Luxury bespoke holidays and tours to Reef Sri Lanka, Wadduwa
Facts in brief
Official star rating Luxury boutique
Location A minutes' walk from the beach, approximately 22-miles from Colombo
Annual opening All year
Closest airport Colombo
Distance from airport About 2 hours by car
Hotel facilities and services
Living area, Dining room and terrace in the main house, Flexible dining, including BBQ, Beach bar, Swimming pool and 2 children's pools, All weather tennis court, Reefresh Spa treatments.
Land sports
Bicycles for hire, Table tennis, Private yoga sessions available.
Out and about nearby
Fishing communities along the coast, local life, Bolgoda lake, Gangatilaka Vihara Temple at Kalutara - approximately six miles away, Richmond Castle, Brief Garden near Bentota.
Sports nearby
Watersports at Bentota - 45 minutes' drive away, Royal Colombo Golf Course - 1 hour drive.
Absolutely loved it. Bespoke sense of the trip is very good. Very pleasant and efficient service.Mrs H, Sep 2023
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Lily pond suite for 7 nights
From about
£2,650
Holiday Code EXH971
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke holidays and tours to Reef Sri Lanka, Wadduwa
Reef Sri Lanka, a nine-suite boutique hotel, offers intimate luxury amidst three acres of tropical gardens right by the Indian Ocean. Conveniently located 30km south of Colombo and two hours drive from the international airport, Reef is the creation of a British architect and designer team, one of whom is always at the hotel to ensure that your stay is as amazing as they intend it to be. Emerging through the lush foliage at the entrance is like discovering treasure, as the homely yet elegant beauty of Reef is revealed. Blessed with harmonious spaces, an intimate ambience and effortless yet attentive service, this is a haven for romance and privacy. A magnificent spiral staircase forms the centrepiece of the lofty living room in the main house, open-sided to catch the sea breezes. The antique furniture, Indian swings and four-poster beds are based on furniture used by members of the East India Company, giving the Reef an air of relaxed, colonial grandeur. Reflective lily-ponds border palm-fringed pavilions whilst a swimming pool nestles in verdant gardens between the buildings and the beach. There is a delightful Reef Spa treatment room with its own courtyard and outdoor bath, where you are treated to the ultimate in body pampering. The chefs serve a variety of international and Sri Lankan dishes, enjoyed either on your private veranda or in the main house accompanied by the frog chorus from the ponds. The Reef's nine elegant suites are spacious, air-conditioned and resplendent with teak, polished floors and luxurious bathrooms. Talcum-soft white sheets and fluffy pillows adorn highly decorated antique Calcutta four-poster beds that were used during the British Raj. The suites also have spacious shaded verandas for private dining, some with an Indian swing.
Room descriptions
Reef Sri Lanka has 9 suites, all with Air-conditioning and fan, Satellite television, DVD player/CD/radio, Broadband internet access, Direct-dial telephone, Mini-bar, Tea and coffee-making facilities, Safe, and a Hairdryer.
Absolutely loved it. Bespoke sense of the trip is very good. Very pleasant and efficient service.Mrs H, Sep 2023
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Lily pond suite for 7 nights
From about
£2,650
Holiday Code EXH971
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke holidays and tours to Reef Sri Lanka, Wadduwa
The journey and how you get there
For a holiday to Reef Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, our clients fly to Colombo, usually with Sri Lankan Airways on a direct flight from London Heathrow (or with Emirates from other UK airports via Dubai). This hotel is 1 hour and 40 minutes' drive from Colombo airport and is either a stay in its own right, in which case you will have a car transfer to the hotel and back, or it is stayed at as a coast extension at the end of a tailor-made touring holiday, in which case you will approach the hotel from a different location.
Additional information
Children: Cots or children's bed can be provided on request. Nannies can be arranged at additional cost. Due to extensive water features, children need to be supervised around the property. All suites except the Lily Pond Suite can accommodate up to three children.
Special offers
Call to make your booking and save an extra £50 per adult Call us instead of emailing us when you are thinking of booking a holiday and save an extra £50 per adult (in addition to any special offers that might be available). We want to talk to you to discuss your requirements and a phone call is usually the best way for you to define what you want enabling us to respond more accurately. We want to talk to you and you save an extra £50 per adult.
4 for 3 Book 4 nights and only pay for 3 for stays between 1 September and 30 November 2024 in Ocean Suites and Plantation House Suites. Offer is not combinable with any other offer. Restrictions apply.
