Sea Breeze Garden

The guesthouse sits in a beautiful garden beside the owners’ cozy restaurant, where we could get delicious food all day. A short walk down the path takes you to one of Sri Lanka’s most stunning beaches. We were there in January and it was wonderfully quiet, a real oasis of calm. Great value for the price, with incredibly friendly and helpful hosts. We had the big room with air conditioning, and it was amazing: really spacious, with a large bathroom and enough room to move around, roll out a yoga mat, or relax on the veranda with a book.

My friend and I stayed three nights at the Thached Villa hotel beside famous Silent Beach. We each had an envelope in our locked room with money for our Nepal visas, $80 in mine and $50 in his. We went to the beach and had lunch, then only realized the next day that $70 was missing, $40 from my friend’s envelope and $30 from mine. We’re not accusing any particular person, but whoever had a key to our room took it. When we raised it with the hosts, they said they’d check the cameras. Ten minutes later they told us, “There's no more data, so the cameras don't show anything.” They said they would investigate, but at 8 p.m. the day before we left, they told us to go to the police if we wanted. That wasn’t really possible, since we had to pack for an early departure the next day. I never write bad reviews, but I was extremely frustrated, especially traveling on a very tight budget. A locked door is supposed to make you feel safe. I’m posting this in the hope it helps someone else. Take care. Lisa

The food was wonderful and really well priced. The Sri Lankan breakfast was the best we had, and you should try the banana and pineapple fritters, we could live on them. On our last day we caught Spanish mackeral, and our hosts generously let us use the kitchen to cook it. We felt at home, like we were with family. The hosts went above and beyond to make our stay great, as per Sri Lankan culture. We loved Thatched Guest House and were sad to leave. It’s wonderful value and possibly our favourite stay in Sri Lanka so far. The water at Silent Beach, a one to two minute walk away, was super clean, with rock pools to explore. The beach was the most beautiful we found in south Sri Lanka. And there’s brand new air con! We can’t wait to come back next season.

The hut is basic but has everything you need, and the wife’s cooking is delicious. A very friendly, helpful local family runs the place. It’s a two-minute walk to lovely Silent Beach, a bay without many people. There are a few spots to get a coconut, a drink or something to eat. A perfect little place for a few beach days.