Known by a flotilla of aliases, the Resplendent Isle is one of gorgeous beaches, tea plantations and ancient cities. Scuba dive, visit an elephant orphanage and a lagoon of singing fish, explore dense jungle, shrines and temples. Situated just 20 miles off India, the island formerly known as Ceylon is home to 20 million people and eight World Heritage sites. The country's long, brutal civil war ended in May, 2009, bringing peace, stability and a revival of tourism.
Things to do in Sri Lanka
5 based on 666 reviews
ME Colombo is a design hotel in the heart of Colombo provides individual hotel experience with genuine Sri Lankan hospitality. Hotel is featuring 22 exquisite, modern guest rooms with timeless modern style, an ideal choice when looking for accommodation options with sumptuous comfort and spectacular views in Colombo city. Chic and stylish rooms are well-appointed with subtle elegance with an emphasis on comfort and great nights sleep. Each room has impeccably with every luxury and amenity in mind to ensure that every stay is a pure delight with Modern-day amenities. Complimentary Wi-Fi, LCD TV with satellite channels, tea/coffee making facilities, in-room safe and much more to ensure convenience and ease. The hotel’s hallmark is its groundbreaking décor, the work of acclaimed designer Mr Vinod Jayasinghe, a student of renowned legendary architect Late Geoffrey Bawa, who regarded as one of the most important and influential Asian architects of the twentieth century. He became the third architect to receive the chairman’s award in the eighth cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture since the award inception. Come and see it for yourself: enjoy a welcoming and sophisticated setting, through various spaces representing a range of cultures to create a rapport with guests through the journey and experience of discovery. The 07-storey ME Colombo stands proudly on the border of Colombo city, offering breath-taking views of the Colombo skyline. Centrally located in Havelock city, the hotel is adjacent to baseline road and is just 10 minutes from the beach, with easy access to international Airport via the ExpressWay. For business travellers; Colombo’s city centre is just a 20-minutes taxi ride away. ME Colombo also offers meeting room facilities with modern facilities and a gym only for in-house guests. We have an excellent range of facilities for every type of traveller, and we’re always on hand to help. The award-winning restaurant and Bar onsite; MY Dining restaurant serving traditional and authentic cuisine and offering sustainable international dishes. The effortlessly stylish rooftop lounge MY Bar with swimming pool is perfect for coffee or cocktail and a heart-warming menu full of modern classics. The beautiful MY Dining Restaurant, with extensive architectural designs, serves one of Colombo’s most extensive breakfasts and an exquisite Afternoon Tea with a delightful MY Dining menu. ME Colombo is the place for a stylish dining experience, special occasion, a leisurely lunch, a fine high tea in Sri Lankan style or freshly ground coffee with croissant in comfort. We offer the tone, atmosphere and specially designed menus by our talented chefs to delight every appetite. We enjoy the liberty of being independent as it allows us to express our unique and genuine personality. Our well experienced and highly professional staff ensures to deliver an outstanding service to make every guest experience a delightfully memorable stay. At ME Colombo, every guest is a VIP.
We selected Me colombo because of a rrecommendation given by a friend. Breakfast Was delicious and the best we had so far. Evening we had a swim in the infinity pool at the rooftop which had a great view of the cricket match. Drinks was absolutely good. Pahan was very helpful and the service we got was excellent..Highly recommended place.
5 based on 316 reviews
Uniquely situated between a river, a canal, and a coconut plantation, Waterland is a tropical oasis of towering coconut trees, flowering birds of paradise, and fragrant frangipani. Custom design, extensive use of teak and mahogany, and regional artwork give each villa a warm, unique character. With only 5 villas, Waterland is exclusive and intimate. Each villa has extensive indoor and outdoor living space and a private infinity-edge plunge pool that provides a refreshing sanctuary to cool off in the tropical climate. Our floating spa gently rocks with the flow of the river Our dining barge allows guests not simply to dine by the water, but on the water. Guest activities include cooking classes, garden tours, bicycling around the neighborhood, boat safaris, boules, billiards, yoga, and spa treatments. Come experience why Trip Advisor has named Waterland 1 of the 25 best Small Hotels in Sri Lanka.
