Ging Oya Lodge

The staff were friendly and the food was delicious.

Het vriendelijke personeel

Kapotte tegels in het zwembad

La piscine d'exception, la gentillesse du personnel, les très bons repas. Tour de canoë gratuit très sympa

Lovely location by the river. Quiet and secluded. Great service. Lovely breakfast and lunch. Pleasant walk to the sea.

Lodge is very comfortable and tastefully furnished. Rooms are in bungalows set out in tropical gardens. The swimming pool is fantastic. Meals were delicious and elegantly presented. Staff member Niroshan was attentive, friendly and efficient

Loved everything except mosquitoes which unfortunately are a problem throughout Sri Lanka not only at this lodge ..

Wunderbare Lage an einem kleinen Fluss in der Nähe vom Meer inmitten der Natur in einem großen Garten. Das Personal hat uns sehr freundlich umsorgt und sehr leckeres Essen zubereitet. Zum erholen und relaxen der beste Platz.

Alles bestens!

Das Ging Oya liegt wunderbar am Fluss und ist eine sehr, sehr schöne Unterkunft. Man wohnt in kleinen Häuschen mit Veranda. Das Essen ist sehr gut und die Menschen freundlich. Es hat einen schönen Pool und sogar ein Yoga -Shala. Wir haben eine Fahrradtour unternommen und die Gegend erkundet. Die Fahrräder sind ok, könnten etwas besser in Schuss sein. Insgesamt ein wunderbarer Aufenthalt.

Hotellialue rajautui hienoihin vesikanaviin

Virkelig sødt og venligt personale

Maden var relativ dyr og dårlig. Lejligheder er slidte

Peaceful, low key, small property

Nothing… it was perfect

Great and quiet location. Lovely way to end a holiday. The food was amazing

Good swimming pool. Private cabanas. Peace and quiet. Menu with Sri Lankan and Western style food. Mosquito nets for the beds. Nice lounge. We booked a boat tour which was good.

Nothing.

Stupendo ottimo dopo il volo

Nulla perfetto

Het is een paradijselijke plek met zeer vriendelijk, attent personeel. Je zit in de jungle (en dus met kikkers, slangen en andere vrienden uit de natuur). Het terrein is prachtig en het zwembad heerlijk.

Hôtel idéalement situé pour une arrivée ou un départ à 40 minutes de l’aéroport. Grand confort, superbe piscine et jardin. Départ tardif possible à un tarif honnête.

Prix des repas élevés pour le Sri Lanka mais la carte est en ligne avec les prix en euros donc pas de surprise.

Beautiful surroundings. Good food Excellent staff Great pool

Expensive hotel arranged taxi from airoort Otherwise perfect!

The Lodge was absolutely beautiful. The river flowing by made everything very tranquil. Our bungalow was big, clean and the open air bathroom was really cool - we saw little geckos and frogs, it was great. We were able to use the kayaks for free and the bikes which helped us explore the local area. The pool was definitely a highlight - it’s big and clean and much needed in the heat! But the best thing about this property were the staff. From when we arrived outside of check-in hours and asked for a late check-out, they were nothing but accommodating. They were friendly and warm and made us feel very welcome. The owner’s wife was absolutely fantastic. When I hurt my foot she applied ice to the injury and a pain relief gel and kept checking in with me afterwards that I was okay. She is also a fantastic cook - we looked forward to breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. All the staff were helpful whenever we had an enquiry and keen to make sure our stay was the best it could be. Would 100% recommend to anyone thinking of booking the Ging Oya Lodge to do so - we will definitely return if we find ourselves in that part of the world again.

The only downside was the location if you want to explore more of Sri Lanka. It was quite out of the way and would take hours to get to the more touristic parts of Sri Lanka, but that was also one of its strengths and meant we could enjoy a kayak down the river and swimming in the pool.

Stunning property, nice pool, spacious bungalows with lovey bathroom and terrace. All well furnished. Food was good and staff responsive when approached.

It gave the impression of being a bit neglected. For example, there was a light floating loose on its electrical flex in the pool, having come detached from the pool wall. Not necessarily dangerous if there was no electricity going to it, but some kind of sign to say this was the case would have been reassuring. We stayed for four nights. We understood that the sheets would not be changed daily but there seemed to be no routine for checking the rooms and we ended up having to take our bins to the kitchen for emptying because they were attracting insects. Finally, I don’t see the logic in quoting the room rate in USD and sundries in Euros then expecting payment in cash. This might be borderline acceptable if there was an ATM less than 45 mins walk from the property but it is nonsense to expect people to go out and get hundreds of thousands of Rupis out of the bank to pay the bill. As a result of wanting to be sure we had enough for our bill, we ended up with excess rupis which we had to convert back.

