The Waterside Bentota
Yathramulla Road Yathramulla Bentota, Bentota 80500 Sri Lanka
Full view
View all photos(221)221
Room & Suite (30)
Pool & Beach (23)
View prices for your travel dates
Contact accommodation for availability.
There are similar hotels available.
View allDid you already book this hotel?
Tell us so we can help you plan.
Avg. C$140 /night, 11/3 - 11/4
C$153
per night
C$125
per night
C$96
per night
Nov
Dec
Nov 3
Today
Nov 5
Nov 7
Nov 9
Nov 11
Nov 13
Nov 15
Nov 17
Nov 19
Nov 21
Nov 23
Nov 25
Nov 27
Nov 29
Dec 1
Dec 3
Reflects recent average nightly prices reported by our partners, and may not include estimated taxes or fees. Price at checkout may differ.
Cheaper
Average
Higher
About
5.0
#8 of 42 hotels in BentotaLocation
Rooms
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Waterside is an elegant well maintained Villa with restaurant,which is situated in a unique riverside location,and has magnificent views over the wide Bentota Ganga. Waterside is popular with guests of all nationalities.We have 6 ensuite (with bathtub and shower) A/C rooms with bar fridge,fan and satellite TV.The large open restaurant serves delicious Sri Lankan and Western dishes as well as mouth watering seafood.During your stay you can relax by our pool which is only a few steps from all the rooms, whilst enjoying the surrounding mature tropical garden and river views.We offer complimentary boat transfer to nearby beach, water sports or town.If you require Ayuvedic massage we can recommend several treatment centres.Excursions and tours to all the magnificent sites in this beautiful island can be arranged.If you wish to explore the local area we provide bicycles or we can organise local scenic tuk tuk rides . Fishing trips ,bird watching and river trips are available.
Read more
Suggest edits to improve what we show.Improve this listing
Property amenities
Free parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Pool
Free breakfast
Bicycle rental
Fishing
Babysitting
Airport transportation
Parking
Wifi
Pool / beach towels
Pool with view
Outdoor pool
Coffee shop
Restaurant
Special diet menus
Car hire
24-hour security
BBQ facilities
Newspaper
Non-smoking hotel
Sun umbrellas
Dry cleaning
Laundry service
Room features
Blackout curtains
Air conditioning
Desk
Housekeeping
Interconnected rooms available
Minibar
Bath / shower
Hair dryer
Private balcony
Room service
Seating area
Telephone
Bottled water
Clothes rack
Iron
Wake-up service / alarm clock
Room types
Non-smoking rooms
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Quiet
Mid-range
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish, Arabic, Sinhala
Location
Yathramulla Road Yathramulla Bentota, Bentota 80500 Sri Lanka
Getting there
Car recommended
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Grade: 49 out of 100
49
Diyawanna Oya Seaplane Base
53.9 km•
See all flights
Koggala Airport
61.5 km•
See all flights
Rental Cars
155 Restaurants
within 10 kilometers
206Reviews6Q+A48Room tips
Reviews
Traveller rating
- 169
- 27
- 9
- 1
- 0
Time of year
Traveller type
Language
Selected filters
- Filter
- English
Popular mentions
Sort by:
Detailed Reviews
This hotel is situated on the quiet river front and away from the main roads, no cars beeping or trains rumbling by, as with many of the beach side hotels at Bentota. We have relatives who live nearby and we are familiar with the area from previous stays, this is why we chose to stay at the Waterside this time for the 8 nights of our visit.
The rooms are large and comfortable with balcony areas, all with river views, that are large enough to have a dining table and chairs on. All the rooms have aircon and a ceiling fan, essential for Sri Lanka. There is a well maintained swimming pool and gardens with plenty of shade areas to sit in with views over the river. The hotel has an excellent restaurant and kitchen, all the food we had there was freshly prepared and top quality. Both local and European dishes were available.
The staff helped make our stay memorable, they couldn't do enough to help and were always pleased to see you, in particular Indika, Amila and Leonard.
The hotel provides a boat (and driver) to take you across the river to Bentota, the beach or just to explore along the river. We hired cycles to visit our relatives nearby but also found it nice to cycle along the quiet backroads and local villages, a good way to see the area. The town is only a 10 minute Tuk Tuk ride away if you do want to get anything, close enough to be handy but far enough away that you don't get disturbed.