Absolutely loved it. Bespoke sense of the trip is very good. Very pleasant and efficient service.Mrs H, Sep 2023
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Lily pond suite for 7 nights
From about
£2,650
Holiday Code EXH971
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke holidays and tours to Reef Sri Lanka, Wadduwa
About South west coast
An Expressions tailor-made holiday to the south-west coast of Sri Lanka incorporates a popular holiday destination for tropical sun, sea and sand. It offers wonderful beaches and a variety of hotels and guests houses to choose from, with the added attraction of having local life and interesting places to see and things to do nearby. What’s more, facing directly west to the Indian Ocean, visitors are treated to the most magical sunset views. This 100-kilometre coastline between the cities of Colombo and Galle is blessed with miles of palm-fringed golden beaches interspersed with harbours, inlets, mangrove-lined rivers and lagoons. Bentota and Beruwela are the primary locations for restaurants and nightclubs which are mostly found in hotels, and also offer a range of watersports along with Hikkaduwa. Hotels of every size and quality vie with private villas, coconut plantations and fishing villages for a space on the beachfront and those priceless Indian Ocean views. We have selected a range of hotels on Sri Lanka's south-west coast which are ideally located to explore the highlights of the region, including luxurious boutique hotels and resorts such as Saman Villas and Serene Pavilions.
Highlights of Bentota, Wadduwa & the south west coast
In addition to relaxing on the beach, there are plenty of other things to see and do in this region. In and around Wadduwa: Fishing life along the coast; Long beach walks; Kalutara – famous for its historic Bo tree, grown from a sapling of the Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura, and Gangatilaka Vihara Temple - the only Buddhist shrine in the world which is hollow; Kalu Ganga (river) and Bolgoda lake; Richmond Castle – a 19th century spice plantation mansion, built for a regional Governor resembling an Indian Maharaja’s palace design, now open to the public. In and around Bentota/Beruwela: Watersports at Bentota/Beruwela on the Bentota river (there is a well-equipped centre offering a range of motorised and non-motorised water sports, including diving); Bentota mangrove river boat trip; Long beach walks; Brief Garden – home and landscaped gardens created by Bevis Bawa, the artist brother of Geoffrey Bawa. Behind a bamboo hedge lie walled gardens, bowers, lawns, sculptures and a Japanese garden; Lunuganga Estate – the home of celebrated Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa; Aluthgama – shops and market; Galapita Vihara Buddhist Temple - 12th century, 5 km upriver. Inland: Singharaja Rainforest; Plantations, farming and craft villages. Between Bentota and Galle: Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery; Buddhist Temples – e.g. Kumarakanda Vihara; Balapitiya –boat trips on Madu Ganga river and lagoon – birdlife, water monitors, islands; Mask carving and painting in Ambalangoda; Moonstone quarry in Meetyagoda; Beach walks; Hikkaduwa - tourist shops and restaurants, lower budget; Fishing trips, Snorkelling and scuba diving, waterskiing, kayaking, windsurfing and sailing – at Hikkaduwa (12 km from Galle). Wherever you stay on the south-west coast, day excursions can be made to historic Galle, Buddhist temples, Sinharaja Rainforest, Ambalangoda mask factory, the Kosgoda turtle hatchery. The water sports facilities at Bentota/Beruwela (or Hikkaduwa) are within an hour’s drive from any of the hotels.
Cultural highlights of Bentota, Wadduwa & the south west coast
In the small towns and villages that straddle the main trunk road and railway line, Buddhist temples sit alongside churches and mosques whilst livelihoods are gained through a mix of tourism, trading and fishing, farming and skilled crafts. It is fascinating to stroll along the beach and watch the fishermen preparing to launch their brightly-painted boats, later seeing them return with their catch. A venture into the hinterland reveals a world of lush plantations, tropical forests and lagoons. The rural villages are often known for a particular skill such as furniture or mask-making and weaving using dyed reed. Wadduwa, Bentota, Beruwela and the stretch of coast between Bentota and Galle all offer golden sand beaches, small fishing communities and watersports. Further inland, the Sinharaja rainforest is the only large undisturbed rainforest left in Sri Lanka where over 800 of the island’s endemic species of flora and fauna can be found.
Climate of Bentota, Wadduwa & the south west coast
The south-western part of Sri Lanka is the wet tropical zone. It is warm and humid all year round. Sea breezes make the coast a little cooler. The sunny, dry season is between November and March with average temperatures at around 26C. The south-west monsoon brings intermittent torrential rain, winds and rough seas, normally in May, June and July, with temperatures of up to 32C.There is also changeable weather during September and October. Humidity fluctuates between 70% in the day and 90% at night, which can be oppressive in built up areas.
Travel around the region
We include private transfers with all our holidays to Sri Lanka, and a personal chauffer with all our touring holidays. Driving Distances: Colombo International Airport to Wadduwa – 1.5 to 2 hours (56 km), Colombo International Airport to Bentota – 2 ½ to 3 hours (90 km), Colombo International Airport to Galle – 3 hours (150 km), Wadduwa to Kandy – 4 hours, Bentota to Kandy – 4.5 hours (180 km), Colombo to Wadduwa – 45 mins to 1 hour (30 km).
