Batticaloa District hotels & places to stay

I was pleasantly surprised at how good Anilana Pasikudah was. I had a very unfortunate stay at "THE CALM" hotel up the beach a bit and chose to check out of there early and I went to stay at Anilana instead. I was able to get early check in at 12pm which was much appreciated, welcome drink and cold towel. We stayed in a Beach Chalet (No 19) and it was perfect in every way. Comfortable big bed, TV that worked with great cable channels including HBO and clear picture. A huge sitting area and both indoor and outdoor shower. I had buffet dinner and it was the best I had in Pasikudah, if not Sri Lanka....huge lagoon prawns and crabs on the bbq were included. Service was excellent from Bar Man Sena and the guy who oversaw the Breakfast buffet, his name starts with A and Im sorry I don't remember how to spell it as it has been some days since I stayed. They do a turn down service with extras in the evening and the breakfast buffet was fabulous. Swimming pool clean. Wifi not great.

We booked 3 nights at this hotel and chose to stay 4. On arrival we were upgraded to a little bungalow with a garden/sea/pool view. Fast and pleasant check inn. Very nice and fresh hotel. Room was spacious, very nice bathroom with rainfall shower, big windows and very clean. Luxurious feeling. Excellent pool and amazing beach, both nice to swim in. Not crowded. Sun beds on beach and by pool. Staff were very helpful and brought us mattress and beach towels. Breakfast was nice, lot of fresh fruit, fresh squeezed juices, chef that makes eggs any way you like it, lot of helpful staff which get you anything you need. Did not have dinner at the hotel, not really a nice atmosphere in the evenings with a very large dining room, no tables set up outside, expensive menu compared to next door hotels. Several hotels close by that have good food and an excellent atmosphere in the evenings. The Calm has to work on this. The staff is excellent, the management still has some work to do. Still some things that dont work and that still are not all the way finished as lighting in the evening/night and similar small things. Best hotel experience in Sri Lanka

We were staying at Uga Bay for the final week of our two week stay in Sri Lanka. We spent the first week travelling around the island and then fancied relaxing for the final 8 nights and doing some scuba diving. When we arrived at Uga Bay there are huge doors that open up to let your car in. They make for a very special arrival because that’s the other side of those doors is quite special indeed. We were greeted by a friendly member of staff who gave myself and my wife [and our driver – whom we had come to love] a cold face towel and a refreshing drink. As our bags were brought through and the hotel checked us in we were blown away by the sheer beauty and architectural creativeness of the hotel. To get to the reception area you have to walk through a star-lit tunnel with running water either side of the walk-way and when you gaze through you see the pool, the beach and then the sea – a very clever design that gives the feeling of peace, tranquillity and luxury. The Bedroom After being checked in we were guided along the short walkway, past all the manicured lawns to our room. We were absolutely blown away again. The room was absolutely stunning. Not only did the room gaze out to sea over the lawns and past the palm trees but the décor, layout and standard of the room far surpassed the most luxurious hotels you would find in London. The room as impeccably clean, huge; has lots of soft well-upholstered furnishings, a huge bed with excellent quality linen, a bathroom big enough to sleep a family and a sensational view of the beach as well. The room has all the mod cons you would expect including a huge flatscreen TV. There was also some great little touches that made the room very special as well like the flip-flops, the terracotta bowl outside of the room to wash your sandy feet before you go in, the balcony/terrace. A helpful hint – all the rooms seem to have a sea view! The Grounds Once we were settled in we enjoyed scoping out the hotel and all the things to do

This hotel was great, the staff fantastic, really relaxing in a great location. We found the food to be slightly over priced, but satisfactory. On our first night a party had been booked in the hotel which they avoided to tell us or apologies in advance to. In desperate need of a good night sleep we were awoken to loud music, on complaining the music was turned down only to wake up an hour later to karaoke "the gypsey kings" on pointing this out to management the next day, the subject was avoided and barely acknowledged. The delightful, friendly welcoming staff were so wonderful and we hope that management realise what a great team they have.