Excellent Sri Lankan cuisine, and a very relaxed vibe. Loved the giant bed too.

Absolutely stunning chilled out location to decompress after a long flight. Taxi from the airport was 4500 rupees and took about 45 mins. Stayed 2 nights. Really enjoyed kayaking to the beach, which took about 20 mins despite the strong headwinds. But the highlight was exploring the local area by bike and having a delicious lunch at a very cheap and basic diner up on the main road. The pool was great and it was nice wandering about in the shady gardens spotting wildlife (water monitor lizards, fireflies and frogs). Staff were very friendly.

The dinner was heinously overpriced and the vegetarian option was particularly poor. Much better local options are available, some for less then a fifth of the price. However, the included breakfast was good and the restaurant was a lovely place to sit.

A beautiful natural haven of a hotel with spontaneous activities and kind staff.

Massive room and very clean and comfortable. Comes with a full size kitchen. Beautiful gardens and lovely to kayak on the river. Pool was beautiful.

Overpriced meals and drinks. We ate once and it was very average for what we paid. Don't order a taxi because owner will charge you 30Euro for taking you to Negombo. Just walk down driveway and find a local with a tuk tuk. Breakfast is not what is advertised - we had a good one on our first day and they got progressively worse during our stay.

The beauty and fine details of our room was exceptional. Everything in the room was of the highest quality, which is unusual in Sri Lanka. Kayaks were freely available to paddle to the ocean. The meals were also excellent.

The location was excellent, as was the general ambiance. Lovely pool and opportunity to paddle a canoe down the adjacent river. It's not a wilderness area but it is away from the west coast hustle and bustle. Staff were very helpful and friendly. Food was good.

A little more written info about how things are organised would be helpful, although it was quite nice to not be overloaded with info.

Great location in Negombo. I like the area and climate. Located in forest and cooler than on the hot beach and other parts of Negombo. Bali style villas look very good and comfortable. Good wifi speed.

Coconut trees with coconuts everywhere nearby villas so head should be up when walking in the hotel. Crocodiles in the river. So place needs attention when waling on the hotel area.

A very special place . Beautiful surroundings and ambience. Artistically designed rooms , lovely linen napkins, sublime food. Generous, graceful hosts . Loved the kayaking on the Ging Oya, the pool, the free bikes to the beach

Bit of music noise from neighbouring properties- but didn't keep us awake.

We moved here at the last minute when we were not happy with other accommodation and we were delighted to walk into the lodge. Immaculate grounds and a sparkling pool welcomed us. We spent a lovely final day in Sri Lanka canoeing through the mangroves and relaxing by the pool. Dinner was so good!!

A very limited lunch menu and there are no close places to eat so it would be great to have more options available at the lodge.

Top notch family run resort; delightful and beautiful; easy and classy; a truly hidden gem close to the beach (4mn bikebride) ; by the river; large estate surrounded by mangroves, trees, palmtrees; the food (made to order by the “mamma”) is great; personalized service and lovely pool

Nothing

Very peaceful and a beautiful location. You can tell how much care the owner has put into the place. Food is also excellent

Nothing

Gin oya lodge is a wonderful resort, located at the river. Many thanks for the wonderful time. The meals and the cooking are really great. We miss the wonderful food. Thank you for make us feel at home.

I've stayed here before and I will do again. I love the peaceful, calm, vaguely colonial air, the quiet evenings, the wonderfully cooling pool, the excellent food and the beautiful cool, large rooms. I love the outdoor bathrooms (despite the mosquitoes), the reflections of the trees in the river and the kayaks.

Under new management (maybe temporary?) it's a bit disorganised, probably teething problems. They're very friendly and sweet, but things take time. Bear in mind they don't accept card payments, and it's pricey. So if you have more than one room from one night, you'll need to bring a whole wad of cash. It's about an hour to the airport from here. You can take a tuk tuk, a pickme, or the hotel transfer which is rather expensive at €35.

Tranquil location, perfect for a few days relaxing. Evening buffet was delicious. We stayed at beginning of rainy season & the staff were so thoughtful, even bringing gumboots to our room so our feet wouldn’t get wet walking to the restaurant area for breakfast.

We really enjoyed our stay there! The staff is very kind and helpful. Very beautiful place.

