Ampara District hotels & places to stay

We stayed two nights in this hotel during our tour in Sri Lanka. Our first impression of this hotel was great, clean, quiet setting with friendly smiley staff. The rooms are large, clean and well furnished with comfortablebeds and well equipped clean clean bathroom. Great choice of food. “Lal”, who managed the dining room is very helpful and accommodating. We were surprised by the dishes provided, when we asked for authentic Sri Lankan dishes. In house Chef, “Hiran”, is brilliant, produced excellent Sri Lankan dishes as well as Western dishes for us. His ‘battered cuttlefish rings’ were the best we tried, in the country. Must try “Gune’s’’ cocktails while you are there too. Also “Enoka” who runs the hotel Spa has magic fingers. All her treatments are wonderful and healing. This hotel brings you very positive vibes all over. Last but not least must congratulate young hotelier, “Hasini”, who is very dedicated and running the place very efficiently.

My boyfriend and i booked the beach view hotel for a few nights while we were travelling around Sri Lanka. We loved it here so much we ended up extendending our stay at the beach view hotel for another few nights. The rooms were clean and tidy, the location was great, right on the beach and the food was amazing but the thing that made us enjoy our time here most, was the staff! Super friendly, helpful and kind! We even went out with them to one of the beach partys at Mambos and had the best night with them!! I couldnt recommend this place any more highly and we will definitely be back soon! :)

My wife booked us a room at Spice Trail as a birthday treat; usually it would be well out of our budget. Frankly she couldn't have picked a better place. Spice Trail has stunning rooms which are spacious and clean, with their own gardens. The pool and surrounding area is also a lovely place to spend the day; so much so that one day we didn't even make it to the beach. All of the local and expat staff at the hotel were lovely, as is the owner and his family, who are keenly involved in the day to day running of the hotel. Moreover, they prepared a special table for my birthday dinner and even went as far as to bake a cake for us, free of charge. In short, this is a wonderful place to stay where people will bend over backwards to ensure you have a great holiday.

Pro- location exceptional, staff exceptional. Nice new hotel,good bed and linen. Ideal for couples. Good clean bathroom. Con- double bed room ideal for 2 adults so if travelling with a child an extra bed in the room takes up place so quite small. If travelling with 2 big kids probably best to get 2 rooms. Have to reconnect wifi daily with new password and only staff can do it(not a deal breaker). Have to ask to have room cleaned can get quite sandy if up and down to beach. All in all pleasant stay. A upmarket surfers accommodation compared to other places in arugambay. Will be back. Staff were welcoming and very accommodating.

I have been wanting to try Paper Moon Kudils for a long time and I'm glad we did. I like their concept of the basics that then invokes the local landscape. Rather than going to another Western-style hotel, I wanted my family to experience the local through their kudils (rooms) and kussini (kitchen). Although they are very slow at getting the food to the table (we waited for one and a half hours for lunch), the food is good. They have the best egg roti in Sri Lanka, a great dhal curry, a fresh pol sambol, and an interesting dessert with banana, chocolate, and ice cream on an egg roti. But they are also quite disorganised in their office... I had to phone numerous times to get a booking while rooms were disappearing fast on Agoda. They couldn't help me over the phone, so in the end, I booked through Agoda and ended up getting the rooms on the landslide. I would have preferred the seaside as I was traveling with folks in their eighties as well and the walk to the dining area was a bit much for some. But the seaside rooms were all gone... Also, when checking out, they had undercharged us and I had to point out that they had missed one dinner. So, they need to get their office and kitchen more organised. But apart from that, the rooms are clean, the pool is great, and the Ocean was good, though a little strong for body boarding. It is worth a try, if you want a clean, friendly place that also helps the locals.

