Habibi Hostel & Restaurant

Beautiful property with a stunning rooftop and balcony off of the room, aircon and hot water worked super well, and the owner is so kind and generous. I would absolutely recommend!

Die netten Gastgeber und das schöne Zimmer sind Highlights dieser Unterkunft. Wir sind sehr zufrieden und kommen gerne wieder. :)

Amazing well maintained place with great hosts. The location is also perfect with most of the things at a walking distance.

The hosts were super friendly, they provided us the rooms prior to the check in time which was really helpful.

Everything was so good no complaints at all.

Ich hatte ein Einzelzimmer, was wirklich super sauber und schön war! Inklusive eigenem Bad und Kühlschrank und einer funktionierenden Klimaanlage. Das Team ist wahnsinnig freundlich und hilfsbereit, sodass man sich sehr wohl fühlen kann! 😊

Eigentlich nur, dass das Restaurant noch nicht fertig ist und eher einer Baustelle gleicht - das ist einfach gut, wenn man das vorher weiß und hätte in meinen Augen im Preis angepasst sein können. Aber: Es gibt Rabattzettel für einige Restaurants im Ort und am Strand! 😊

Wir haben uns sehr wohl gefühlt. Das Personal war sehr freundlich. Die Dachterrasse war ein guter Ort zum entspannen und gemeinsame Spiele zu spielen. Das Zimmer war sehr schön und sauber.

Das Bad war etwas klein. Zudem waren gerade Umbauarbeiten, aber dies ist ja nur zum Vorteil der Besucher :)

L’ambiance est détendue, humaine et authentique. Les espaces sont propres, confortables et pensés pour les voyageurs. C’est un voyage dans un voyage. Les proprio sont vraiment attentionnées, toujours disponible pour conseiller les meilleurs spots et faciliter le séjour. Et le restaurant, waaw un voyage culinaire vers le moyen orient. C’est exactement le genre d’endroit où on prolonge son séjour sans hésiter. Merci pour l’accueil 💛 à très vite j’espère

C’était parfait rien à ajouter

Das Hostel ist definitiv ein Ort zum Wohlfühlen. Es hat einen sehr entspannte Atmosphäre, wir haben uns sehr willkommen gefühlt. Die Zimmer waren sauber und standardmäßig ausgestattet, sogar die Dorms hatten Shampoo & Duschgel. Das Hostel ist etwas auf dem Berg gelegen, sodass man 10-15 min in die Stadt läuft. Das kann abends alleine etwas gruselig werden, zu dritt war es aber gar kein Problem. Ein besonderes Highlight ist definitiv das Dachcafé. Dort kann man sehr entspannt sitzen und den ersten Kaffee des morgens geniessen.

Die Unterkunft ist gut. Preis Leistung stimmt, schöne Aussicht von der Dachterrasse. Abgelegener Lage aus dem Grund sehr leise. Sehr freundliches Personal.

unser Zimmer war sehr klein. Kleiner als es auf den Fotos aussah. Schade war das das Hotel zum teil Renoviert wird und Baustelle war.

Super nette Gastgeber, die hilfsbereit sind und immer für Fragen da sind. Der Blick von der Dachterrasse ins grüne war super, man konnte Affen und Pfaue beobachten.

The Hostel was Not at all What was describes because it is currently a complete d Construction site, there is No rooftop and no restaurant running. When i checked Out the day i arrived because of this Situation, i got No Money Back. Would not recommend ..

Super schöne Unterkunft!

Es waren momentan Bauarbeiten, wodurch es teilweise laut war.

The owner was a very friendly guy and was very hospitable in showing me his hostel that he had built himself and was able to see much wildlife from the balcony. Really enjoyed my 1 night stay here. Thankyou

We had a great one night stay at Habibi. We had an early check in which was so helpful, our room was great and super comfy, it had everything we needed! The hostel was in a great location, it was quirky and the staff were so friendly. Thank you!