The food is a bit pricey.

It's a great place to start or end your stay in beautiful Sri Lanka. Only 30 minutes away from the busy airport, you arrive through a beautiful alley of mangrove trees to be greeted by the great team of Ging Oya. Imasha, Romesh, Nilantha and all the other staff make you feel right at home. The food is freshly prepared and tastes great. The pool is clean, large and a nice way to cool down. If you like nature and some quiet time, you should definitely plan to stay at Ging Oya. I know, I will again next time!

Everything was perfect.

We liked pretty much everything! Beautiful colonial style property with lovely chalets situated in well maintained gardens. Each chalet has a four post mosquito net over the bed, tea/coffee facilities, air con and ceiling fan. Mattresses are nice and slightly firm. The bathroom is open and designed so that you feel the natural flora & fauna is around - we loved it! There’s a lovely veranda outside each chalet where you can sit and drink tea. The staff here are excellent, extremely polite and courteous and always trying to help. We stayed at seven properties during our tour of Sri Lanka and this one was by far our favourite. The river/lagoon is only 30 metres away and attracts lots of wildlife. Canoes are free to use. A 20 minute paddle takes you to the nearby beach. Breakfasts consist of fresh fruit juice, fresh fruit, toast with jam/marmalade and a cooked egg. All served with tea and coffee. The chef here is excellent. We had two evening meals here and both were cooked and prepared to a good standard. The property is located in a more remote part of Negombo. We knew this before we booked and didn’t find it an issue at all. If anything it made our stay extra peaceful! There are some nice restaurants about 20 minutes tuktuk ride away. We booked tuktuks through Pick Me and cost about 1000 -1250 rupees one way.

Nothing!

This is a little paradise. A big pool and lovely private chalets, right on the river which you can kayak down. Its fabulous! You're surrounded by jungle, and the food for amazing. Really loved it. The staff were friendly and sweet and we couldn't have asked for better during our last few days in Sri Lanka. This is expensive for Sri Lanka but its definitely worth it.

Just a personal preference, but the bed was a little hard. This might not be an issue for other people. Also we had some visitors in our bathroom, little froggies - but thats the jungle for you! Just check the toilet before using it!

Beautiful environment and well maintained. Spacious surroundings to enjoy and relax in. Truly exceptional. Best pool we experienced. Enjoyed our outings in the kayaks - jungle like scenery in all directions.

Breakfast was ok but the least interesting we had in over 4 weeks - juice, fruit, toast and a fried egg. Be warned, WiFi is only available in the lobby.

Wonderful colonial style hotel on the bank of the river away from the town. Very peaceful and calm. The ambiance and decor of the main reception and lounge area was excellent. Large pool with plenty sun beds. The chalet was well appointed, with lots of thought going into the small details. The bed was very comfortable and the "open air" toilet / shower area was quite unique. We had dinner in the evening which was a set meal. We used the "free" kayaks to explore down river to the beach which was very enjoyable. They also have free bikes available.... In summary, it's such a wonderful place that I just wish we had stayed longer, so relaxing. Ideal for the beginning and end of your trip, as it's not too far from the airport. I would not hesitate to recommend to family and friends.

There is no WiFi in the chalets, however this is perhaps understandable due to the layout , as the chalets are spread out over the property. WiFi is good in the reception area.

The location. Perfect tranquility

Access to drinks and snacks during the day

Ging Oya was EXACTLY what we needed after our flight from Australia. We stayed for 2 nights. It was quiet, peaceful and lounging in the pool with a view of the lake was beautiful. The staff were super helpful and the food was delicious. We have recommended Ging Oya Lodge to everyone we have met in Sri Lanka!

The wifi could have been better.... but it was also nice to switch off.

Lovely place very helpful staff. The only thing that would be really helpful is if they took payment by Card. There is nowhere close that has an ATM .

Cash only excepted.

Lovely location with charming pool area and welcome launches , friendly staff, good food. The surrounding area including the bungalows are tranquil and a perfect place to relaxe .

The outside facilities, the pool is really nice and the staff is very friendly.

The bathroom in the bedroom should be improved, the bathroom is open air and because the rooms are in the middle of the jungle we will find almost everything you imagine.

Great place to end our Sri Lanka trip. Staff were amazing, beautiful pool, really nicely done

Great location direktly at the river.very calm and a great garden.nice and clean bungalow. Kajaks and bikes for free which was great.