The only negative thing I can think of is that the location is very secluded and the signs to it from the road are not great, we knew where it was and almost missed the place.
I cannot recommend this small hotel enough, it only has six rooms. It is far more personal than the larger hotels in the area.
The rooms are large and comfortable with balcony areas, all with river views, that are large enough to have a dining table and chairs on. All the rooms have aircon and a ceiling fan, essential for Sri Lanka. There is a well maintained swimming pool and gardens with plenty of shade areas to sit in with views over the river. The hotel has an excellent restaurant and kitchen, all the food we had there was freshly prepared and top quality. Both local and European dishes were available.
The staff helped make our stay memorable, they couldn't do enough to help and were always pleased to see you, in particular Indika, Amila and Leonard.
The hotel provides a boat (and driver) to take you across the river to Bentota, the beach or just to explore along the river. We hired cycles to visit our relatives nearby but also found it nice to cycle along the quiet backroads and local villages, a good way to see the area. The town is only a 10 minute Tuk Tuk ride away if you do want to get anything, close enough to be handy but far enough away that you don't get disturbed.
The only negative thing I can think of is that the location is very secluded and the signs to it from the road are not great, we knew where it was and almost missed the place.
I cannot recommend this small hotel enough, it only has six rooms. It is far more personal than the larger hotels in the area.
Read more
Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Â All rooms have a river view, 3 upper ones with a large balcony and 3 lower ones with a terrace.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed for 2 nights in late Feb. We were the only guests at that point so had access to everything that the property offers. We used the tuk tuk service to get to town and the beach - arranging pick-ups at a time and place that suited us. We took a boat ride on the lagoon and were shown great water monitor lizards, eagles and a variety of plants and trees. We were persuaded to take dinner in the restaurant one evening and we were so glad that we did! we were served red snapper, rice and salad which was wonderful. Staff at the hotel are very helpful, especially Indika. Its a pleasure to open the curtains each morning and have staff wave Hello as they go about their work. The grounds and the pool are wonderful and the nightly spectacle of fruit bats make evenings very special. The rooms are spotless and equipped with everything you need. The one thing that would make the place absolutely perfect would be an upgrade on the bathrooms but we'd return whether or not this had been done.
Read more
Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Â Upstairs rooms offer great views but downstairs ones open onto the pool
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Extremely good hotel with a secluded atmosphere. The staff is very supportive n good. Manager is also extremely good. Must stay. Enjoy boat ride in bentota river and to the beach. The property is at a very peaceful location with no disturbance. Exotic place with a good pool also.
Read more
Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
+1
First I would like to give feedback about the staff. The moment our car arrived there were people to welcome us. This was a great experience. This hotel has 6 Villas. Villas are exactly located opposite to the Bentota river. There is a beautiful but medium sized swimming pool sufficient for the guests staying here. Nuvaan is one guy who treated us really well. Another couple of guys who gave great hospitality. Even the owner of the property Kamal met us during our breakfast time to see if everything was fine. Staff were very friendly and asked us what to prepare for Breakfast and Dinner. Overall I enjoyed the Service here.
Room: View is very good. In-room view is also very neat. However some essential stuff like Coffee maker, Kettle are not kept. I advise owners to arrange this. And the hair dryer, Iron box should also be given too. Since there is no screen between the shower and the washbasin the floor might get wet soon. So I advised the management to take care of this.
Any more suggestions: When staff asked for dinner we asked for something which can be eaten with drinks. But later they added this to our bill saying this was not part of the package. This disappointed us. Water can be provided even from the filter as well. So anything provided additionally, better inform the guests about it. We felt bad as we asked the staff to prepare fewer items for Dinner and breakfast to save their time/money. But shocked to see they charged for a small dish prepared even though this was part of dinner. When Visitors are paying a big amount for the stay which includes Dinner and breakfast It is also important to provide water and the dishes with no extra cost. This is my honest opinion. So I am reducing one star! Let the management learn the importance of some small things.
Otherwise I am fine to recommend this to anyone who wants to stay.
Room: View is very good. In-room view is also very neat. However some essential stuff like Coffee maker, Kettle are not kept. I advise owners to arrange this. And the hair dryer, Iron box should also be given too. Since there is no screen between the shower and the washbasin the floor might get wet soon. So I advised the management to take care of this.
