Area guides

All Galle Hotel Areas

Six areas, six different trips. These guides explain each area honestly: the beach, the hotel landscape, who it suits and who should stay elsewhere.

Elevated view of Galle Fort's peninsula with its lighthouse, ramparts and red-tiled rooftops beside the Indian Ocean

Galle Fort Hotels

Independent guide to Galle Fort hotels: heritage mansions, boutique stays, what the Fort is like after dark, and who should stay at the beach instead.

Read Guide

Street life in Galle Town with tuk-tuks passing colonial-era shopfronts

Galle Town Hotels

Independent guide to staying in Galle Town: budget rooms, the station and buses, the markets, and when to pay more for the Fort or the beach.

Read Guide

The palm-fringed crescent of Unawatuna beach with calm turquoise water

Unawatuna Hotels

Independent guide to staying in Unawatuna: the horseshoe bay, the beach hotel landscape, Jungle Beach and the Peace Pagoda, and how it compares to the Fort.

Read Guide

Palm trees leaning over quiet sand and shallow reef water on the Thalpe villa coast

Thalpe & Dalawella Hotels

Independent guide to staying in Thalpe and Dalawella: the calm villa beaches east of Unawatuna, the palm swing, turtles, and who this coast suits.

Read Guide

Stilt fishermen perched above the waves off Ahangama in golden light

Ahangama Hotels

Independent guide to staying in Ahangama: the surf breaks, the café and co-work scene, stilt fishermen, and who should base on this stretch.

Read Guide

Waves rolling onto Hikkaduwa's long, palm-lined sandy beach

Hikkaduwa Hotels

Independent guide to staying in Hikkaduwa: the coral sanctuary, turtles, the surf, the long beach strip, and who this classic resort town suits.

Read Guide