Sri Lanka: Where to stay and what to do
- Will Boddington
- Dec 15, 2017
- 7 min read
Negombo: Rasika's Homestay, 2 (separate) nights, 2000rs per night for a double room. Rasika and Chemi were so friendly and their home is gorgeous! We'd definitely stay here again, but as the bed was not as comfy as some others, we'd give this a 9/10.
We were only here for a one full day (our last day) so we walked through town and the local market to Negombo Beach and spent a couple of hours there. On the way we stopped in Rio Ice Cream for a sundae each which was delicious!
Colombo: Bunkyard Hostel, 1 night, 1700rs per bed in a shared dorm. The rooms and showers were clean, and there was A/C. The included breakfast was also really yummy. This was quite a sociable hostel, but it didn't serve beer (not uncommon in Sri Lanka) but we felt this would have helped everyone to chat a bit more. There wasn't a cafe here, but you could bring your own food in. They also required a cash deposit on arrival. We would definitely stay here again though - 8/10.
We spent the evening at Galle Face Green to watch the sunset here and have our first experience of street food.
Hikkaduwa: Casa Lanka, 1 night, 3200rs for a double room. This was an ensuite room which included breakfast, and was right next to the beach. Rooms were quite basic and the guesthouse was empty so it wasn't the place to go if you want to socialise, but it's right in the middle of the main road through Hikkaduwa so it's great for exploring the area. We would stay here again but it's probably similar to every guesthouse you get offered to stay at whilst walking to it - 6/10.
We spent our afternoon here on the beach and explored the main road through Hikkaduwa.
Galle: Pilgrim Hostel, 2 nights, 1400rs for a bed in a shared dorm. The hostel was a great price considering it was inside the Fort, and included breakfast. However, the beds were really splintered and broken, and the dorms only had fans not A/C so it was a bit stuffy, but we would stay here again for the perfect location - 7/10.
On the way to Sahana Beach we chatted to a few locals who showed us their local market and spice stall. We spent two mornings surfing on Sahana Beach and an evening walking around on the walls of Galle Fort. There are a couple of museums in Galle but they were closed when we were there.
Mirissa:
JJs Hostel, 1 night, 2000rs per bed in a shared dorm.
This hostel was slightly more expensive than we had been paying, but it was a really clean hostel with fan/AC rooms and a great breakfast menu, although this wasn't included in the room price. It was a good location to explore Mirissa and we would stay here again - 8/10.
Similar to Hikkaduwa, we spent some time exploring the shops along the main road and walked across the beach. On the way to Mirissa from Galle, we stopped outside Galle and trekked to Jungle Beach (where we saw lots of monkeys!) and around the coast to Unawatuna Beach before getting the bus on to Mirissa.
Tissa:
Janaka's Homestay Safari, 2 nights, 1500rs for a double room.
We cannot recommend this homestay enough! Janeka and his wife were so friendly and helpful, and even cooked dinner for us one night. We stayed in the double room in his house, but he offers a treehouse and is in the process of building another. He can also book you into a half or full day safari with himself - we did the half day (4.15am until around 11.30am) which cost 5500rs per person. However, this property is a good 5km walk from the bus station and there is nowhere nearby to eat without getting a tuktuk. One night here is plenty if you do the morning safari and move on after - 9/10 (this would be a 10 in terms of budget but the shower in the room was freezing!)
We came here mainly for the safari, but spent the afternoon cycling around town on bikes Janeka's wife offered to us.
Ella:
Forest Homestay, 1 night, 1900rs for a double room.
This was a clean room with a shared balcony. The wifi was the best we had in Sri Lanka, and it was a great location for the hikes around Ella. The only downside would be the rain shower didn't work and the electric shower although warm was a very weak stream, but we would stay here again - 8/10.
There are several good hikes around this area, such as Little Adam's Peak and Ella Rock - we definitely recommend getting a guide for Ella Rock!
Nuwara Eliya:
Backpack Lanka, 1 night, 2400rs for a double room.