Great pool and secluded riverside location Individual bungalow lots of privacy very quiet Enjoyed using the kayak to get to the beach

expensive evening meal for Sri Lanka … not many restaurant alternatives nearby

Great location not far from the airport. Beautiful nature all around. Great pool. The manager is kind and professional. Will definitely come again.

Nothing

The old house is cool and has a quirky charm. The bungalows were clean, comfortable and spacious: the grounds were beautifully tended. We enjoyed using the kayaks to go down to the beach.

There are only two bicycles available for guests, both of which needed attention.

Beautiful location next to a river with lots of wildlife around. Beautiful grounds to walk alround with lots of interesting statues etc .Lovely clean pool and great food. The owners were friendly and helpful. Pool surrounded by coconut trees and you can watch as the fearless coconut man climbs a tree and shimmies across the ropes from one tree to another placing pots to collect the toddy. We were given drinks to try .. delicious the food was good too especially the coconut honey . Great place to relax away from everything . The cabin was huge with seating area inside and outside to watch the squirrels running around .

Nothing ..

Beautiful peaceful environment, amidst mangroves and next to a river. The manager Nilanda is lovely, the food is delicious. Great place to relax and unwind.

A truly beautiful place very serene, super comfortable and clean, such a kind hosting, amazing food beautiful river

I liked everything It’s a perfect place

Such an amazing start to our Sri Lanka trip - dinners are so good here!! Different meal served each night. On the first night we had a selection of authentic Sri Lankan curry and rice that was incredible. The pool area is clean, relaxing and the rooms are big and clean. Hotel manager and all staff are very accommodating providing everything we need including bicycles which were a great way to explore the area.

Rooms fabulous. Service good

Room smelly but okay once aired….probably due to damp location by the river. Food and drinks not good value.

Quiet, elegant, nice staff, beautiful setting

Very serene and elegant hotel, colonial style with beautiful decor and seriously arty touches. Beautiful outside bathrooms with tropical plants; huge bedrooms with functional mosquito net, super-comfortable beds and 'Barefoot' local colourful soft furnishings. Very quiet apart from nature sounds (birds, squirrels) and it's directly under the flight path, so the odd noisy plane. The grounds are fantastic, lots of trees and tropical plants, well-tended and a gorgeous pool. A very relaxing stay for first or last days in the country or any time in between as it was in my case.

The dinner is delicious but pricey. I could only afford to eat there one out of three nights. There are other restaurants round about but I didn't fancy walking around in the dark (not unsafe, just rather a long way) so I bought snacks for the evenings. It's a silent kind of place where other guests don't really interact for some reason. The kind of atmosphere you feel like you should be whispering. I borrowed a kayak and paddled up the river to the beach, which should have been a delightful experience; the river part was very enjoyable with many birds but the beaches in this area are very heavily polluted with litter, especially plastic. So sad to see and very off-putting. The area is hoaching with mosquitoes. But they have an electric plug-in deterrent in the rooms which is very useful. A pricey place by Sri Lankan standards and also a bit tricky to reach without private transport. And there is no WiFi in the rooms which is a bit of a issue for me. But overall a very enjoyable stay.

A beautifully designed, tranquil resort with well manicured gardens. Helpful staff.

There was nothing nearby. Very remote. Room pricing in US$ and food/drinks priced in Euros, which were far more expensive than we experienced elsewhere in Sri Lanka. That would not be so bad, but payment is only in cash and as the nearest ATM is about 2km away, it makes budgeting your stay difficult.

Quit location on roomy grounds. Pleasant room. Nice big pool with comfy beds. Stylish, well kept hotel which shows attention to detail. Great retreat if you want read (or write) a book.

Would be nice if you could order an espresso or a cappucino…

After a mess up with our visas, we booked in at going it's resort with our host who was absolutely amazing. After having been in Sri Lanka for a week we had our best meal, a curry with selection of side dishes and condiments with an authentic and home cooked taste. our host was very attentive and took care of everything we needed, even working with us to accommodate a 4am pick up and departure to the airport. The accommodation was very well equipped, very spacious and very peaceful admist the forest. 150 % would recommend. Hassle free, easy, relaxing and comfortable.

It's not super close to Negombo but with a very cheap Tuk Tuk ride away there's no complaints whatsoever.

A wonderful calm setting. A great pool and a perfect start to our stay in Sri Lanka. Our cabana was large and clean. Loved the open air bathroom!

Food was a little too Western, would have liked some more Sri Lankan options.