Nothing

Amazing property with clean, comfortable and welcoming place! One of the best stays in Sri Lanka for sure! Owner of the hostel is a great guy to communicate with and welcomes you in from the first day on:) Definitely would stay longer if I could but I found them later in stage after staying in Hotel for the first 2 nights. Would rather switch to this Hostel as it feels like Hotel👍🏻

The location was definitely tricky and I got lost several times. If u ride a motorbike, its not an issue to get around!

The owner is a very kind, professional and welcoming person. The attention to detail is outstanding! Great food, great WiFi! I worked from the rooftop where also the bar-restaurant is active. Fan always on, you never feel the heat. The room are clean, modern, comfortable and with many comforts, more then many hotels and much more than many hostels. I highly recommend this structure, especially to digital nomads. Additionally, the quality and attention to design of the place is outstanding, very Middle East style

The location is a little up to the hill. You can get there by walk but at night you may wanna opt for a tuktuk.

Steep walk up from the centre but decent location. Great staff, nice little terrace at the hostel.

The staff was kind and helpful

The WiFi didn’t work at all

Friendly staff, very clean and aesthetic, good air conditioning

Walkable to town but a little out of the way. It’s in the jungle, so a really cool experience!

I was in a private room without a balcony - which had a funky raised bed - but it was a comfy mattress and the whole property felt secure with helpful staff.

The property is quite far removed from all the main restaurants and beaches and is a very uphill walk. The bathroom also had a really damp stink to it, so was a little disappointed given the price.

The place is so well thought through, one of the best hostels I stayed at ☺️

Very nice place but be aware the rooms doesn’t have air conditioning

Amazing place to stay in Unawatuna. The owner is extremely kind and helpful, the place itself is stylish and comfortable - comfortable beds!

Very quiet - a bit of a walk up away from the main strip. Hotel staff were helpful and the rooms and decor were quite cute. Nice rooftop area for a drink

That’s some renovation going on at the moment but should be finished soon

Personal touches throughout the property with trendy decor. Great food and a fantastic ambience.

The cost of food was quite high for a hostel.

Very friendly owners and a beautiful Hostel!

The hostel is relatively more expensive than the others

Nice rooftop view and interiors

Lacked a social element

Spotlessly clean, balcony surround by lush grounds

Room 3, the water pump I found out was interimitant all night, I found out possibly due to a guest leaving their tap running?

You can tell how much love went into creating this special hostel. The staff are all very friendly and seem like a great team. The hostel is very clean and beautiful with special designs. Especially loved the rooftop terrace to chill. Food is great as well.

It is on the mountain, so a 15-minute walk to the area with most restaurants.

I fell in love with that hostel. It is in the middle of the 'jungle', the nature around is amazing, and you can reach the main beach in 10 minutes walk. The halls, the room and the restaurant are also beautifully designed and well maintained. The view from the rooftop is wonderful, you can see cute monkeys on the trees around the house. I had very delicious, fresh breakfasts in the restaurant, the portion is huge also. The Manager and the entire Staff are really friendly and helpful. I felt home there. :-)

Clean, good A/C, excellent food and coffee from their own bar, nice terraces with lush green views. Would recommend the place and regret leaving!

The stuff was super friendly and helpful, the hotel is very clean and comfy with nice balcony and a lot of space around

Nothing , everything was perfect

Nice hostel, rented a private room

Definitely too far from the beach and town to walk there. I've rented a motorbike and was perfect

Really cute place, nice and comfortable and clean

Really nice decor and friendly staff. Scooter rental. Quiet spot a bit away from town was really nice!

The hostel was very cool, nice view and food was great

It is very detailed and designed with love. The host is absolutely amazing. You have to try his Falafel

The hostel is really cute and clean, beds are comfortable, shower is nice and warm!

The location is a bit hard to reach if you don’t have a scooter. It’s up on a hill, 30 mins walk from the main road and beach, pick me doesn’t work. Quite expensive for a dorm.

The owner of Habibi Hostel is super friendly and will take very good care of you during your stay. He recommended many great places and helped me around town. The room is clean and very comfortable. There is a bathroom in the dorm, and the shower has good water pressure. The location is a little bit out of town, so it's nice and calm. Plus, the view from the rooftop is great.

