Dephani Beach Hotel

The room was spacious, with hot water day and night, and from the balcony we could see palm trees and the sea. The waves made it easy to fall asleep. We also got early check-in after our dawn flight, which was a real kindness after a long journey and some confusing luggage mix-ups. We stayed in the family room with an extra bed for our 5 kids, the towel swans. Their heads kept flopping back as if they were embarrassed by our chaotic energy. The property is old in a charming way, but clean and well cared for, with lots of character. The entrance's checkered floor seemed to promise a dramatic chess duel, and, spoiler, I won. The garden was blooming, with tiny purple and white flowers by the table where we had our very late breakfasts. Negombo's location felt cozy, between local karaoke nights, fish market mornings and the open sea. A 10/10 for value for money! Special thanks to Christina for her kindness and to Milan for the pliers. We loved the local cats and dogs, too, and the little travel library with books that smelled of sea and sunscreen. Dear Milan, apologies for making you break the lock on the suitcase I accidentally took at the airport, and for asking you to fold 5 origami towel swans. Sorry for bringing cheeky chaos to your peaceful seaside retreat. Despite my little hiccups, we absolutely loved our stay at dephani. We're already looking forward to the dinner invitation and double-toweled swans on our next visit! With gratitude and a slightly guilty heart, your troublemaking guests and the swan family 🦢🦢🦢🦢🦢