted them, as well-

OK, sorry. Sorry. We’re done.

Thanks for reading!