Rekawa Village Hotel

Such a great host!

I’m writing about our experience with the villa owner during a Vipassana retreat. Our group rented the whole villa, including all rooms, floors, and facilities, and our leader paid a substantial amount. We arrived on January 19, 2025, with people coming from around the world, and brought a married Sri Lankan couple to cook for us. The listing described a “Shared kitchen,” so we understood that renting the entire villa meant we could use the kitchen without restrictions. When the owner saw our cooks, he demanded they leave and then asked us for more money. We couldn’t cancel the retreat or find another venue, since people had flown in for its scheduled dates. We negotiated, and in the end paid him almost half the cost of the entire villa so our group could cook for itself. This happened because we had declined his offer to cook breakfast for $400 a day. Even after we paid, staff wouldn’t change the bed linen or towels in our cooks’ room. I found his behavior over money deeply disrespectful and greedy. We kept screenshots of all the correspondence and sent the documentation to the booking service. This is not an exaggerated story.

The accommodation is very affordable, and you can rent a bike to explore the area and visit the beach where turtles nest. What made my stay especially nice was Rukman. I arrived on my own and she made a real difference, sharing local products for me to try and spending a lovely morning with me. She even walked me to the bus stop. Thank you, Rukman!