Located on the East Coast of Sri Lanka, known the world over for its beautiful soft white sand beaches which slope gently into clear shallow seas, the vast Indian Ocean which washes on to the shores of this coastal resort holds a treasure chest of dreams just waiting to be opened.

Here you could swim around the multi-hued reef protecting the island like so many layers of ribbon cake – turquoise, ochre, salmon pink, smoky grey, sandstone and cobalt blue – and revel in an underwater world of colourful translucence, feasting your eyes on shoals of jewel-hued fish darting among the surrounding coral and rocks.

Here, in close proximity to the vast Indian Ocean and its many secret treasures, is the Nilaveli Beach Hotel, located 275 km. east of Colombo and a short drive away from the town of Trincomalee, renowned for its natural harbour, known to be one of the finest in the world.

In 1775 a teenage midshipman named Horatio Nelson arrived in Trincomalee aboard the HMS “Seahorse”. Later, as admiral of the British Navy, he remembered it as “the finest harbour in the world” – tribute indeed from such a man.

A number of shipwrecks including the aircraft carrier HMS “Hermes” which went down during World War II into 30 fathoms of water, and its sister ship the HMS “Empire” which came to its rescue only to suffer the same fate, lie submerged beneath the waters.

The HMS “Hermes” was rediscovered only in the 1970s, its hulk, teeming with marine life. The HMS “Empire” has not yet been found – who knows, you just might be the one to make this momentous discovery!

The Nilaveli Beach on the East Coast is “the other side of the island”, one that remains pristine, pure and very private even today – it is undoubtedly the best in Sri Lanka and one of the premier beaches in Asia.