Colombo
Colombo's best hostel has a rooftop lounge/kitchen/chill space with great views over the city, including nearby Temple Trees, home of the PM. There are 33…
Must-see hotels in Sri Lanka
Weligama
Perched on a promontory above the Indian Ocean, this astonishing hotel has stunning vistas and a sublime 60m crescent-shaped infinity pool (should you get…
Tangalla & Around
This beautiful new place is owned by a Hungarian–Sri Lankan couple who've worked in hospitality for years and run a tight ship. Their two huge detached…
Ella
Owned by a talented musician and master carpenter, these beautifully finished rooms boast gorgeous handmade fixtures and fittings (shelves, clothes rails)…
Tissamaharama
A very stylish three-bedroom guesthouse, My Village is actually the modernist dream creation of a local designer. There's a stylish open-plan cafe and…
Kandy
This popular, well-established guesthouse is owned by a friendly family, one of whom worked in hospitality for years, and is surrounded by towering palm…
Tangalla & Around
A very well-run place with an array of different cabanas. There are mud-walled abodes next to the lagoon at the rear, while others near the beach are…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Galle
This historic property has been sympathetically converted into an inviting guesthouse by the friendly, artistic hosts who have a keen eye for design…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
Galle
Virtually opposite the Sudharmalaya Buddhist temple, this excellent new hostel has two good-quality mixed dorms; each bed is equipped with a private…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Ahangama & Midigama
In a gorgeous shore-front location, with ocean views through a strip of coconut trees, this beautiful colonial villa has whitewashed rooms with antique…
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…
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…
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…
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 …
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…
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…
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…
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
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…
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…
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…
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…