Nothing! Everything was perfect!

The view from the rooftop is nice.

For $15 a night you would expect a air conditioning in the room. I had the bed at the top and the fan didn't blow any air to me, I couldn't sleep, it was too hot. The entrance to my room was not from the main building, but from outside. The room was much worse than the rooms in the main building. The bathroom door was broken and could not be closed, so I always had to walk to the main building to go to the bathroom. After 1 night I left the hostel even when I paid for 2 nights. I had much better hostels for half the price in Sri Lanka.

Beautiful surrounding, the owner is more than friendly. You can feel the love in every detail! And he makes the BEST Falafel!

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The Hostel was super friendly. The Hostel is on a hill and 10min to the Beach. You can‘t lock the doors but the house has cameras and i felt really safe. Try the homemade falafel and hummus! It was delicious :)

Love the terrace, decor is really nice. Friendly staff. Lovely location- 20 minutes walk to either beach

Hard to get a tuktuk/taxi as quite remote. Rooms could do with A/C

Perfect hostel! It was the best hostel/hotel I had during one month travelling in Sri Lanka.

The owners are masters of decoration, it’s very nicely designed. Communal rooftop space is great. Very friendly staff.

The location is a little bit out of town, which results in either transportation costs or having to walk 15-20 mins up and down a hill. In case of mobility issues, this may not be the place for you.

Great place, nice common area, really kind staff. Location is okay.

It was quite hot in the rooms and you would expect ac for the price :)

The hostel was clean, modern and comfortable. The rooftop area was well designed and had a great atmosphere! The staff are friendly and polite!

The original room we were given didn’t lock and the door didn’t shut, so we asked to move to a different room as we didn’t feel particularly safe. They moved us to a twin room for the first night and then we had to move again for our second night (and pay more to do so) which was a shame. Other reviews also rave about delicious family meals however this was unavailable during our stay. The location is also up a long hill, and we found tuktuks charged excess amounts to take us up there.

Lovely lay out and great spaces to relax

The staff were so friendly and helpful. Always smiling and chatty and really prompt at fixing any problems. It’s a beautiful property with a lovely rooftop and a generally nice vibe, I would definitely stay here again. It’s also really close to jungle beach which is a benefit!

The rooms were hot at night and it’s a bit of a sweaty walk down to the main town, however it’s nice to be away from the main hustle and bustle and easy enough to take a Tuktuk if you don’t want to walk.

Clean and modern hostel, comfortable beds, cool rooftop area to chill. I wasn’t so social, so I cannot comment on food nor the vibes.

The room was hot, although 3 fans were operating during the whole night which has had a noise too. Location is tricky, the place is in the top of the hill in the jungle, so it takes 15 mins to walk downhill to Unawatuna beach or 25 mins to Jungle Beach. Alternatively you can rent a motorbike or take a tuktuk. Eventually I did not mind so much the climbing / walking, but probably I would pick a more central place next time.

Amazing hostel building, the staff and owner are amazing. Family dinner that they cooked was SO GOOD. Really chilled and laid back vibe and property felt well cared for. It is a short walk down the hill to the main beach and bars/restaurants, but perfectly tucked away if you just want a chilled evening in.

There were 3 fans in the dorm, but was still just a little too hot for me, but that’s personal preference in maybe preferring aircon.

This hostel is al about the great atmosphere that is created by the accommodation lay out and great staff, good for getting in touch with other travellers. Place has a cool rooftop terrace/lounge where they play music and serve drinks. Also really good food from the middle east, made with a lot of care, we had it during group dinners with everyone wanting to join. Definitely a good time there for 2-3 nights.

There is no pool/sea very close, or AC, and while I was there it was extremely hot and hummid in Sri Lanka so just fans without a pool or sea to cool yourself makes it hard to escape the heat at the location itself. Didn’t take away from me enjoying my time there.

It was very cosy, clean and nice!