Any more suggestions: When staff asked for dinner we asked for something which can be eaten with drinks. But later they added this to our bill saying this was not part of the package. This disappointed us. Water can be provided even from the filter as well. So anything provided additionally, better inform the guests about it. We felt bad as we asked the staff to prepare fewer items for Dinner and breakfast to save their time/money. But shocked to see they charged for a small dish prepared even though this was part of dinner. When Visitors are paying a big amount for the stay which includes Dinner and breakfast It is also important to provide water and the dishes with no extra cost. This is my honest opinion. So I am reducing one star! Let the management learn the importance of some small things.
Otherwise I am fine to recommend this to anyone who wants to stay.
Read more
Date of stay: January 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â Check with the staff if you find something not there like hair dryer, ironbox
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
+1
What a wonderful week we had at Waterside Bentota!
Our boys, 8 and 13, didn’t want to leave. From the moment we were greeted at the airport to the moment we were dropped off, we experienced the very best of Sri Lankan hospitality.
This bijou hotel is an absolute gem-set in beautiful gardens on the edge of the Bentota lagoon, it is a haven of peace. It’s only a short hop to the bustling town of Aluthgama, or to the stunning beach at Bentota.
The food is fantastic-every morning we were treated to a hearty breakfast. The evening menu is also excellent-with both European and Sri Lankan cuisine available to choose from. The chef is a marvel!
The hotel staff were able to arrange a selection of wonderful trips for us. I don’t think the boys will ever forget the elephant safari or getting so close to turtles at the conservation project. They loved swimming in the pool after a busy day too.
Whether you’re looking for a fabulous place to escape to or a brilliant base for exploring southern Sri Lanka this hotel is hard to beat!
Huge thanks to everyone at Waterside for making our holiday such a happy and memorable one. We will definitely return as soon as we can.
Our boys, 8 and 13, didn’t want to leave. From the moment we were greeted at the airport to the moment we were dropped off, we experienced the very best of Sri Lankan hospitality.
This bijou hotel is an absolute gem-set in beautiful gardens on the edge of the Bentota lagoon, it is a haven of peace. It’s only a short hop to the bustling town of Aluthgama, or to the stunning beach at Bentota.
The food is fantastic-every morning we were treated to a hearty breakfast. The evening menu is also excellent-with both European and Sri Lankan cuisine available to choose from. The chef is a marvel!
The hotel staff were able to arrange a selection of wonderful trips for us. I don’t think the boys will ever forget the elephant safari or getting so close to turtles at the conservation project. They loved swimming in the pool after a busy day too.
Whether you’re looking for a fabulous place to escape to or a brilliant base for exploring southern Sri Lanka this hotel is hard to beat!
Huge thanks to everyone at Waterside for making our holiday such a happy and memorable one. We will definitely return as soon as we can.
Read more
Date of stay: October 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
+1
Went there with friends to spend the weekend and it turned out to be one of the best stays we had. The location is superb, it is situated right on the river bank with a nice view of the river and the city. It is a nice calm place with beautiful surroundings. Has a nice swimming pool just outside the rooms with access to the beautifully maintained garden area and the restaurant. The rooms are spacious and clean. Each room has a large balcony. The view from the room and the pool is amazing and can go on boat rides around the river and go bird watching in the morning among the mangroves. It is one of the best experiences we've had. Everyone in the staff is very helpful and friendly. The hospitality is superb. The food is delicious and the chef is one of the best. His cooking is excellent with all kinds of food we requested. Special thanks to the chef who cooked various kinds of food including the lobster we brought there.
Read more
Date of stay: December 2021Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I can't speak highly enough of the staff here. They made us feel so welcome, and nothing was too much trouble. Amila even went to the liquor store on our behalf to buy us some beer and Saman lent us his own money to pay the bill for our lunch when he came to collect us because the restaurant didn't take credit cards!
It's not possible to walk to the beach from here, but there was always someone to take us there and back in a tuk tuk, and the area was so much more peaceful than the beach area, in fact it was totally quiet at night.
Finally: the hotel does the BEST curry - you get a whole banquet when you order it!
Thank you all for a lovely 6 days.
