Reef Villa

I'd give Reef Villa 6 stars if I could. First the service, what can I say, it was just exceptional, thank you Malith, Dino, Rohan, Asanka, Sandy, gardeners and security (including Fred and Wilma the friendly but vigilant golden retriever security team!) for making our stay the most relaxing and enjoyable I've ever had (and we have travelled all over the world). Special mention to Sandy for showing me the baby fish and trying :) to teach me the Sinhalese names of the birds, our mutual love of wildlife meant the language difference wasn't a barrier 🙏. The property and gardens are beautiful, 'Raj' in style, spotlessly clean (thanks Rohan and your team), comfortable. Asanka you are a top chef, your dishes prepared and presented would not be out of place in the best hotels. Dino, you are a gem, your attentive service was just exceptional and we enjoyed our many chats and your stories, you made us feel part of the Reef Villa family. Lastly location, it feels off the beaten track, the grounds and rooms are very quiet, with direct access to the beach from the garden and pool on one side and the railway line and quiet access road on the other. It's only 10minutes quiet amble to the railway station, bustling little market (2 banks and grocery stores). It's undeniably poor by western, but I was only pestered three times, it's generally super friendly and the place is not as littered as many places in India. I spent a couple hours every morning just wandering around with my camera. Be respectful and ask if people mind their photo taken and you're usually rewarded with a genuine smile and occasionally a slightly bemused expression (as I'm sure I would give in the same situation). We took the commuter train along the coast, that was an experience not to be missed. Finally I'd go back tomorrow if I could, it was a beautiful, unique boutique, relaxing 2 weeks with lovely people on the Pearl of the Indian Ocean.

We had a 3 night stay at the Reef Villas & Spa, it’s worth noting there is no spa and we probably would not have booked had we known (though in fairness the website doesn’t feature it). We were in Sri Lanka and stayed in 10 hotels, the Villas at the Reef are really nice, really large colonial style, with lovely furniture and comfortable beds with mosquito nets. Worth the price of the of the rooms. The food in the restaurant was also good, particularly at breakfast. Perhaps not quite as high as the expectation we had from other reviews. The main complaint was the relatively small menu didn’t change for the 3 nights we were there. Our main beef was the prices of the drinks (in particular), and the food. There is limited choice locally for food, but beer was the most expensive we paid in our whole time there, so unsurprisingly we didn’t tend to drink in the hotel restaurant or at the pool, a shame. The beach is lovely and the service was great, particularly Dino who was always so keen to please, and had a nice sense of humour. The manager Mike and the rest of the team on site were helpful and again keen to please. Lastly it’s only a smallish place and doesn’t run anywhere near capacity so you can guarantee a very peaceful place.

Small quiet boutique hotel, lovely architecture, lovely staff and great service, perfect 2 to 3 night start to our Sri Lankan coastal mini adventure