Bimal Villa

We liked it so much that we stayed through the end of our holiday. Mum and daughter run the place and are both lovely. Breakfast was beautiful and changed each day. The room was simple but clean, with a big comfortable bed, a spacious bathroom and air conditioning. The beach is a five-minute walk away.

We left before we’d planned because the service left us feeling bad. The room price was given as one amount when we looked at it, then went up after we moved in. Even with limited English, the numbers were clear, which made the change frustrating. Someone also knocked on our door at 9pm asking for payment, and that wasn’t welcome. The place itself was nice. Tania from NZ

Kumudu is so warm and considerate, always smiling, and never pushy. Breakfast was delicious, with fruit, fresh juice, eggs and Sri Lankan specialties. The beach was beautiful and quieter and cleaner than at other places we visited. Bimal Villa is also very well situated, just a two-minute walk from the beach, train station and several lunch and dinner spots. Our room was clean, and this was one of our best stays in Sri Lanka. We’d come back next time.

The railway is close by, and trains meant we had to be ready to wake up at 05:50 every morning. If you like to sleep in, a place farther from the tracks may suit you better. Breakfast was acceptable, with the usual Sri Lankan options of rotti, fruit, and tea or coffee. The villa needs more attention to upkeep. The AC units and fans were old and in bad shape, there were too few sockets and they were badly placed, and the rooms had no wardrobes, so our things stayed in suitcases. There’s just one kettle for the whole villa, so guests have to wait their turn. Even a picture in our room wasn’t hung, it was sitting on the table. The internet was very unreliable and stopped working a couple of days after check-in. The hostess initially didn’t want us to leave, but after a long explanation, common sense prevailed. If reliable internet matters to you, I’d avoid staying here. There isn’t enough male ownership here!