Negombo, Sri Lanka is considered as a world-class shopping venue for those shopaholics. Also known as the ‘Little Rome’, Negombo is a historic Catholic city that is quiet with its local society living very tranquil peaceful lives. This beautiful little city is full of hotels, Inns and lodges that cater to mostly tourists as well as locals due to its popularity as a famous tourist destination in Sri Lanka. Beach resorts are plenty to choose from based on your budget and the high end travellers seeking for luxury comforts and amenities can find ideal accommodation options at resorts such as the beautifully designed Jetwing Sea. It is a city that has a range of activities that caters to every market segment. Shops located mostly close to the hotel surroundings and coastal line are predominantly accommodating to the needs of tourists as Negombo is known to be a tourist paradise.

The shops mostly situated in the vicinity of hotels and resorts along the coastal line and the beach strip are full of souvenirs ranging from batik, wood carvings to spices and teas. The best buys in Negombo for the discerning tourists are gemstones, silver jewellery, leather goods and carved masks. One cannot expect success in negotiating prices with these shop vendors as they are mostly standard set prices that the vendors are not willing to bargain.

Lewis place and Hotel road are very famous to sell carved masks and other traditional handicrafts with the entire length of the roads populated with accommodations and shops. However, if you do want to give a try at negotiating prices for the best buys, the ideal place to go is the beach strip where vendors are willing to negotiate the prices of ethnic costumes, colourful sarongs, batik, swimwear and jewellery.

The Sunday market which is a few miles away from Negombo at Kochikade is really worth a visit to have firsthand experience of the local life. In the small town of Mahawewa six miles from Negombo, you can buy any type of quality batik produce at the best ever prices found in the entire island.

Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.Google+