Kalpitiya hotels & places to stay

Dolphin Beach was the first stop on our 10 day tour of Sri Lanka and we spent 4 amazing nights here. The rooms were beautiful with some great quirky features - only complain I would have is that you cannot lock the tents. Not too much of an issue for us but may be concerning if you had young children or anything super valuable? Dean the manager was very friendly and easy to talk to - I don't think our stay would have been the same without him. He goes above and beyond and nothing is too much trouble. The food was some of the best we had in Sri Lanka and we really liked the flexibility. When we arrived it was pizza night, but Dean correctly assumed we would want some Sri Lankan food on our first night in Sri Lanka, so he had the kitchen make us a great lamb curry dish which was delicious! One day for lunch Dean had his mother cook up a squid ink risotto with fresh cuttlefish - another amazing dish! Another highlight was the 7 week old puppy. Nero who lives in the resort. I absolutely fell in love! The next resort we stayed at was 5 star hotel chain and had no where near the service and uniqueness that we experienced at Dolphin Beach.

I loved every minute of my time at Bar Reef; it was tranquil, supremely relaxing, and the highlight of my stay in Sri Lanka. The staff was the best I had experienced in a month in Sri Lanka-- very helpful, friendly and also highly professional, attentive to detail, and creating an atmosphere of respect and peace, which allowed me to enjoy the quiet of being in nature. The 40m long saltwater swimming pool was divine and the food delicious, and for me one of the most special aspects was being able to do yoga at sunrise and sunset on the beach with Marina. I had a wonderful time and miss this place already-- thank you to everyone for such a great stay!

Aarya marked the start of our trip, and the staff takes great care of its guests. We booked the dolphin tour through the resort and it was a beautiful, magical experience. The resort property was beautiful, with 6 rooms that give you a view of the lagoon. The chef was amazingly competent and served us fantastic meals - must-try the garlic butter squid and curry cashews! Only suggestion to the team would be to be more fastidious in their checks before letting guests check-in... our bath towel, & pillow cases were stained which marred our initial impression of the place, but housekeeping took care of that quickly! All in all, a great place to chill out and relax.

The drive to find this hotel was fun! We had lengthy directions which were supplied by the hotel that were very accurate and it was tucked away down a maze of dirt roads in a Grove of palm trees. Our room was a beach cabana that was truly delightful as were the cushioned cabanas by the pool. The outdoor dining area was lovely and they served decent rice and curry and breakfast (there is nowhere else nearby to eat). If you want somewhere to chill you needn't look too much further than this! Having said that, there wasn't too much else to do, the beach being pretty average compared to many other parts of Sri Lanka. Trips to nearby Wilpattu National Park can be organised by the hotel and a drive to kalpitya is an interesting day trip. This was a good stopover point for our drive to the north.

Nice place, close to the kite surf spot with several rooms facing the lagoon and this for a reasonable price. The place is run by friendly and open minded people. Kalpitiya city is mainly a Muslim area, but mostly very nice people. Still I enjoyed that the resort was run by a mix of Buddhists and christens. As a women, I felt really extremely save. If there is any request or problem Evonne, the chief of the kitchen takes care with a smile and a joke too. When you’re a kite surfer it’s also really nice that you can see from your room if the wind is good and if there are kites in the air. The kite spot is on 20 minutes’ walk from the resort, but it’s of course easier to rent a bike, which you can rent directly from the resort. I rented a bicycle which is much cheaper and sportive too. I will definitely come back.

Newly-established property. (+) Shibi and the team are all very kind and friendly. Food is just outstanding. It is a story of Sri Lankan food culture, colours, textures, and flavours. Beautifully set-up with eco design and furnishing. Shibi is very concerned about the wellness of the guests. She would check if we were comfortable, or if we would need an afternoon snack, packed breakfast, etc. The kitchen staff are just very sweet, polite and helpful. I tried to speak to them but I did not get any response so I am not too sure whether they understand me. But if I bring in an empty bottle, they would comprehend the situation and fill it in for me immediately. Very picturesque lagoon, you can easily spend days watching the trumpet fish, the water birds, the crows, the sun setting, the cute spider and the flame-back woodpecker (endemic) around the property. Very good location. Wilpattu National Park entrance is less than an hour away, Bar Reef is a boat away. Generous amount of attention for each and every customer. Ana and Kurumba (cheeky yet very well-mannered). (-) The cleanliness could be improved. Traces of rodents during my check-in, blood stains on the bed sheet (not mine), towels that leaves blue fluff on your skin and itchy pillow cases. On my third night, there was a loud party next door until 4 am in the morning (I used ear-plug, but you can feel the terrible bass anyway). I might not mind a party but not necessarily when I need to wake up at 6am for a boat tour. :) (+-) some things to consider if you are visiting: - Mosquitoes, mosquitoes and mosquitoes. A lot of mosquitoes. Get lots of strong repellents. - It is a long drive to Kalpitiya from airport, it took me 4+ hours. - The location is rather remote so understandably, wifi is barely ever working. (I did not mind too much, but if you need to sort out bookings or to use it for work, it can get really frustating). Overall, a resort with great hospitality, care and potential. Will I retur

