Neverbeen to Lagoon Town

The apartment is new, clean, comfortable, and really spacious, with a balcony and lovely views over the lagoon and the old fort. It’s quiet while still close to everything in Batticaloa. The hosts were warm and welcoming, and offered me homemade food and tea.

We stayed four nights and had no issues. We booked both rooms, so there wasn’t much disturbance, and the area around the house is peaceful and quiet. The lagoon view is beautiful. Our excellent host greeted us with a welcome drink, helped with everything, and was flexible about check-in and check-out. Worth the price, and I’d recommend it 10/10.

As a young Sri Lankan digital nomad living in Trincomalee, I’d been looking for nearby places where I could keep working online on a day trip or week away. My Batticaloa visit was a short official trip with fellow digital nomads, and I was glad to find Neverbeen to Lagoon Town on Airbnb at a very affordable price. I later learned the Neverbeen Team, a group of passionate Sri Lankan guys, manages similar places around the country. The villa is in coastal Batticaloa, a city with Dutch, British and Portuguese colonial history and lots of potential as a hotspot for digital nomads. It’s a two-story building facing the lagoon, with four unique rooms. They seem to have shifted from offering two separate apartments to being more open to room bookings. I booked two double rooms, one for two of us and another for my fellow digital nomads. We booked the other separately on Airbnb as “Neverbeen to Lagoon Town | Double Room 2”. The interior reflects the life of Batticaloa’s lagoon fishermen, and the little green garden adds a nice energy. The rooms are generous in size, and the suites look out over Batticaloa Lagoon. It seems especially suited to couples on a beach break, honeymoon, or romantic getaway, and a big group could book the whole villa. The internet was reliable, so we could work comfortably and enjoy the amenities. Home-cooked meals with local ingredients are available on request. My favorite was the prawn curry, and it’s really cheap. The people are lovely and cook very well. Thanks to the location, we could walk around or join cycling tours with host Kajan, offered by Neverbeen as day excursions. They offer a Batticaloa city tour, fishing lessons with local stilt fishermen, shopping in local Batticaloa boutiques, cycling, hiking, diving, local food market visits and cooking classes with a local chef, plus creative and cultural tours. They follow high Covid-19 safety protocols. Best of luck, guys. We’ll definitely come back with family or friends and explore your other Neverbeen places on Airbnb. Much thanks!

The hosts are among the best I’ve come across. The place is close to town but away from the hustle and bustle, with a view of the lagoon and old Dutch fort. A great location for staying in Batticaloa.