The staff at Waterland, literally cannot do enough for you. Everything they do and say, is done so with the intention of providing you with a memorable experience. I think it's also important to note that they put just as much stock in the free activities as they do in the paid. As an example, Lahiru would often remind us that there are free bicycles to take whenever we like (we cycled to the beach) free pool table, books, games etc and only once did he say, oh we also do a paid boat tour if you want to see some of the wildlife and canals. The rooms themselves seem absolutely beautiful though we were only stayed in the deluxe 2 bed so i can't speak to the contents of the others. However the pool, the underwater lighting, the beautifully polished marble finish, the giant beds, the freshly ground morning coffee, the table football and the ridiculously sized bathrooms were just some of the villa's highlights. I know talking about money is a little vulgar in a review but the value on offer here is actually mindblowing to me. The amount of flavour the chef and their team squeeze into their servings is equally surprising. The coconut and lemongrass soup is honestly one of the tastiest dishes we've ever eaten. My wife could not get enough of the fruit salads and I personally couldn't get enough of the delicious french toast. I'd also like to mention how unique and relaxing their Spa is, it's literally floating on the river! You lay there, being gently rocked by the natural current!
5 based on 256 reviews
Villa Kapuru is a classical styled boutique hotel located just 100 m from Negombo Beach and 20 minutes drive from International Airport. We have 10 air-conditioned deluxe en suite double rooms, LCD TV and mini refrigerator. Most of the rooms are having four poster wooden beds which reflect the classical style and some rooms have balconies over looking the swimming pool or canal.
This is a fab place to stay if like me you are on a tight budget. It's situated off the main road and is about 10 mins walk to the beach and restaurants. Most people transit through only staying a couple of nights due to the close proximity of the airport. I stayed 14 nights and it was a great base. The room was spacious with a balcony overlooking the pool. Breakfast was enough to keep you going all day. The staff were very friendly and welcoming. Would definitely stay here again. I hope the situation in Sri Lanka gets resolved quickly so that these hotels can fully get back to normal welcoming visitors back to their beautiful country.
5 based on 487 reviews
A Beautiful property, where birds sing at dawn, the house is bathed by the rising sun, It offers tranquil shade In the evenings on the veranda. Far from the stresses of city living yet still within driving distance of Negombo town, "Villa Shade" Home Stay offers you all the peace and tranquility you need. From Villa Shade it’s only 10 minutes drive (4 KM) to the beach & 10 minutes drive to Negombo town (4 KM) & it's only 20 minutes drive (12 km) from Villa Shade to Katunayaka international airport. Check in after 2.00 pm & Check out before 10.00 am. The time can be adjusted according to the availability.
This was our first stay in Sri Lanka. Because of all the political turmoil, we were a bit scared to visit Negombo but we were greeted by the friendliest host we could imagine. The place has cottages in a beautiful garden with swimming pool. Sriraj the host did his very best to make sure we were happy and the breakfast and dinner were delicious! As a community service project, he also has a few boys working there that learn the hospitality trade and learn to speak English while helping the guests. We surely return for a final night stay on the last day of our trip before we take the plane!
4.5 based on 280 reviews
Located on a one acre property with private villas and an onsite restaurant, the Spice Trail is a pleasant spot for the discerning traveler. If you want to stay in Arugam Bay with all the right amenities, then we aim to the be that place.
This is a nice affordable option on the roadside in Arugam Bay. Staff are really good and rooms are very spacious with great A/C. There's a nice pool too and a good bar that has great happy hour discounts. The hotel has all the things you'd expect for a cheap stay.
4.5 based on 312 reviews
Villa Hundira is a private and unqiue lagoon side villa nestled in the back roads of the negombo lagoon, located just 20 minutes from the Bandaranayke International Airport. Offering 5 rooms & 1 suite with all modern amenities , the villa is housed with a swimming pool, a restful view of the lagoon from a very spacious and comfortable pavillion & ample room to jsut relax and enjoy the beauty of the much talked about fishing village in Thalahena , Negombo.