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Very friendly and welcoming host. Comfortable bed. Great vibes on the roof terrace. Good security - gates shut and locked at night, accessible only to those staying via key fob. Great location between beaches with a short walk into the main town (10mins).

Bathroom had a bit of a damp smell and the toilet was faulty. The room doesn’t have aircon (fan only) which we thought would be fine but the room was very hot. The windows that opened onto the balcony didn’t shut completely, so didn’t feel comfortable leaving valuables in the room. We didn’t mind that the hostel was up a steep hill from the beach/town but can imagine it may put people off.

Great chill atmosphere, friendly staff and terrace is so lovely.

Nothing.

The staff are so friendly and welcoming - really make you feel like it is your own home. Dinner was delicious and such a wide spread (not included in price). Great options at the bar from iced tea to Arabic coffee to ice cream! Spacious room (we were in the double bed room with en-suite) with balcony with gorgeous chair swings. Communal area in rooftop absolutely delightful and of all the hostels we stayed in in Sri Lanka, was the most comfortable and welcoming to hang out in. Very communal feel in this hostel.

We loved everything. The only slight negative is that it is at the top of quite a steep hill in Unawatuna but we just got tuktuks up and walked down so between 2 of us this was not expensive at all! Definitely worth it!

This place is special. Musa, Samer and Ahmed made me feel at home from the first moment. They are great guys, caring and attentive, ready to help you and happy to share their fantastic Palestinian cuisine (some of the best food I have ever eaten). It is a special experience to know their stories, and to be immersed in an impeccable hostel with lots of reminders of their land. The rooms are spacious, clean, modern. So are all the communal areas (from the fantastic terrace where we eat and chat together, to the yoga area with a view). The level of hospitality is very high, and everything is taken care of down to the last detail. Each dormitory also has its own little terrace and they offer yoga classes in the morning, special offers for massages and diving. Thank you for making my last days in Sri Lanka different and special. You are unique! Highly recommended, don't miss the chance to spend time in the best hostel (and restaurant) in Sri Lanka with these three warm, open hearted and fun people.

That I could not stay longer

We loved our stay at Habibi Hostel! The owners and staff were all very friendly and welcoming. Everything was clean and comfortable and loved the chill out area at the top that had a great view of the surroundings! Would definitely come back !!!

Location in the Jungle is super quiet and beautiful Rooms were clean with comfy beds and modern bathroom including hot water and good water pressure The whole building is pretty new, well maintained and the middle eastern interior design and decoration suits the vibe Rooftop terrace to watch birds, monkeys and/or chill They also offer middle eastern cuisine which I haven’t tried but have been reassured by other guests that it’s mouth watering The people working here are so heartwarming, welcoming and friendly - they definitely made my stay

Walk to the beach is either 12min shortcut jungle or 15min road which can at times through the hot and humid climate be a bit exhausting No AC in the dorm rooms which can be a bit stuffy

Beautiful place to stay! Cozy atmosphere and the staff are super friendly and kind. Good vibes only :)

I can honestly say that this was the best hostel I’ve stayed at in Sri Lanka. The whole building, including the rooms, was so clean and stylish. The location was perfect because you’re amidst the jungle away from the crowd and noise, yet only a short walk to the beach. The staff are all lovely and caring - the best hospitality standard I’ve come across. Plus the food is freshly made… authentic Arabic dishes that taste incredible! This place has my heart! I booked 2 nights but ended up staying 5! Thank you Habibi team 🌷🌀💗

Great Hostel! Good if you are a solo traveler who's not into Party but who likes chilling on the amazing rooftop and having a beer and a conversation with other travelers. Also amazing music that you hear all the time

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Beds so comfy, and get fresh sheets everyday. The rooftop bit was nice.

The vibe was just a bit weird? Ordering food was tricky as well, it was a get what you’re given situation. Wish I was warned about having to walk through a jungle to get to the property. Also having to pay 500 for a towel seems steep

The best heartwarming welcoming ever!! I felt totally comfortable and welcomed as in no hostel before! The location is a little up the hill, so you can you somerthing healthy for the body and have a nice walk down to the main street or just take a Tuktuk of course:) I loved the tidiness thats everywhere!! Super kind, friendly and the rooftop bar îs lovely! I really enjoyed my stay!

