Satin Doll

An easy 300m walk along the beach from the gardens brought us to a great swimming area, with a beach bar, plenty of shade, and bean bags. We had a lovely stay in pleasant coastal surroundings, with a great room and lovely staff and service. The food was excellent, and Sri Lanka curry wasn't mandatory at breakfast!

Damith and the whole Satin Doll team looked after us so well, friendly and attentive without being intrusive. The meals were delicious, and eating outside under the gazebo made for a great holiday experience. We loved the clean, comfortable, stylish accommodation right on the beach, with cooling sea breezes and a pretty outlook. We'd go back in a heartbeat and highly recommend it.

The breakfast was included, and we really enjoyed the tasty fruit platter followed by a choice of Western or Sri Lankan breakfast. We also had dinner at the hotel one evening, which was excellent, including a tuna sandwich and Sri Lankan cashew curry. It's a small, cozy hotel with just five rooms, lovely interior design, a beautiful garden, and lots of paintings in the living-room area and the rooms. The rooms are well equipped with AC, a hair dryer, shower gel, shampoo, and conditioner. Not all have a fridge, but our room was close to the kitchen, so we could get cold water from its fridge. Outside, there's a huge palm-filled garden, seating, and sun beds right by the rooms. A small pool is there for cooling down, though its high step into the water may be difficult for older people with hip problems. The beach is just past the garden, with a beautiful sunrise in early March. The staff were always friendly, helpful, and spoke English very well. I learned a few things about Sri Lanka and its food from talking with them. They cleaned the garden early each morning, cleared fallen leaves, and set out the cushions; indoors, they cleaned rooms, made beds, and changed towels every day. WiFi was better than at most places we'd visited, though it could be jumpy and had issues during power cuts. Generators ran in the evenings to cover the two-hour outage, so you could work on European time. We didn't swim in the ocean right in front of the hotel. In early March the water was too close to the garden to lay out a towel, though swimming might theoretically be possible. Dallawela beach and Turtle beach were among my favorite beaches so far, around 10-15 minutes on foot. The hotel can arrange tuk tuks, and Mirissa beach is about a 30-minute drive away.

We were unsure about booking because of the (current) 4.1 google rating, but took a chance on the good reviews and were glad we did. It feels like a little slice of heaven, peaceful, with amazing service, stunning interior design, and delicious food. You can walk straight out onto the beach, then follow it a little way to a spot where swimming is possible. The sunsets are beautiful. Honestly, just stay here.