This hotel was formerly designed by Geoffrey Bawa, one of Sri Lanka’s leading architects and following a recent refurbishment has come well and truly up to date but without losing the elegance of his design. It is located on a fabulous stretch of golden sands in the south. All rooms have sea views with private balconies. Of particular note is the fabulous infinity pool next to the main lobby, which guides your eye to the ocean as you enter the hotel. If you are travelling with children, baby-sitting can be arranged here. It is approx. two and a half hours of travel travel time from Colombo.
This large hotel, originally designed by Geoffrey Bawa, is situated between the Indian Ocean on one side, with a fantastic golden beach, and the Bentota River on the other side. It is well known for its sports (particularly water sports which can be done on the Bentota River) and entertainment facilities, so tend to be very popular with families.
This is a small budget hotel that offers very good value for money if you are travelling on a limited budget and want to stay at a hotel next to the beach. You can swim between December and April and there is a large pool for other times of the year when it is not safe to do so. The main road runs to one side so there can be some road noise. This hotel has just undergone a total refurbishment.
This is a modern boutique style hotel that was opened at the end of 2013. It is located between Ahangama and Midigama, there isn’t much else around so will be more dependent on the hotel. It has its own private beach but you do need to be careful with swimming as there can be some strong currents. However, the hotel does have a beautiful infinity pool.
The Galle Fort Hotel began life as an 18th century villa and now offers fabulous accommodation that harks back to that colonial age with verandahs, courtyards (the main courtyard has a stunning pool) and columns interspersed with beautiful period furniture. It is beautifully decorated in a minimalist style yet with all the mod cons.
The Fort Printers is an 18th century mansion right within the heart of the Dutch Fort in Galle, which has been restored into an elegant small private hotel yet retaining the original architecture. There are no sea views as the hotel is in the middle of the Fort but the hotel does have a small (and rather thin) pool.
