"Myself and my partner had the best stay at De Pearla resort. Farah the host was the best. He cooked us the most amazing meals, helped us with anything we needed assistance with and made our trip so special. He even showed us how to cook biriyani! My girlfriend became ill with a fever on one of the days and Farah went above and beyond to make sure that we were all ok and looked after. It really felt like we became part of the family. His son was also very helpful and kind to us. De Perla is a tranquil slice of Paradise that felt like a home away from home. It was always so amazing to come back to after a long day surfing and the craziness of Arugam Bay. We hope that we come back here again one day. Thank you Farah. We hope we meet again!"

"Had a great and very relaxing week here. The cabanas are comfortable and stylish, all with great sea views. The beach is stunning and empty. Niaz and his team were very attentive and did everything to make us feel welcome. The grounds are constantly maintained and kept immaculate. The small restaurant served up great food, and always with a smile. Special mention to Rinos the chef and Bari here for their good service and friendly manner, the same goes for the rest of the staff. This is a place to come and relax, away from the hustle and bustle of Arugam Bay. Highly recommended. "

"Unfortunately, our stay was quite disappointing. When we arrived, there was no one at the reception, and we had to call the hotel to begin the check-in process. A few staff members arrived later, but the initial lack of assistance left a poor first impression. The Wi-Fi was extremely poor and barely connected throughout our stay. The restaurant was completely closed, so we had to go outside the property whenever we wanted food. There were also no clear instructions about the hotel's policies or amenities. Because of this, we were unexpectedly charged for water bottles we requested to our room, even though the hotel provides 1 liter of complimentary water per room per day. Better communication would have avoided this confusion. The biggest disappointment was the swimming pool. It was dirty, had a strong unpleasant smell, with visible algae and mosquitoes around it. After getting into the pool, I developed a skin rash, which was very concerning. The property itself has a lot of potential and looks beautiful, but it is clearly not being maintained well. With better maintenance, clearer communication, and improved guest services, it could offer a much better experience."

"We looked forward to staying at Paper Moon. Our driver followed a sign to this hotel but travelling further saw a sign with 2 arrows pointing in opposite directions. Finally get to a gate with the Paper Moon board but no signs to reception. We called the contact number and were told we had to keep going down the driveway. Quite a few guys came running out and then disappeared. Nobody actually welcomed us and told us where we had to go. We eventually came to an open cafe area and quite a few guys just stood around not actually saying anything. No reception as such but the guy at the bar told us we were in the right place. We were given a welcome drink and they took our passports for check in but still didn’t tell us we had checked in. The rooms are individual units. Very simple but ok. The door doesn’t quite reach the ground which left me a bit nervous about creepy crawlies. The bathroom is huge but basic. No toiletries provided apart from a tiny cake of soap. The staff were mostly very friendly and helpful and provided whatever food we asked for but having all male staff just hanging around all the time was quite intimidating. Staff should probably also not hover around the tables as often and leave guests to enjoy their meals. The place is also the local bar so locals are constantly at the bar window for their alcohol. That also left us feeling a bit unsafe as there was a drunken fight one night. There’s nothing around this hotel so it would have to be on a full board basis. Luckily we had a car and driver and were able to check out local cafes. The place was clean. Probably not ideal for solo or young ladies travelling alone."

"This hotel is so far one of the best sustainable luxury cabana’s we have been to. A huge thank you to the General Manager Hafie and his team. They looked after us like their own family. The General Manager Hafie had organised so many activities for us from the day we arrived, that made us feel very special, which would have been we were a family of 16. The hotel is also very close to the best surfing beaches and wild life parks. The 22 cabana’s are just beautiful and very clean and the water is filtered. The little things they did for us made feel so welcome."

"Great place to stay that is both close to Kumana National Park and has excellent guides to see wildlife. We are very glad we booked to stay at Wild Edge. Samitha was an excellent host and guide. Like the accommodation, their jeeps were comfortable - indeed the jeeps were well customised for photography as well for general viewing. I benefited from learning from Samitha’s vast experience in photography and videography. We saw a family of leopards and a sloth bear. After the second half-day safari we had a delicious fresh passion fruit juice at the hotel to cool down (it is probably the best passion fruit juice I’ve ever had!)."

"Looking for a nice place to stay close to Arugam Bay and having had a good experience at the great value Jetwing Jaffna, we were drawn to book the Jetwing property Kottukal Beach House. We were not disappointed with our choice. The property is a nicely converted colonial era villa with a fantastic aspect and view of the coastline. From our 1st floor room with a balcony we were afforded a fantastic view of the sea and to hear the waves crashing onto the beach.  Our room was generously sized with a high ceiling and with a comfortable king bed and associated mosquito net. It had a decent bathroom with twin basins and a rain shower. Plenty of hot water. Room air conditioning worked very well and added to ceiling fans for those who prefer, which are quieter and allow you to hear the sounds of the sea. The property is small with only a few rooms, which assists the feeling of serenity but although small scale it is assigned with a couple of permanent staff members to service guest needs. A minor flaw was that there was no “official” way to make contact with them and there were no phones in the room or a bell to draw attention. One morning wanting a coffee (no kettles in the rooms) and after knocking on a few doors, I was forced to finally give up.  However, an hour later I was successful and finally had a delicious plunger coffee delivered to the room and foresightedly then preordered for the following morning. An a la carte dinner was also pre ordered and highly delicious curries were prepared by the inhouse chef. We purchased a bottle of wine in town as none was available at the property, but they did stock beer. Breakfasts were also very good. Other points to highlight include the generous gardens bordering the sea, the friendly in-house dogs and a decent pool. Would recommend if looking for a quiet and beautiful stay close by Arugam Bay (tuk-tuks easily arranged)."

"This was one of the most beautiful stays we had in Sri Lanka. We received a warm and friendly welcome and were given a beautiful room. We had a partial view of the sea and a lovely green area. The food was also delicious! I definitely recommend a visit!"

"We had a horrible experience at this hotel. The price is extremely expensive for very poor services. The hotel is very dirty, with a lot of trash all around the property (empty bottles and beer cans, papers, dirty dishcloths, etc.), the pool bar is always closed and extremely dirty. We paid for a sea view room but no room has actually a sea view. There is no intimacy in your private swimming pool: the staff is passing by and looking at you. A lot of things were broken in the room (bathtub, hairdryer, TV, AC very noisy). The food is horrible, all frozen and very bad quality whereas it is supposed to be a 5 stars hotel. Only 1 cocktail was available on the 20+ cocktail list. We were served coke from a 2 liters bottle, not from a personal small bottle or can - this is very unhygienic, and should not happen, not in a 5 stars hotel but neither in a low standing hotel. Staff barely speaks English. The hotel is empty, the atmosphere is very weird, there were 10+ staff working for only 2 families in a giant hotel. I could keep going as we had the worst experience ever, but as a conclusion, absolutely avoid going there ! On our hand, we were supposed to stay 3 nights but decided to leave the hotel after 1 night."