Stayed in low season so little bit cheaper but was absolutely amazing especially after 2 weeks of staying in guesthouses. Got the beach front villa, was an absolutely huge room with two extremely comfy doubles beds, fridge, tea and coffee, large balcony overlooking pool and beach. The largest bathroom I’ve ever seen with a nice bath, shower toiletries and towels. Extremely clean and new hotel with incredible service from staff. Wasn’t much around in low season (may) and super quiet but think it gets full from July. Would definitely recommend!

A lovely stay at the Sands. All the other reviews accurately reflect this beautiful property. Stayed in a non-beach facing luxury tent with only a sandy backyard surrounded by lovely plants...and was a little jealous of the beach facing accomodations. We didn't have a view and if I booked again I would highly recommend taking any of the ocean view rooms and paying the extra cost to really appreciate the beauty of this beach. The welcome was excellent and they were aware of our early check in so had the room ready which was wonderful. The aircon in room worked just enough to make temperature ok and with a great night sleep. Food at the restaurant was very good, had the calamari curry and it was perfect. Next evening had the seafood pizza and it was also very good with a lovely thin and crispy base. Staff are excellent. The pool is brilliant and overlooks the ocean...made of slate which feels very luxurious to walk on. I really can't fault this place...just a bit pricey.

Really lovely guesthouse near the beach. Friendly people who run it, good breakfast. The secret garden is a nice touch and great for breakfast. Room was clean and good (cold) shower. The only issue for us was the wood had warped in the door frames so the doors didn't close fully and let in mosquitoes. Despite everything (lights, nets, plug in) we were bitten (it's humid now - apparently it's better when the weather is less humid). So we moved to a beachfront place after a couple of days. But price, location - it's a good place for what it is and would be fine when less humid

I stopped here, arriving very late in the evening. I found the hotel on agora at a 50% discount. The hotel is wonderful with the room facilities second to none. Breakfast was exceptional. That's when I found out I virtually had the place to myself. The service and attention was therefore exclusive! The beach is gorgeous with a lovely pool (if by reason of insanity you don't love the beach!). My only gripe on value for money, is that in srilanka, using booking sites you have to anticipate upto 21% in taxes on the price that is advertised. This isn't the hotels fault and the room, hotel and service were definitely worth the total price. In relation to facilities, the only reason I didn't give it a maximum was that not every water sport was available, but again it was understandable because it's "low" season. I left feeling very happy and relaxed. Thank you for a wonderful stay!

Situated in a tropical garden, overlooking the lagoon, with a large infinity pool, including a jacuzzi. What's not to like? The cabana, only one I'm afraid, is great. You feel you are on your own in the jungle. But there.are people around when you need them. And I did. Having sprained by ankle badly the day I got there, the staff and owner of did everything to help me. Went for a compression bandage and a walking stick. Provided me with ice packs. Drove me to and from the restaurant in the garden,, or brought me my meals if I preferred..Took me on a tuk tuk trip so I could see some of Batticaloa before I left. Top marks all round.

We will definitely be back in this hotel again. Absolutely brilliant down to earth staff... Willing to help on any occasion. Excellent beach front location, no vendors, no beach boys and marvellously kept grounds and food was fantastic. Massive portions and well done to Chef, who has kept it going amidst all difficulties of getting the best stuff in comparison to Colombo hotels...

We loved this place completely!The staff are doing their best,all of them are unbelievably friendly,helpful,respectful and smiling generously:-)We were treated with an amazing care!We were offered several trips,especially snorkelling and walking in nearby jungle was an amazing experience for us.The resort also provides yoga lessons with well experienced teacher which was also highly enjoyable.The food and cleaning service was excellent.Rooms for guests are beautiful and the restaurant has unique,romantic,pleasant atmosphere.The local beach is very relaxing and suitable for families with children because of crystal clear,nicely shallow water(we could reach the bottom 50 metres from the beach),swimming there was very very pleasant.We would like to thank all the staff once again for their tremendous effort and everything they did for us.We wish we could rate this resort with much more than only 5 points!:-)We would love to come back one day to this place and we wish Giman Free Beach Resort the best luck!