We were two girls and stayed at Danish Villa for 3 days and 3 nights to enjoy the beach and learn how to surf. Not only is the villa perfectly maintained (beautiful garden!), decorated and located (very close to best restaurants and to the nicest part of the beach), but above all our hosts, Tahir, Sulfi and their team were fantastic with us! The manager, Tahir, was very sweet and took care of us as if we were his own daughters. The guide, Sulfi, was adorable and of great help to us in booking a transportation to go back to Colombo and arranging surfing lessons, because he knows everyone in the village. It did not take us long before we felt like home, and we were really sad when it was time to say goodbye... But we will definitely return!

Wonderful, beautiful (!) place. Sea around U-shape near accommodation, photo's of this accommodation are reality, very nice and honest staff. Aruguam Bay is overrated, also more expensive in general. This accommodation in Pottovile was the best thing we did to reserve when we saw Aruguam Bay, the hotel we booked in advance in Aruguam Bay was not as expected, after finding this accommodation we were in heaven :). Place is operated by Jetwing, but from a UK couple. If i could recommend one stay in Sri Lanka, i would recommend this one.

The hotel in general looks nice and it seems that someone put a lot of energy in building it. The hotel is a little bit offside from everything but we didn't mind that. However we didn't enjoy our stay very much. The manager wasn't very supportive or nice (so far we only had very positive experiences in Sri Lanka). We booked a duplex double room for 2 nights and we wanted to extend our stay but after our first night we decided against this. Somehow the rooms were overbooked so we were put into some dark, backyard apartment behind the reception and therefore it was very noisy (phone ringing, chatter..). Apparently several other rooms (more expensive) were still available but the manager refused to move us for the first night. If a room is overbooked you should be put in a better room not a worse. We also took a surfing class which was another big disappointment. As it was our first time we booked a three hour class to get some more insights. However our "teacher" barely spoke any English which made the whole class very pointless. However the service in the restaurant was good and the food was also tasty. The have a lot in the menu - but most of it was out. So at least the ingredients are fresh which is a good thing.

Overall I found our stay quite disappointing. We visited arugam bay to be able to surf and thought that Jetwing surf would be a great location for this. Upon arrival we were told that the beach at the hotel is too dangerous to swim or surf (6 people died this year from under currents), therefore the nearest surf is pottuvil point. This is a 15 minute walk, or a 5-10 minute Tuk tuk. However the tuk tuk would have to wait for you whilst you surf. To me, this means that the hotel should not advertise itself as a surf hotel. Additionally the lessons at the hotel are approx £23/hr compared to £11/hr where we went in town. For the price we were paying (the most expensive hotel in the area), I think the hotel should at least offer free transfers to nearby surf spots. Our other issue was the cost of food and drink. Our dinner at the hotel came to about £70 for 2, (sharing starters and desserts and by no means choosing expensive mains), on average all our other meals at hotels around Sri Lanka and arugam bay were about £20-30 for 2. The hotel is also based 10 min drive from arugam bay meaning for lunch and dinner we often ended up having to travel back and forth to town. The lunch and dinner menu are the same too. The staff were lovely and friendly, however we didn’t feel that they went above and beyond like some of our other hotels. The rooms are lovely - no a/c, mini fridge or tv, but that was fine, and the hotel itself is beautiful - the pool area in particular. Overall we felt that this hotel wasn’t worth what we had spent, we ended up spending less time there in the day than planned so that we could surf, swim and have inexpensive meals. The beach is also a public beach, and we didn’t spend much time there. I feel disappointed that we chose here.

After staying in many accommodations throughout Sri Lanka, we were fortunate enough to find Babar Point. The setup: Six elegant cabanas surrounding a pristine pool. The Cabanas: the beds are huge and comfortable, the sheets are top-notch, the room itself is large with great air-conditioning. Additionally, they are very well-built/sealed to prevent insects. The restaurant: open from 8 am until 9 pm, serves a variety of Western and Sri Lankan dishes. The staff: is unbelievable! You can order your food and drinks throughout the day, and they will serve it to you at the pool or on your lovely porch (complete with day bed). The area: 10 minute walk to famous Whiskey Point surf break. 5 minute walk to a breathtaking lagoon where elephants frequent! THE HOSTS: Catherine and Michele are the coolest hosts we've ever met. They will do anything to make your stay perfect. They are sweet, funny, and kind! We stayed four extra nights because we were so in love with this place.