You would never expect this place when looking at the road it’s off nor the rutted lane to get to it. It is a haven of beauty, I won’t quite say tranquillity, as it's close to the airport's flight path and the local bird calls are loud, strident and very insistent, especially at 4 am! The grounds are quite something with an offshoot of the lagoon running through them with trees growing all over the place. Quite delightful. So far so good but now comes the but! But the dinner offered was meagre, poor and horribly overpriced, quoted in dollars then charged in rupees. I can’t say what exchange rate they used but I would guess it was an attractive one, to them that is. The manager was most insistent we committed to dinner the second night before we left for the day and simply refused to take ‘we don’t know if we are eating in or out’ for an answer, he simply kept asking and asking, in an increasingly determined voice. He nearly ended up in the lagoons offshoot! We fell for buying a bottle of wine, as they only had wine or beer, only to find for $25 we had a bottle of cheap South African plonk I would have paid no more than £5 for in the UK. The second problem concerned my wife. We acknowledge she is very attractive to mosquitoes so when she woke up with a leg looking like a spotted dick, we, initially, put it down to the little flying blighters. However, all the bites were on the one leg in touch with the bed, none itched, and she was only bitten a few more times in the other 23 days we were in the country. So, were they mosquito bites or something else in the bed? We will never know for sure, but we have a pretty solid idea of what caused them. I am delighted we were only staying there for two nights, and should I ever return to Sri Lanka I will make sure to give the place a very wide berth. A pity because all but one of the staff were first rate.
4.5 based on 333 reviews
Stayed here for 2 nights from May 2nd to the 4th with 3 families 6 people in total. Amazing place. Very private as the rooms are away from the main building with fabulous views from all the rooms and in a very private setting. Close the the town with the bars and restaurants. Close to the new pool and bar area at the 98 acres. I must mention that the staff here are amazing that includes the chef who was happy to cater to the menu we requested. Dont forget to order the Hot Batter cuttle fish that I taught was the best I tried in Sri Lanka. Do not hesitate to ask for the dishes you need as they will be happy to do what they can to make you happy. In our opinion this place is more private and not commercial as 98 acres and I think has equal or better views as its at a higher elevation. The only thing that I would say that can be improved are the wash rooms. Saying that they were not in a poor state and were clean and usable. Many Thanks to all the staff and management for making our stay very enjoyable. We will be back next time.. Until then.. Ashan, Gayani, Rohan, Imali, Ranjan and Dale
5 based on 134 reviews
Sergeant House is a three minute stroll from the glistening waters and palm fringed beach of Unawatauna. It is a unique villa complex composed of individual pavilions and the historic, Sergeant House Bungalow. Sergeant House, with its tranquil gardens, ponds and swimming pool offers an ideal oasis to enjoy the richness of the south west coast of Sri Lanka and surrounding countryside.
Myself and a friend recently stayed here at the start of our trip for two nights. The hotel was lovely, Staff were very helpful and friendly. The food was lovely. Private beach just a 2 minute walk from the main entrance of the hotel. The pool area was lovely to chill at after a long flight
4.5 based on 242 reviews
Tri is a whorl of geometric ingenuity and awe-inspiring beauty - Sri Lanka's first truly contemporary, sustainable luxury design hotel. Mirroring nature's ubiquitous Golden Ratio, Tri spirals ten unique suites around an island promontory flanking Sri Lanka's finest lake. Creative experiences stimulate the spirit and intellect. We proudly showcase Sri Lankan culture and its wealth of natural beauty.
The hotel itself is tired and can do with a lot of updating. The food is incredibly expensive and really not worth the money whatsoever. The prices are comparable to large cities in the UK. The rooms were also very dated e..g there was a holed in the toilet wall and definitely needed a re paint. The sunbeds were broken and the pools needed some maintenance. However in saying this, the staff were very friendly and could not fault them in any way. However, there is a lovely Rustic restaurant about 15 minutes walk from the Blue River resort and hot springs which does wonderful breakfast, lunch and dinner at a really good price - Rústico Rincón Viejo - definitely worth checking out!
4.5 based on 519 reviews
Villa 49 is a private and luxurious home away from home situated centrally beside the lake in the heart of Kandy city. Our tranquil environment allows our guests to relax while enjoying exceptional personalized service. Step outside of the residence and you are beside the lake within a 10 minute walk to the Temple of the Tooth and the center of the city. It is also a Sri Lanka Tourist Board approved property.
Hosts was very accommodating when there was a curfew on. Cooked good food and looked after us well! Easy walk to the temple and getting tuk tuk was easy to and from the place. Bedroom was big and spacious.
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