On the main beach road with the entrance next to the large cream wall of the empty Shakti Vani Ayurvedic resort . An assortment of half a dozen bungalows spread out in the garden with a large sparking clean swimming pool. The bungalow was large with a high ceiling giving a really spacious feel with a super king sized bed, Spotlessly clean bed clothes. You should know having read the hotel description before booking that the room is does not have a/c but a large fan. Neither does it have a fridge, TV we wouldn't watch anyway, or tea or coffee facilities. But very comfortable. Breakfast consisted of eggs to choice, omelettes were particularly nice, fruit platter, toast butter and jam with tea or coffee. A very good choice to start the day.They have an on site restaurant priced very well and good food.

Overall inspite of the pleasant staff, we were not happy with the check in and check out time. We reached Batticaloa late night around 10.00pm and hardly 12 hours later we were told that the check-ot time is 10.30am but can be extended till 11.30am. Hotels in not so popular areas and far from airports should be flexible and fair in time in and out. Hotels in India allow a 23-24 hour check -in and check-out policy. Room rates were on the high side and very limited breakfast choice. More local food which not every guest can adapt.

This place is in a great location right in the middle of two beaches; Pasikudah beach - busy, many locals, bars and hotels, no waves, and Kalkudah beach - beautiful, no people, with waves, one hotel. Both are cca 300m from the Inn. Right next to it is a grocery shop, on the other side "western style" restaurant & pub, next to it a drinks store, than atm machine and local restaurant and local bakery. We extended our stay as we liked this place very much. The staff is very kind and helpful. If you want little break between changing locations in Sri Lanka and want to enjoy the beach, than this is an excellent location.

A typical 5-star beach hotel. Nice decor. Comfortable room. Decent pool. Helpful staff. We were a group of 5 booked on a half board plan and found both the breakfast and dinner buffets excellent. Being a local returning to SL after several years, I found the spreads included nearly everything I had planned to taste during the trip. All in one place. The beach in front of the hotel is not suitable for bathing due to dead coral underfoot. For a dip you have to walk to the adjoining public beach (gets crowded) or better, further north where other hotels have their beach frontage. Either way a dip here is a must. Waist deep may be 50 meters into the ocean and nice, warm, calm water. Loved it. The only negatives were non-existent wifi (they were supposedly fixing this at the time) and a spa treatment that did not impress my wife. Overall it was a relaxing stay to unwind after covering Kandy and the ancient cities over 6 straight days. Recommended.

Pasikuda is replete with 5 star luxury accommodation charging in excess of $200 a night. We looked at some of them and they are great. However we didn't have the money to spend so Nandawanam Guest House proved an excellent choice. We had a family room which was big enough for a family of 4 (kids 6 and 3 years old). The bathroom is need of a bit of work (tap loose and ill fitted) but was just about sufficient for our needs. The place deserves high praise for its hard working staff. There seem to be only 2-3 working per shift but they went out of their way to see to our needs. Always obliging, always polite. The restaurant is an obvious hit. It was full of people from the nearby local 5 stars every evening. I guess looking for better value for their evening meals. The food was great if a little slow in appearing. A tip to future customers is this: order your food a couple of hours before eating. This way the kitchen will have your order ready for when you arrive. If you order on arrival you could be in for a lengthy wait.

THE HOTEL IS EXCELLENTLY LOCATED FACING THE BATTICALOA LAGOON. THE FRONT OFFICE STAFF ARE VERY HELPFUL. ONLY THEY HAVE AN ISSUE WITH THE COOK WHO REFUSED TO COOK LUNCH FOR US AS WE HAD ORDERED LATE!! HOWEVER THERE IS AN INHOUSE TUKTUK FELLOW WHO IS VERY HELPFUL AND HE TOOK CARE OF ALL OUR DIFFICULTIES. HOWEVER I WILL DEFINITELY RECOMMEND TREATOOO TO ANYONE COMING TO BATTICALOA.