Some rooms with ocean views and bug free mesh on all windows. On the ocean side of the main road down on the bridge end of Arugam Bay. Short walk to many cafes or restaurants, surf shops or scooter hire. All rooms with good quality mosquito nets for total protection. Very very good prices especially for long stays. Great new Air con units. New Hot water showers and mainly marble floors for cleanliness. Cheap laundry service and assistance with travel. Outstanding option for budget travellers. Nazeer and Denil are very helpful and friendly.

This accommodation is great. It was definitely the best and cleanest one during my 3 weeks in Sri Lanka. The rooms are spacious and have all AC. The breakfast is tasty and cheap. Drinking water is included all the time. But the best part is the owner. Faisal is so friendly and helpful. He brought me fresh fruits and ice cream when I arrived. He also organized great tours (lagoon, national park) at a really fair price. Highly recommended!

The location is all Picture Postcard. BEAUTIFUL!!! Lonely Beach, white sand, few cabanas few meters off the beach, some wooden (just roof), some brick&mortar. You sleep to the sound of the ocean, you wake up in a cool sea breeze looking at this fabulous strip of sand and blue water. Staff is super friendly, and easy going. Food is great! (There is no a la carte Menue for dinner, but for breakfast and lunch, dinner is variations of curry for all guests). If you go there, you are not looking for a beach resort holiday. That is why the above criteria cannot really apply. Facilities & regular Room Service/Cleaning Staff are not the category to be fulfilled in a rather rustic and natural/basic place. We had a great time there and would go back any time!!!

Our kids had a blast with the staff at Lazy Bay, helping Enam serve all the guests their fruit plates and breakfast. Both guests and our kids loved it. Enam and all the other staff there were super accommodating and nothing seemed to be a problem for them. We booked our holiday late for the high season so ideally, we would have liked something closer to the beach, but finding a place that accommodated 2 adults and 2 children were tough. Lazy bay offered us a family room and didn't disappoint. It's basic accommodation but all you really need for a surf trip. The surfing is super congested though, and dining options plenty but none are licenced. Some allow BYO.

the staff, owner and workers are the best. very nice location. 100m from the beach, and very close to everything you will need. Room is clean, bed is big, private shower and toilets inside the room. Food is fresh and tasty. In front of the hotel you have surf shop to rent your board very easy. I spent here all my 3 weeks in arugam bay, best value for money ever had. very good experience, will come back again

Arugam Bay is not a sightseeing destination for families, but more a place for surfers and backpack tourists and the hotel shows it. It is a very simple place with very few rooms and only half of them have an A/C. We chose a room with A/C since we figured that nights in Sri Lanka can be quite warm, but that was completely futile since on both nights we stayed there the power went out, hence, no A/C and no fan - that means it either gets very stuffy or you can open the windows (and the mosquito nets) and then you have mosquitos. This was by no means the hotels fault though, since the power went out for all Arugam Bay. The hotel however has a generator so if you can find somebody there in the middle of the night (not that easy since the place is only run by two people) they will switch the power back on, although without the A/C since it uses too much power. The hotel itself is very simple. In the rooms you have two queen sized beds so even though it is considered a two person bedroom you could easily fit four people in it. The bathroom does have a slight smell to it, but is reasonably clean. The is only cold water and the shower is in the middle of the bathroom so keep in mind after a shower the floor and the toilet are wet. So if you look only at the hotel the place is mediocre at best, I have stayed in better youth hostels (but, of course, you also have to consider that this place was hit hardest by the Tsunami in 2004 and there was hardly any help rebuilding this area). But I have to say that the staff was one of the most helpful I ever encountered. When we arrived in Arugam Bay in the night we didn't have any more money. So one of the guys working there just gave us Rupias worth ~100 US$ to get something to eat for the night, without signing anything, just on trust. Everybody working there got out of their way to help us out with anything, and they are really relaxed about it. I have to say I wouldn't go there for the hotel, I would go there again for the sta

