Hi,
a.. Colombo to Hiikkaduwa.... roughly about 2 hours whether you use train, bus or road.
b..Hikkaduwa to Unawatuna is about 1 hour.. Roughly 3/4 hour from Kikkaduwa to Galle and then 15 minutes Galle to Unawatuna.
c. Hikkaduwa is my choice. Much more infrastructure,, Small bars, guest houses, shops etc plus it has a real local town centre which gives it a much better feel . It also has two distinctly different beaches as well.. The reef enclosed beach which is OK to swim in most weather conditions and also the huge open beach running southwards from town.
Unawatuna always feels to me, like it's only there for the tourists. The beach is much narrower, so much so that at times it's dificult to walk along without getting in the water. OK for swiming inside the reef though.
d..No idea about the casinos, but full moon every month is a religeous holiday.. Poya Day.. On Poya day it's illegal to sell alcohol so I could believe that the casinos take a day off then. The last couple of years some hotels have been given dispensation to sell alcohol to foreign tourists.
Lastly, the turtles.. Go on to the reef protected beach. It's completely surrounded by the coral reef. Lots of good places to snorkel . Walk right to the southern end of the beach and walk into the sea in the sandy gullies where the reef joins the beach. then just wait . Sooner or later you'll see a turtle or two, ( or three ) swimming around near you. Also watch the water surface as you'll spot the heads coming breaking the surface as they come up to breathe.
If you find the right weed, they like a very light green coloured very soft weed, they'll feed from your hands.
You can swim along with them but a mask and snorkel is best
Rod.