This was a huge room but the single bathroom was shared with all the other rooms and dorms. The breakfast included was meant to be some form of traditional Sri Lankan breakfast but neither of us ate much of it. Location-wise it was far enough out of bustling Nuwara Eliya to give you a peaceful night's sleep but close enough to the bus station to get around. We probably wouldn't stay here again as neither of us wanted to use the bathroom facilities, the breakfast wasn't great and it felt like it was the wrong end of town for sightseeing - 4/10.
We came here to see Lake Gregory but were dissapointed to see there was an entry fee - 200rs for 'foreign', compared to 50rs for locals. As we had to catch a bus and it was raining we decided against walking around here.
Delhousie:
Singh Brothers, 1 night, 3500rs for a double room.
This was a large room with a double bed and an extra single bed, as well as a good shower and a shared balcony. There was even a TV, although we didn't use this. It's right at the start of the path for Adam's Peak which is why we chose it, and they provided a large traditional breakfast which was perfect after a four hour hike. If we ever do Adam's Peak again we'll definitely come back to here - it was perfect for one night but there wasn't enough to do for anything longer, so we'd give this 9/10.
We came here to climb Adam's Peak and watch the sunrise - unfortunately it was cloudy so it wasn't the best sunrise! But it was a great experience.
Kandy:
Kandy City Monkey Hostel, 2 nights, 1800rs per night for a double room.
The room itself was fine, a bit tired with peeling walls and floor but it was fine for a few nights. There were two bathrooms, both within a different shared dorm room which were awkward to get to, especially at night. One bathroom was full of bugs and had stains all over the walls, and the toilet occasionally didn't flush. The other bathroom was slightly better, but it was inside the main building which was locked to us after 10pm. Breakfast was included which was the only redeeming factor in our opinion. If you're in one of the dorms with the bathroom it's probably not so bad though, but we didn't enjoy our stay here - even the seats in the common area were uncomfortable so there wasn't a social atmosphere.
Despite hearing so many good reviews of Kandy and there being so much to do, neither of us really enjoyed our time here at first. We decided against visiting the Tooth Temple as it was 1500rs per person, instead choosing to walk around Kandy Lake and exploring the market. Be prepared to have sarongs and trousers forced against you as you walk through!
Sigiriya:
Lake Side Tent House, 1400rs for the tent house.
This was really quirky - it was essentially just a wooden decking with a tent covering it, with a shower room built on the side, but the presentation was amazing. The shower was covered by a king coconut shell, the bed was covered in fresh flowers, and even the path to the tent house was lit by lanterns. It was a good location for Sigiriya Rock and Pidurangala Rock and there was a tuktuk available if needed - 8/10, we'd stay here again.
Again we came here with a sole purpose - to climb either rock - and there didn't seem too much to do otherwise. We climbed Pidurangala as it was cheaper and quieter than Lion Rock, and gave us a great view of it. Afterwards, we walked through Sigiriya on our way back to the tent house.
Kandy (again):
Richmond Hill Holiday Bungalow, 2600rs per night for a private room (we managed to agree a second night at the same price too).
We managed to get this at about 70% off on booking.com! Compared to the last hostel in Kandy, this was such a luxury - the 'bungalow' was more of a mini-mansion, greeted at the door, bags carried to our room and offered tea or coffee. The room was large and had a fan, A/C and a TV, with a stunning en-suite shower room. The only downside was there wasn't anywhere nearby to get some dinner or breakfast the next morning, but for one night this wasn't an issue. The next day we were out all day anyway so we just ate before we came back. The hill up to the bungalow is very steep and our tuktuk struggled to get there, but we walked it fine the next day without bags. Compared to staying in hostels, this was a definite 10/10, but we'd only stay here again if it was discounted again. For a holiday it's a bargain, but for budget travellers it's a bit above our allowance.
After a hot shower and relaxing on the bed, we decided to walk to the Botanical Gardens and spent the morning walking around there. It was nice, but not as nice as we were expecting for the entrance fee; 1500rs each! Overall neither of us are really sold on Kandy, but some people seem to really enjoy it here so it's worth a visit.
Average daily cost:
£30 for both of us. We were happy to walk most of the time so we probably saved a fair amount on tuktuks, but we did spend a bit extra some nights to get a private room rather than two dorm beds. We also missed some more expensive attractions such as Temple of the Tooth and Lion's Rock. A reasonable budget for a solo traveller would probably be £20 per day.
コメント