the hotel is rather far from puttulam/ kalpitya. very quiet ! a new beach area in development! good for kite surfing!diving etc! the very friendly owner just has started this hotel.my staying in a nice cabana non a/c was nice with some starters problems. ...like cleaning up.power cut!sri lanka's problem! amazing the lovely private shower outside the cabana. the owner will do his best for a nice stay! even being his first guest ...i had a pleasant stay!

We had a lovely two night stay here, the highlight of which was a fantastic half-day trip where we saw literally hundreds of spinner dolphins, and then snorkelled on a quite impressive reef. We stayed in the cheapest hut type of accommodation, which was spotlessly clean and quite romantic with mattresses on the floor and billowing mosquito nets. The shared bathroom was a few metres away, with a walk through the main public area, but the toilet and shower were kept spotless and sparkling by the staff. The communal lounge/dining area was very luxe and comfortable, and the premises is a short walk (literally) through a shallow lagoon to the beach, which was quite clean and very beautiful. The staff were perhaps a little shy because of their seemingly poor English, but the proprietor and her newly appointed manager both had impeccable English and were enthusiastic, knowledgable and helpful, even organising a birthday cake for our daughter! Our only criticisms would be that it is perhaps a little overpriced (although this is a remote and previously war-torn corner of Sri Lanka, making everything harder to source for tourists) and that we were a bit disappointed with the food; we have grown to love Sri Lankan food, but the staff seemed very keen to keep feeding us Western style food!

This is a really nice place and it would not take much to make it great. We stayed with our toddler daughter, enjoyed very nice and clean hotel swimming pool with salt water, good and not spicy rice and curry for lunch and very friendly and helpful staff. The view of the lagoon from the hotel is beautiful, especially at the sunset. Overall the stay in the hotel was very relaxing. It is a quiet place with spacious rooms. We enjoyed very much the simple and tasteful architecture and furnishing of the hotel. The weakness of this place is just the maintenance. Showers near the swimming pool were not functioning, flushing of the toilet in our bathroom was weak and there was a smell coming from the toilet. The private pool attached to the room did not seem very clean and inviting so we did not use it. Toilets in the dining area were full of mosquitoes. With the proper maintenance of the premises this could become really a fantastic place. Despite the above mentioned shortcomings (unfortunately rather typical in Sri Lanka) we were happy with our stay in the hotel and we would recommend it to other visitors.

Elements is a litlle gem and a pradise for kitesurfer. I was travelling with wife and baby and i was looking for a place where they could have fun while i am kiteboarding. Elements brought more than that! Staff are super friendly, the bungalow deserve more than a 3 stars, the pool is amazing with a superb view of the lagoon, direct access to a private beach (kite spot) but the most important is this feeling of beeing privileged as we were part of the very few lucky people of enjoying this paradise! I really recommend this place and i will go back with my kiteboarding friends :)

This is located at Daluwa, about 10 km on the road from Palavi Junction on the road to to Kalpitiya. It is a small lodge with a few standard rooms and basic cabanas, all with attached bathrooms. The rooms have A/c while the cabanas have a fan. The amenities are very basic but the rooms and bathrooms are clean. The selection of food is limited but the quality is good. We selected Sri Lankan rice and curry for lunch and western menus for dinner (the chef made an excellent grilled fish with vegetables and French fries!). The location is on a small lagoon which is set off from the main Puttalam Lagoon. There is no direct access to the beach or sea, for which you need to travel to other locations.

While I found the hotel easily (right on the main street by a bus stop!) there was a wedding going on when I arrived, and guests tried to scam me by telling me it wasn't the right hotel and offering to drive me, drunk, for Rp. 400, to the hotel. The owner came out, and ushered me in to see the wedding. While it was great to get to see a Sri Lankan wedding, it was massively uncomfortable to feel like I was crashing the party, and I stood around with my backpack on for probably ten minutes while the owner loudly explained to me what was going on, getting glares for wedding guests. Finally someone let me use the toilet and checked me in (I had just gotten off a bus from Colombo and really wanted to rest and pee and wash my face!) The owner upgraded me for free since it was low season, which was wonderful The owner was friendly and helpful- arranging the manager to take me on his motorbike to the beach, helping me with bus times, upgrading my room, but overall my experience was scary and negative.