It's not possible to walk to the beach from here, but there was always someone to take us there and back in a tuk tuk, and the area was so much more peaceful than the beach area, in fact it was totally quiet at night.
Finally: the hotel does the BEST curry - you get a whole banquet when you order it!
Thank you all for a lovely 6 days.
Read more
Date of stay: January 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Beautiful location by wide river with islands, you can have boat trips from the quiet jetty in the hotel grounds. Very nice breakfast and staff were genuine lovely people. 5 min walk to an amazing old temple.
Read more
Date of stay: February 2022
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
+1
Loved our stay at this small boutique hotel on the banks of the Bentota river. The rooms are spacious with air conditioning, comfortable large bed and lovely balcony overlooking the pool, garden and river. The staff are friendly and attentive. The outdoor eating area is lovely too, the food is great and incredible value. There’s a free boat service to Bentota beach which is a gorgeous long dandy beach with sun loungers available to rent. Highly recommend a visit to this hotel
Read more
Date of stay: February 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Quite, serene setting on the banks of the Bentota River, with comfortable, modern and well-equipped rooms come with a balcony or a garden. Large dining area with friendly staff and good food. Waterfront garden where you could enjoy an evening garden tea with the sunset in the background.
Read more
Date of stay: September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sri Lanka does not have many bars and not all hotels serve alcohol so worth asking. Yes they serve great food and wine, beer, spirits etc. We will be back at some point and they will be desperate for tourism now so do support them if you can.
Yes, did exactly that .... contacted the hotel direct and arranged for a pickup from the airport .... from memory about $60US .... they will also take you back when departing
Hello Vicky, May be a little late to advise, but recommend that you visit the bentotawaterside website to make this kind of enquiry, the staff will be most happy to help you. Happy holidays.
Hello, the Bentota beach is about 5 minutes by boat - and the hotel provide a courtesy trip to the beach for guests. You can also get there by road, Tuk Tuk. The river is quite fast moving and I wouldn't personally recommend a swim in there, unless there is some supervised activity, for health & safety reasons. Fortunately there is a very nice swimming pool available at the hotel and of course the sea by Bentota beach.
"Ask for the boat ride to see the monkeys (and lots more besides)-not to be missed."Read full review
"The top floor rooms have lovely private balconies that overlook the pool. The bottom rooms directly open to the pool."Read full review
"All rooms have a river view, 3 upper ones with a large balcony and 3 lower ones with a terrace."Read full review
…
PRICE RANGE
C$92 - C$156 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
the waterside bentota hotel bentota, the waterside hotel bentota
LOCATION
Sri LankaSouthern ProvinceGalle DistrictBentota
NUMBER OF ROOMS
6
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
Is This Your Tripadvisor Listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim Your ListingThe Waterside Bentota - UPDATED 2024 Prices, Reviews & Photos
Frequently Asked Questions about The Waterside Bentota
Which popular attractions are close to The Waterside Bentota?
Nearby attractions include Gem Bank Gems & Jewellery (0.9 km), Bentota River Safari (1.1 km), and Day Tour Sri Lanka (0.7 km).
What are some of the property amenities at The Waterside Bentota?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, free breakfast, and a pool.
Which room amenities are available at The Waterside Bentota?
Top room amenities include a minibar, air conditioning, and blackout curtains.
What food & drink options are available at The Waterside Bentota?
Guests can enjoy free breakfast, an on-site restaurant, and barbeque facilities during their stay.
Is parking available at The Waterside Bentota?
Yes, free parking is available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to The Waterside Bentota?
Conveniently located restaurants include Pier 88 Nebula Restaurant, Hemadan Restaurant & Bar, and Secret Harbour.
Are there opportunities to exercise at The Waterside Bentota?
Yes, guests have access to a pool during their stay.
Does The Waterside Bentota have airport transportation?
Yes, The Waterside Bentota offers airport transportation for guests. We recommend calling ahead to confirm details.
Are any cleaning services offered at The Waterside Bentota?
Yes, dry cleaning and laundry service are offered to guests.
Which languages are spoken by the staff at The Waterside Bentota?
The staff speaks multiple languages, including English, Spanish, Arabic, and Sinhala.
Are there any historical sites close to The Waterside Bentota?
Many travellers enjoy visiting Wanawasa rajamaha viharaya (0.5 km).