Rockside Cabanas Hotel

I had a really memorable holiday at Rockside Cabanas, even though my partner and I were only there for a few days. My first impression was, ‘Wow, what a lovely room!’ On the first floor (some would say ‘second’), it was large, with attractive decorations and a view of the sea from the spacious balcony. Breakfast was very good: a whole coconut to drink from each morning, a generous serving of tropical fruit and a delicious Sri Lankan omelette. Coffee was good, too. The oval infinity pool was great for cooling off and having a swim. Though the sea was beautiful to look at, I thought it was a bit rough for swimming, so I appreciated an alternative. The highlight of the holiday was Sinhala and Tamil New Year’s Day (in April). I’d been afraid it would be a quiet day for tourists, with businesses closed for the holiday, but the lovely staff at Rockside put a wonderful effort into making the day special – I was only sorry that they had to work that day, instead of being with their families. The first treat was a buffet breakfast of Sri Lankan foods – our favourites were tuna in a delicious coating (a local dish), caramelised onions, firecracker sauce and a sweet sort of dumpling made with rice flour. Afterwards, we played games in the garden: ‘egg’ (lime) and spoon race round the pool, ‘pin the tail on the donkey’ (draw the eye on the elephant), tug of war and musical chairs, all of which I remembered from childhood. We also had a go at bashing earthenware pots hanging from a line while blindfolded, which was very satisfying. Water poured out of most pots, but the winning one contained the gold (flowers). It was such a laugh and an opportunity to chat to staff, and other guests, who varied in age from children to retirees. The staff put 100 per cent into making it fun, so a huge thanks for that; it looked like they were enjoying themselves, too, I’m glad to say. I’d like to give a final shout-out to a member of staff who we befriended: his name sounded like Corkilla, but I’m sure that’s not how it’s spelt. Anyway, he contributed enormously to our enjoyment of the holiday.

The experience in the hotel was fantastic. The service was excellent. Unfortunately, this experience was spoiled by the fact that an amount of 38,98 EUR was charged wrongfully to our credit card by the hotel. In spite of claims and many reminders from us to the hotel, we never received any definitive answer from the hotel so far. This leaves a bad feeling with us.

Came for the weekend. Cabanas are amazing and comfy ; so close to the ocean ; feels like you are sleeping on the shores . Saturday brunch was amazing with the best coffee in south! Perfect ambiance with live saxophonist! Sri Lankan breakfast was flavorful and the eggs Benedict’s was to die for. Staff was super friendly, owners were very accommodating, the lady had such friendly vibe!

Great place to stay in your Vacation, Very kind staff, tasty foods Danie the Manager always took care of us. The Ride to Galle was amazing with minor car, The driver was very funny and helpful. Jacuzzi pool was amazing, Owner is very kind, and never forget to offer cocktails It's a home away from home

Perfect location, easy to go everywhere for a trip! The people are very kind in the hotel. Isanka meneger is always help us in everything! We can ask almost everything, they solve it! The food is very delucious, and big portions! The hotel is very nice, rooms are big, and tidy! Here is a new pool in the garden 😍 We traveled with kids, and this hotel was a very good chioce! Also they enjoyed to be here!

We stayed with two kids (2 and 4 years old) and we all loved it. The room was very big and it featured a terrace which we used to eat our breakfast daily. Located on the ground floor, our room had free and easy access to the big garden with its soft grass so the kids could run and enjoy it while we were relaxing on our terrace or the hammocks (also in the garden). Being very picky the only issue was the lack of a door in the toilet :) but we've managed to preserve our privacy anyway, so not a big deal. The shower was very large though, and comfy as well! The garden has a little gate with a few stairs landing directly on the beach making it very easy to go back and forth multiple times during the day (to pick up some food, get shelter in case of rain, etc.) The beach features a natural rock barrier which breaks the ocean's waves and makes a wide natural pool, swimmable and safe for adults and kids alike. Friendly green turtles are also enjoying the pool. The breakfast was delicious, with flavours spacing from savoury local to more "western" sweet food. We had a few early morning day trips and the staff prepared the breakfast to be taken with us! Speaking of the staff, they went above and beyond any expectations. They assisted us throughout our whole stay, fulfilling our requests and putting us at ease at all times. We had a chance to meet the owners of the hotel too, who were also very friendly and warm! There's an active railway right across the street, so sometimes it was possible to hear the trains passing by, but I wouldn't say it was disturbing at all. There's also a tuk-tuk driver constantly hanging in front of the hotel. He was very intrusive every time we left the hotel and that one time we decided to give him a chance we had a very unpleasant experience (he proposed a very high price compared to other drivers, and eventually left us -with 2 kids- a few km away from the agreed spot). Not really the hotel's fault, but it's worth mentioning.