For us it was the perfect stay. The lodge is great to start or end your trip because it is close to the airport. In addition the staff is superfriendly, the rooms (own houses) are huge, it has a great pool and a beautiful garden area. We especially enjoyed the canoe tour on the river right next to the location, where you can visit water monitors and several birds.There is no charge to rent a canoe.

Cash payment only

Great place. Relaxing, friendly, and secluded. Fun to kayak a bit in the morning. Spacious pool. Very good value. Only stayed one night, would have happily stayed a couple more to unwind.

This property is located in a beautiful mangrove forest. It’s so peaceful and surrounded by nature! The staff went out of their way to make our stay wonderful and memorable. The kayak ride from the lodge to the beach was fabulous, and food (breakfast & dinner) was excellent!

A wonderful oasis to spend a couple of nights after arriving in Colombo from Europe. The rooms are amazing, the pool is incredible and the food and service was utterly fantastic. I cannot recommend this place highly enough.

Beautifully located, clean lodge along the river within 40min from the airport. The bungalows are spacious and private (each standing on theor own). The pool is clean and the staff helpfull and friendly. Ideal location to start or end your Sri Lanka trip.

Payment only in cash possible. Airport transfer rate on webpage not accurate anymore.

The hotel is wonderful. The room was massive and super comfy. The staff incredibly friendly. The highlight though was the free kayak. Kayaking on the river to the beach was just so great.

The grounds are lovely, rooms large and pool very refreshing but far and away the best thing out our stay was the friendly staff. We took a cooking class with Nilantha Gamage and Sobani and they were wonderful; felt like we were cooking with friends in their home. The outdoor kitchen was terrific and the food was genuinely the best we had in Sri Lanka; such an amazing experience!

Bathrooms are slightly rustic

Beautiful, peaceful location on a river bank. Great food. Helpful, attentive staff. Clean and comfortable. Pool, canoes and bikes available. Near the airport. The perfect spot to recover from a long journey. Our children didn’t want to leave.

Liked everything. However, the dogs living on the grounds (presumably the owner’s pets) were rather territorial. We gave them a wide berth.

Beautiful oasis by the river. Bungalows are comfortable, cool, and tastefully decorated. Be sure to wander on the path at dusk and at dawn to see all the birds. I would give 11/10 if I could! Thank you for the wonderful stay.

Fantastic lodge run by very nice people Food was fantastic as was the swimming pool Relaxing slightly out of way location which is what we really liked

Leaving so soon

Good

This accommodation is perfect for the beginning or end of the trip, because it is very close to the airport. The complex is very nice, colonial style with large garden and beautiful pool. It is located directly on the river and you can rent canoes for free. Unfortunately, there were really many mosquitoes. The breakfast was great and the dinner as a three course menu really incredible. The service is also very good. However, the food and drinks compared to the rest of the country it is a little more expensive.

You can go to the beach by bike, which is provided free of charge. However, this is not really nice. There is a lot of litter lying around

Quite, relaxing. Very nice pool and garden. The staff was very nice and professional. The food was delicious

Nilantha was an amazing chef as well as taking immense pride in his job of running Ging Oya. His professionalism and attention to detail was excellent. Nothing was too much trouble and I would return because of him. Location excellent - on the river where you can kayak or a 5 minute bike ride to deserted beach. Very relaxing jungle surroundings which I loved, coming from London.

Wi-fi didn’t reach the rooms. It would be so easy to implement this and incredible that GING OYA didn’t have this feature.

The lodge has a beautiful garden with 200 palm trees and a huge banyan tree. It is in the middle of nature, absolutely quiet and secluded. I liked the view of the river and the mangroves. The lodge is very nicely furnished with wooden furniture and linen cushions. I especially liked the open design of the restaurant and the bathroom. This way guests are close to plants and animals - great for nature lovers! We could observe many animals and directly see the harvesting of the palm trees by the villagers. Exceptional was the kind and friendly service by Nilante. Nilante was our host on site. He made us feel welcome and comfortable from the moment we arrived with his kindness and attentiveness. Nilante cooked for us and prepared fresh and delicious local breakfast as well as western dinner and yummy rice and curry. We could taste dishes that we hadn't had so far. He even created a romantic atmosphere by lighting candles and arranging dinner for us in the garden. Nilantes service was outstanding. I enjoyed every minute of our stay and I very much hope to be a guest at the lodge again one day.

I spent a very quiet and relaxing three days here - good food, attentive and kind staff and a lovely setting by the river. A good place for cycling and kayaking and close to the beach. The perfect place to stay before getting a flight home as the airport is a reasonable taxi ride away.

None