The best accommodation in Sri Lanka. I have never felt more at home in any other accommodation than here. For me personally, it was incredibly great that it felt like I was in the jungle. The rooftop was definitely one of my favorite places. The food was delicious and I can recommend the accommodation 100% and will definitely come back. It was very clean, I slept great with the fan and the staff as well as the owner were just lovely. Thanky you for everthing guys - you do everything right!

The hostel was lovely, the rooms were large with a lovely balcony. The upstairs rooftop bar was great, with a great menu.

Nothing

Amazing rooftop views, lovely friendly staff.

Bathroom light didn’t work and wasn’t fixed on request. No curtains in our room so early wake up. No sheet, only a blanket so the fan room was quite hot. Restaurant limited - didn’t have much to offer and menu was out of date.

Everything! It was one of my best stays in Sri Lanka. The owner is so caring and friendly, and makes his best to make guests feel like at home ☺️ I also loved the cozy rooftop for work and chill, the vibe and people were so nice. The location is on a hill, surrounded by jungle and I found that amazing, it’s still close to some restaurants and beaches. Well, and the cherry on the top were the delicious meals they prepared. Thank you ❤️

Nothing, during my stay some construction was going on, but I believe it was temporary.

This hostel is absolutely amazing! Right in the jungle with lovely staff, good music and a cozy rooftop bar 😊 Would love to come back!

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Comfortable beds with plenty of fans in the room, gorgeous roof top to chill, owner and waiter were so lovely and accommodating

I can say so many good things about Habibi Hostel. The hostel is very close to the main street and we loved the vibe and the design. The owner Musa is one hell of an awesome guy. Always took so good care of us and really fun to hang out with. And Samir the cook, loved his food and also a very sweet guy and big dreamer. We cant wait to see them again in the future and if they ever branch out to other countries, we most definitly visit them again! See you again in the future habaibiiii!!

Nothing!

The rooftop is absolutely beautiful, great music playing and relaxing vibes to either work, read or spend time with friends. Room number 3 is great, spacious with a very cute balcony. We also had room number 5 which is a 2 bed small room with a shared bathroom outside and a cute balcony. We also had the dorm for one night, which was good and comfortable. We also booked another room which was next to the dorm, however, it was too hot and our friends couldn’t stay there. Mousa the owner who is also running the place was very welcoming, helpful and makes great manaqeesh and drinks. Ask for the mango, passion fruit and vanilla ice cream smoothie. He also makes falafel that were great as per my friend who tried them, just make sure to tell him ahead of time so he has time to prepare. Location is good, around 15 minutes walk to the area of restaurant and the beach. Easy to catch a tuktuk from there as well.

Only minus was the bathrooms, they were smelly and needed work. Smell seemed to come from mold. Other than that, rooms were clean, bed sheets and towels are also clean.

Fantastic stay at Habibi Hostel in Unawatuna! A solid 10/10 for its exceptional service and hospitality. The host is incredibly kind, exceedingly dedicated, and always ready to assist. I'm thoroughly impressed by the warm atmosphere.

The place is super well thought through. Hats off to the host, he put his soul into it. It has a stunning and super cozy rooftop. Don't miss out on trying the cheese pastry they offer, it is absolutely delicious

Everything was just amazing

Nothing bad

The rooms were very clean and the sheets etc were cleaned every day. Very modern fittings. Very accommodative host. The terrace common area was so beautiful to work/chill out of. Overall an amazing place to stay.

A lovely, relaxed hostel in the middle of the jungle near the Unawatuna strip. It‘s run by a super friendly owner in his 30s who we had great conversations with and who felt like a friend by the end of our stay. The room itself was spacious and super clean as were the common areas. We hope to be back soon :)

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Very nicely decorated house, with a great terrace. Quiet location, off the busy street. Friendly staff.