Arabella on Boossa

This is the first time I've personally looked for and decided on a hotel online (i usually have a travel agent's package hotels or on-the-go sort of bookings done). And so, after much reading through reviews on hotels.com and many other popular sites, I decided on Arabella. I just had to see if the photographs that were being posted, were infact the real deal. It turned out to be one of those places where 'photos don't do justice'. The service was excellent from the minute we arrived, and at times i felt they were even going out of their way to make us feel comfortable. The design language of the hotel is a mix of minimalism, contemporary design and Srilankan style. The Suite was nothing short of spectacular. The balcony doors opened to the beautiful and clean beach, with views of the garden and swimming pool below. I couldn't stop taking pictures of the room and the view, and found it very pleasing to sleep to the subtle sound of the waves crashing onto the shore. Even their restaurant - ahara - has a beautiful range of food and drinks to offer. It overlooks the pool and the beach, almost as if it all flows as one. We're a family of 3, and we went to Galle only to experience everything we had heard about the place - from the fort and the architecture, to the great food and the beach. Next time however, it'd be for all that + Arabella on Boossa.

We had a great time and it was relaxing. We were in room number 8 which I believe is the largest, has great views and is spacious. Plenty of space for our little one to move about. The staff were very friendly and eager to help. The beach is a little dirty but you can safely enjoy it without issue as we did with our 21 month old son. The pool is not very large but proportionate to the hotel. The entire hotel is spacious and welcoming and you can relax almost anywhere in the hotel. It is definitely a good place for family with young children as you know everyone around. We also made use of the babysitting service provided which gave us adults a bit of time for ourselves. The breakfast that is included with the stay is good the only thing I would say is that for the price of the room you could throw in the bacon for free :) The food menu is a little limited if you are staying there for more than three days but all the food I ate the restaurant was well prepared and tastes great. The kids menu can be improved. If you like your food there are many places available to eat in Galle (15mins) and other hotels in the area which we did and enjoyed a lot. Dutch hospital & Fort Printers in Galle and WB Villa (30mins) for great seafood and Italian with an amazing selection of wine. Overall it was a great stay and we returned refreshed and rested. Thank you all and we will be back.

If your looking for a relaxing five star experience at an excellent price with unbelievable service this is the place for you. Can't recommend this quiet boutique hotel enough. Arabella is a stunning white villa on a quiet beach, a great place to unwind and a good base to explore the southern and western part of Sri Lanka. The staff are exceptional and will cater to your every wish. The hotel only has four rooms and feels more like a home than a hotel. Without a doubt it's my favourite hotel in Sri Lanka. . Also there is a beautiful family beach restaurant called Sadans one hundred metres down the beach to the right, and a backpackers bar a little further.

Pros: - employees smiling and kind - nice grass Cons: - room without window - floor very sliding and dustry but they do not provide sleepers - No wifi in the room - Beach very dirty (they clean it by making a hole in the sand and put garbage inside) - Service inefficient: - bad english: they say yes to whatever you say but after you discover that they did not understand - totally irresponsible to take care of kids: they say on the website "babysitting and childcare". But they let our 3 years old daughter alone at 20 meters from the sea. Basically they just give you things to draw and paint for 15 USD... - manage everything yourself or you will have bad surprises (bad service and charges) - They overcharge external services like Tuk-tuk (700 rs instead of 400-500 !) - There is nothing to do around. If you want a restaurant you need to pay for a Tuk-Tuk to go Galle (10 km) - The restaurant is super expensive 15-20 USD for a main course, and it is not good. Only presentation is good. The breakfast is ok.