Accommodation
Sri Lanka has all types of
accommodation ranging
from rooms in family homes
to five-star resorts. With
tourism booming, prices
have been increasing rapidly.
Wherever you stay be sure
to bargain over the price as
negotiation is common.
Rates are very seasonal,
particularly at beach resorts.
The prices quoted in this
guide are typical high-season
rates; look for good dis-
counts in the low season. The
high season is December to
April on the west and south
coasts, and April to Septem-
ber on the east coast.
Note that there are reports
of a few hotels refusing to
honor prepaid reservations
made on sites such as agoda.
com. They’ll tell you that if
you want to stay you’ll need
to pay rack rate (always in-
flated) and that you will then
need to get your money back
from the booking website.
This is usually a scam. Bring
printed confirmations and
have the local contact num-
ber for the booking website.
One call should sort things
out as the hotel won’t want
to be banned from the book-
ing website.
Some midrange and
top-end hotels quote room
prices in US dollars or eu-
ros, but accept the current
rupee equivalent. Note that
a service charge of 10%
will usually be added to the
rate you’re quoted. At many
hotels an additional Value
Added Tax (VAT) of 14.25%
is added, which can make for
a big surprise at check-out.
Reviews in this guide include
the addition of both service
charge and VAT.Types of
Accommodation
Guesthouses and hotels pro-
vide the majority of places
to sleep in Sri Lanka. In rural
areas, almost every place is
a guesthouse. The difference
is that hotels will usually be
larger and offer more servic-
es beyond a person minding
the desk. Often guesthouses
are family-run.
Almost every place to stay
will serve meals. Note that
it’s easy to stumble upon
places that are quite inferior,
whether it’s a guesthouse
renting rooms by the houror top-end hotels that have
ossified. There are almost
always better choices near-
by, so look around.BUDGET
There are budget guest-
houses and a few budget
hotels across Sri Lanka; they
vary widely in standards and
price.
Expect the following
amenities:̈ (^) fans in most rooms, air-con
in only one or two (fans are
fine in the Hill Country and
right on the beach)
̈ (^) maybe hot water
̈ private bathroom with
shower and sit-down flush
toilet
̈ wi-fi (in many cases)
̈ simple breakfast
̈ (^) laissez-faire but cheery
staff.
Director y A–Z
SLEEPING PRICE
RANGES
The following price
ranges refer to a double
room with bathroom
in high season. Unless
otherwise stated, rooms
come with a fan, and tax
is included in the price.
$ less than Rs 4500
$$ Rs 4500 to 12,000
$$$ more than
Rs 12,000BOOK YOUR STAY ONLINE
For more accommodation reviews by Lonely Planet
authors, check out http://lonelyplanet.com/hotels/.
You’ll find independent reviews, as well as recommen-
dations on the best places to stay. Best of all, you can
book online.