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guesthouses, as well as one or two very rare
budget offerings.
Almost all the hotels and guesthouses dou-
ble as restaurants, and seafood is generally at
the top of the list of offerings. The Wunder-
bar Hotel and Restaurant (%227 5908; galle
Rd) has an enjoyable 1st-floor restaurant open
to non-guests and sea breezes, and has a de-
cent selection of seafood and Western dishes
(Rs 500 to 800).
If you want to escape the confines of your
hotel, then there are a number of busy, tasty
and cheap places in Aluthgama town.
4 Aluthgama
Hotel Hemadan g UESTHoUSE $$
(%227 5320; http://www.hemadan.dk; 25 Riverside Rd;
s/d incl breakfast from Rs 4345/5335; W) A cosy
Danish-owned guesthouse that has 10 large,
clean rooms in an ageing building. There’s
a leafy courtyard and prime river-viewing
opportunities. Better rooms have balconies.
There are free boat shuttles across the river tothe oceanside beach and a babycot for those
travelling with little ones.Anushka River Inn g UESTHoUSE $$
(%227 5377; http://www.anushka-river-inn.com; 97 Riv-
erside Rd; s/d incl breakfast €35/50; aW) This
hotel’s large rooms contain wooden beds,
dressing tables and hot-water showers. The
rooms without river views, with their shiny
new feel, are actually the better deal as some
of the others have a musty odour.4 Bentota
Dedduwa Boat Hotel g UESTHoUSE $$
(%077 027 6169, in Colombo 011-452 9901; Deddu-
wa Junction; s/d incl breakfast US$50/60; aW)
Head inland a couple of kilometres and you’ll
find this hidden little offering in a lush, green
lakeside setting of utter tranquillity. The
rooms are carefully tended, and you could
spend hours just watching the birdlife on the
neighbouring lake or walking the squelchy
tracks between houses full of smiling locals.AYURVEDA IN PARADISE
For more than 2500 years the inhabitants of the subcontinent have enjoyed the restorative
effects of Ayurveda treatments. More than just a way of treating illnesses using natural
medicines, Ayurveda is based on the idea of balance in bodily systems and uses herbal
treatment, diet and yogic breathing to achieve this.
Today, Ayurveda treatments are a big attraction in Sri Lanka and there are seemingly
hundreds of Ayurveda ‘hospitals’. Many have qualified Ayurveda doctors, but some are
decidedly more dodgy – this is especially true in popular backpacker towns. You should
always ask advice from locals about the authenticity of Ayurvedic hospitals in such places,
as well as asking to see the doctors’ qualifications.
The west coast is a particular hotspot for such treatments, and almost all the larger
hotels, as well as some cheaper places, have a treatment centre. The area around
Beruwela, a short way north of Bentota, has a number of regarded Ayurveda resorts,
including several of the centres that we have recommended here:
Barberyn Reef Ayurveda Resort (%034-227 6036; http://www.barberynresorts.com; Beruwela;
s/d full board from €75/125, plus per person, per day for compulsory Ayurveda treatments €70;
aWs) One of the best regarded Ayurveda resorts in Sri Lanka with the full complement
of treatments and excellent doctors. It also offers yoga, meditation and Ayurveda cooking
classes.
Heritance Ayurveda Maha Gedara (%034-555 5000; http://www.heritancehotels.com; Beruwe-
la; r full board from US$185; aWs) You only have to visit a few Ayurveda hotels to realise
that the quality of the accommodation often plays second fiddle to the treatments. Not
here. At the Heritance the treatments are first rate and they only use very experienced
doctors, while the hotel itself is a wonderful luxury retreat tucked under the palms.
Ayurveda Pavilions (p90) In Negombo.
Temple Tree Resort & Spa (p98) In Indurwa.
Saman Villas (p97) In Bentota.
Aditya Resort (p101) Just south of Hikkaduwa.