After a month travelling in Sri Lanka, this hotel was the perfect tonic away from the maddening crowds and the often irritating 3 wheeler drivers. The management and staff are brilliant and took care of my every need and ensured that I was well feed! Baywatch Eco Resort is very much "off the radar" at the moment so if you want to get away from the crowds, I suggest you go here before it too gets over done!

The owner's intentions are commendable. He is trying to create a high end resort that is in tune with nature. My husband and I experienced this sort of accommodation with a safari in Africa organized by CC Africa. The villas blended in with nature, but were insect and bug proof. However at Dutch Bay Resort, because the bathroom is open to nature, lizards and insects get into the bathroom and then easily into the bedroom if the door between the bathroom and bedroom is left open accidentally for a few seconds. You need to get the jeep to take you to the beach or anywhere which was a bind. On your return to the room there was no way to wash off the sand and dirt which you took into the room and made the floor dirty. For the amount charged the accommodation and amenities at Dutch Bay fell far short.

We stayed at the camp for 4 nights and were accommodated in the tent as all cabanas were booked. We have a high demands, and admitted to try staying at the camp only after reading reviews in the Internet, and till the last moment on the road to the camp I was not sure that my girlfriend agreed to stay there. And I have to say that the place exceeded our expectations. During our Sri Lanka trip we stayed overall at 10 hotels including luxury eco-hotels and our experience from the camp definitely one of the top. TENT. The tent was clean, comfortable, had a nice bedding, fan and electricity. Although my girlfriend is insectophobic, she felt herself comfortable as no insect could get inside. The area is very quiet and we had a great sleep with a plenty of fresh air. KITESURFING. I had a previous kiting experience but had problems with waterstart. After 5 days at the spot my skills changed dramatically. It is ideal for beginners due to large safe space with flat water and stable wind. FOOD. We had a full board for a modest price with a plenty of both Sri Lankan and European fresh tasty food. We stayed 5 days and never ate the same thing twice. There is also an option to order local sea food from the menu, and we had great crabs at local price that is much more affordable that in Colombo or other tourists’ places. NON KITING ACTIVITIES. My girlfriend is not a kiter, but she spent a wonderful relaxing time with yoga and on the beach. The place is exceptional as it area encourages conversations and interactions with other people from around the world. I also had a dolphin watching boat trip that was really amazing. They also offered SUP, kayaking and cinema at lounge in the evening. RELAXATION. The place is rustic, but at the same is very comfortable thank to the camp personnel. There you can clean your mind from everyday issues and concerns, relax and refill with the energy. It is definitely the place where I wished to stay longer and would be glad to return.

This was the most amazing place I stayed in Sri Lanka and one of the best places I've stayed in all of my travels. Its rustic - limited electricity from a generator and solar lights, no ac, open air showers and cabanas. Its perfect to get away from everything and just relax. If you are a kitesurfer then you know the location already but as someone who does not kitesurf there is still plenty to do. If you are there at the right time of the year go on a dolphin tour (amazing) and a safari. There is yoga too. The food was beyond delicious - some of the best I had in the country - all made by hand over an open flame by a fantastic chef. The staff is wonderful and beyond accommodating. I cannot recommend this place enough!

Of quite many beach hotels of the type I visited in Sri Lanka, this one was the best in terms of food, staff and location. The food was custom-made, the staff was communicative, friendly and helpful, the location was beautiful. The sightseeing and safari tours organized by the hotel were impeccable. Good vehicles (cars and boats), reasonable price, and nice and efficient drivers. I'll definitely visit the hotel again and recommend it to everyone.

We spent the 10 most relaxing days of our whole 6 month asia-trip here in margarita village. The owner Ruben and the staff are amazing people, they make you feel at home from the first moment on! Everything is made with love at this place: the food, the furniture, the decoration,... The location is perfect for kitesurfers (10min by walk to the lagoon) and we could take the bicycles for free to go to town. If someday we come back to Sri Lanka, we will definitely visit again!

With mixed reviews of Kalpitiya, my boyfriend and I decided we would brave it and stay here for two nights. That is our only regret - that we only had two nights. Dolphin Village is a tranquil, back to basics setting right on the beach. You have your own beach hut to sleep in with a shower and toilet...it is basic but has everything you need, and what it lacks in luxury, Harshan, the owner, makes up for as the most amazing host. He organised a taxi from the airport and onwards to our next destination. He helped us negotiate our dolphin watching tour so that we didn't get over charged. We had the pleasure of meeting some of his friends who came for lunch at Dolphin Village and invited us to eat, drink local Brandy and sing the afternoon away with them. We played volleyball with his staff into the sunset and one night he took us out with his friends to see a Sri Lankan concert. It was the best possible start we could have asked for to our two weeks in Sri Lanka. I hope one day we can return before Kalpitiya becomes a tourist trap. I fully recommend anyone who wants to escape real life for a bit to stay with Harshan at Dolphin Village. Thank you Harshan!