Must-see hotels in Sri Lanka

  • Jetwing Jaffna Hotel

    Jaffna

    The big news in Jaffna is literally this high-rise hotel. The 55 rooms are compact but have intricate art, mod style and balconies. Those on higher floors…

  • Trinco Blu by Cinnamon

    The East

    Beautifully designed hotel that makes the most of its prime beachside plot, where all rooms face the ocean. Colour schemes – whitewashed walls and cobalt…

  • Talalla Sunshine Beach

    The South

    The incredibly hospitable owners really make this budget-friendly place, located just behind the beach. All four rooms have partial sea views, mosquito…

  • Jetwing Kaduruketha

    The Hill Country

    In a rural location 2km north of Wellawaya, this fine new hotel has well-appointed, smart and modern rooms that overlook rice fields and across towards…

  • Sinharaja Rain Forest View Villas

    The Hill Country

    These well-constructed wooden forest cabins are delightful, each with a double bed, stylish attached bathroom (with hot water) and veranda. There are…

  • Dickwella Beach Hotel

    The South

    This family-run place has two blocks, a modern structure with a prime beachfront location where the rooms have dreamy sea views, and budget rooms by the…

  • YWCA

    Colombo

    Of the several Ys offering budget accommodation, this is easily the best. Enjoy modest colonial splendour in this leafy compound in a frenetic and popular…

  • Slightly Chilled

    The Hill Country

    Dalhousie’s best option is Slightly Chilled in name and very chilled in nature. You'll find spacious, comfortable and colourful rooms with polished wooden…

  • Antic Guesthouse

    Galle

    This historic property has been sympathetically converted into an inviting guesthouse by the friendly, artistic hosts who have a keen eye for design…

  • Dyke Rest

    Trincomalee

    Management couldn't be better at this two-storey gem with a great spot right on the beach. It doesn't look like much from the front, but head inside and…

  • Royal River Resort

    The Hill Country

    In a remote rainforest location, 6km north of Kitulgala via a rough road, this hotel is fantastically secluded. It has four timber cottages built around,…

  • Lonely Beach Resort

    Tangalla & Around

    While the planet is not lonely, this corner of the beach near the lagoon certainly is – indeed it's perfect for those in search of a tranquil beachside…

  • Lake Lodge

    Colombo

    This hotel gets everything just right. The 13 rooms are well equipped and stylish in a minimalist way. Long concrete counters are good for work and the…

  • Pilgrim's Hostel

    Galle

    Virtually opposite the Sudharmalaya Buddhist temple, this excellent new hostel has two good-quality mixed dorms; each bed is equipped with a private…

  • Havelock Place Bungalow

    Colombo

    This appealing guesthouse has seven rooms in two sizes spread across two colonial houses. Modern luxury is matched with antiques that feel authentic to…

  • Suduweli Beauties of Nature

    The South

    Accommodation at this rural idyll consists of basic but clean rooms in the main house and a handful of comfortable, vaguely alpine-style cottages in the…

  • Frangipani Tree

    The South

    Cement, of all things, is the basis for this starkly modern vision of contemporary architecture on the coast. There are nine suites in three houses: all…

  • Villa Malena

    Unawatuna

    On a quiet road off the main Galle–Matara highway, this fine modern guesthouse has immaculately clean and inviting rooms with high-quality furnishings and…

  • Galaxy Lounge Beachfront Cabanas

    Arugam Bay

    A sociable place where many of the 11 spacious cabanas are raised on stilts and hammocks abound between the shore-side trees. Galaxy has charm and…

  • Highest Village Bungalow

    Nuwara Eliya

    Run by a very hospitable family, this charming little guesthouse is located up in the hills, 4km northwest of town, in a mountain village said to be the…

  • Clove Villa

    Kandy

    A superb converted villa with seven gorgeous rooms, all with plush, tasteful furnishings and a dash of art, and kitted out with all the mod cons you could…

  • Goyambokka Guest House

    The South

    This excellent property has recently expanded and now has a good choice of accommodation, from fan-cooled rooms to sleek units in two-storey villas and…

  • Kalla Bongo

    Hikkaduwa & Around

    A serene Buddha greets new arrivals at this beautiful lakeside Dutch-run hideaway; the sense of calm continues throughout the property. Standard rooms…

  • Laya Waves

    The East

    Right at the northern end of Kalkudah Beach, this sprightly hotel is very well run. There are only eight rooms; all have terraces and views of the ocean …

  • Rose Blossom

    Mirissa

    This cute little place has smallish but well-decorated rooms and wonderfully charming owners, who take real care of their guests, love chatting and…

  • Hotel Stay Golden

    Arugam Bay

    This very large site spans the sandy ground from the road to the beach. There are seven rooms, in wood and stucco cabana-style units. Some have 2nd-floor…

  • Roy's Inn

    The East

    The cottage-style rooms here are dotted around a pretty, peaceful garden. All the units boast high ceilings, terraces and good-quality beds and mattresses…

  • Milano Tourist Rest

    Anuradhapura

    Hidden in a quiet residential street, Milano is a professionally run place in an elegant late-1950s house. The eight rooms are somewhat old-fashioned, but…

  • Colombo Courtyard

    Colombo

    All the comforts you could ask for (decent work areas, rain showers, welcome fruit basket and more) are appealingly packaged at this new small hotel. Some…

  • Lakeside at Nuwarawewa

    Anuradhapura

    Renovated from top to tail, this modern hotel has a fine location near the lovely Nuwara Wewa tank. Rooms are stylish and fresh and come with a balcony or…

  • Hill Club

    Nuwara Eliya

    Judged in pure value-for-money terms, the somewhat tired rooms at this quintessentially colonial hotel don't really cut it. However, a stay at the Hill…

  • St Andrew’s Hotel

    Nuwara Eliya

    North of town on a beautifully groomed rise overlooking the golf course, this striking colonial residence was once a planters’ club. Today, it's a…

  • Amangalla

    Galle

    One of the Fort's most famous buildings, this Aman hotel boasts lashings of colonial opulence. Its reception rooms (all polished teak floors and period…

  • Hideout Sigiriya

    Sigiriya

    The aptly named Hideout is indeed a real escape, tucked away at the end of a dirt road surrounded by paddy fields and with viewing platforms for spotting…

  • Fresco Lion Villa

    Sigiriya

    This well-run place 9km outside Sigiriya (12km from Dambulla) has five stylish rooms in a leafy, rural compound south of the Kimbissa junction. Rooms vary…

  • Kalundewa Retreat

    Dambulla

    The attention to detail at Kalundewa Retreat is impressive, with six suites that feature polished-concrete floors, modern art and stylish wooden furniture…

  • Sinharaja Rest

    The Hill Country

    Brothers Palitha and Bandula Rathnayaka are both certified forest guides, so staying here makes it easy to maximise your time. The rooms at their home are…

  • Madulkelle Tea & Ecolodge

    The Hill Country

    Definitely glamping not camping, this upmarket lodge's luxe tents are scattered around a verdant hillside, and are all equipped with commodious beds,…

  • Kottukal Beach House

    The East

    This intimate, secluded beachfront villa hotel, 5km north of Arugam Bay, is managed by Jetwing, the well-regarded Sri Lankan hotel group. It's perfectly…

  • Tranquility Coral Cottages

    Trincomalee

    Vakarai, about 20km north of Passekudah, is the idyllic home to this unplugged, off-the-grid very rustic beachfront retreat. There’s only electricity at…

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