I can't understand the positive reviews. We paid two nights on Agoda and decided within 60 minutes that we would not stay. Have travelled every year for 20 years and never done this. So we spent the afternoon scouring hotels along the beach, stayed 1 night and then tried to check-out in the morning but there was nobody around, so we left anyway forfeiting our money for the second night. Our family room was big enough but it was dark and uninviting, the shower was dirty, the mosquito nets had holes in them, the AC didn't work at all and there was a leak in the roof (ground floor) that dripped on our heads while we tried to sleep. All these things were relatively minor problems to us, despite paying a ridiculous $70 AUD off season for this room (no breakfast). The two worse things to us were: (1) despite being in the middle of the beach the hotel is in a poor location because it is set well back and it's view is obscured by ugliness - there is nowhere to chill or hang out that is appealing; and (2) the management or staff didn't even greet us on arrival - we had travelled 6 hours and the lady owner saw us, said, "Agoda?" (we answered yes), handed some keys to an old lady who couldn't speak a word of English and led us to our room. Once we deposited our luggage, we came back out to find the lady (or anyone really) and eventually found her but she showed no interest in talking to us. When we asked if we could get a coffee or cold drink (at 2pm) she said no. We asked if we could sit in the rooftop lounge area upstairs and she replied "it's closed". (We later discovered it only opens at 6pm.) We went up there anyway, just to find somewhere to sit and all the chairs were turned upside down, lights off, etc. That's ok, but the lack of hospitality was alarming. We moved to Mambos up the end of the beach, which is the best spot in town and only cost us $38. We ran into a German couple there who had also just left SVH and forfeited their booking for similar reasons to us.

we stayed here for one night which turned into two. it took some getting used to, but you are responsible for keeping track of the things you buy. i'm afraid they probably lose money, not because of dishonest people, but because guests forget to write their purchases in their room's ledger. the food was amazing, and there were both western and ethnic choices. sometimes they didn't have certain ingredients, but it was to be expected out there. there were so many nice foreigners from around the world, and there was a real sense of community. anything you needed, the guys who worked there (who spoke perfect english) knew someone who could help you do it for cheap; elephants, surfing lessons, taxis/tuk-tuks. and above all else, it's one of the few places that accepts credit cards for your purchases (which is probably why you pay for everything once, at the end of your stay). the only complaint is the lack of connectivity. people probably come here to get away from the internet and electronics, but how else can you gloat on facebook that you're in sri lanka? internet was spotty and only on certain times of the day. and outlets to charge electronics are scarce.

I stayed 2 nights at Arugambay Surfing Resort, It was a little difficult to find as it was mapped wrong on google maps, Look for the "Aloha" sign board, its on the road adjoining that. I stayed in a Deluxe Room, set up like a nice chalet, the room was clean and comfortable with a very large bed. I arrived early, and the staff did their very best to make the room available to me as soon as they could. I watched them clean and do a very thorough job indeed. The resort is a little further up the main road, so not as close to "Hideaway/Gecko/Mambos" - the main part of the strip, but within a 5 minutes walking distance, it does have its own beach front and is actually on the beach. The garden is nice, with hammocks to chill on. The staff were the high point of my stay, extremely polite and kind, friendly and always willing to help. I needed a late check out and they obliged, moving around their bookings to accomodate the new guests checking in, without me having to vacate my room. They also do breakfast, its basic but i had no complaints. The only negative was the AC in the room, it only worked on a particular setting and kept going on and off randomly. The trip also went off one night, to which i thought was a power cut as Arugambay has frequent power cuts so decided to bear the heat even though it turned out to be a fallen trip. apart from that everything was great. I would definitely recommend this resort to others!