Reef Villa♡

Anyone who gives this less than a 9, needs their head examined. Staff were exceptional

9.0

Wonderfully thought out boutique resort. Appreciate the attention to detail by the owners.

− Small things like door hinges etc need replacing. This would give it its crisp edge back

A little bit of Heaven in Paradise

10.0

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.

Relaxing hidden gem

10.0

We stayed 3 nights at the end of our 12 nights in Sri Lanka & all we wanted to do was relax & this place certainly ticked the box. What we weren’t prepared for was that we had the whole place to ourselves! At first this was a little uncomfortable to grasp but then it hit us - you have an amazing villa with your own private chef & staff to look after you. & boy did they. Dino was amazing, always on hand to ask if we wanted a drink by the pool, occasionally bringing us a lovely sorbet & always with a smile & great stories. We had the lily pond room which was lovely. All rooms look lovely especially the 2 suites in the main house. The house is full of lovely antiques but has a very contemporary feel with the main staircase. The pool is large & welcoming in the heat of the day. The beach is lovely but after storms is strewn with plastic rubbish. There isn’t much around that tempted us but we were happy just to soak up our surroundings. The food was amazing. Breakfast very substantial. We are not lunch people but had dinner in the restaurant each night. Whilst there isn’t a big choice we did ask for something off the lunch menu for dinner on our last night & this wasn’t a problem. The curries were amazing & you could probably share one. Yes the prices are high, the highest we paid in the whole of our holiday but the fact that we were the only guests made it worthwhile & very special. In summary this is an amazing place to spend a couple of nights at the beginning or end of your Sri Lankan trip. Whilst we loved the fact we were the only ones there, this place needs guests to survive & my recommendation would be just go, you won’t be disappointed.

A Romantic retreat on the shore of the Indian Ocean

10.0

We stayed in a private villa with huge, vaulted ceilings filled with colonial antique furniture. There was an inside and outside shower as well as a huge tub. A private patio crossed our own Koi pond. Ten steps to a restaurant. huge pool, and access to the beach. Relaxing while wandering in the tropically landscaped grounds, gazing at the sunset, we felt transported to a different era. Only about 1.5 hrs to Colombo airport by the toll highway-this would be a great stop to unwind after arrival or before departure

Lovely but a little beef with the reef!

6.0

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.

Personalised Boutique Luxury

10.0

I am so glad we booked Reef to finish off our Sri Lankan holiday - it was absolutely perfect from the huge, luxurious suites to the exceptional service and food. Dino and team could not do enough for us, but it was never over the top - we just felt well hosted by the entire team. Worth every penny to stay in such a secluded space on a beautiful coastline - we saw more cows on the unspoilt beach than people and you get a beautiful western sunset from Reef.