Arabella on Boossa

Arabella on Boossa is a beautiful beachfront property tucked away in a residential area just outside Galle. What truly stood out to me is its calm, colonial-style charm a refreshing change from the busy crowds of Hikkaduwa and Unawatuna. The beach is clean, the property is impeccably maintained, and the service is exceptional. A special thank you to Nipun and Chef Nuwan for making our stay so memorable. You can really tell the place is well managed it’s the little details that make all the difference. Having stayed in many luxury hotels around Sri Lanka, I’ve often found small essentials missing, but Arabella on Boossa seems to have thought of everything (even things like a hair iron!). We visited just before the Sri Lankan New Year, and the team went the extra mile by organizing a small Avurudu celebration for guests such a thoughtful and enjoyable experience. The staff truly went above and beyond to ensure everyone had a great time. We will definitely be back. Also, don’t miss the prawn and fish tacos at their in-house restaurant “Ahara” — absolutely delicious!

Not applicable

Beautiful well kept property on the beach Room was amazing and view spectacular.

Coffee making machine in room BUT one pod per person per day! Very limiting and disappointing for the $$$ paid. No English speaking TV channels.

Magnifique hôtel à taille humaine. Très belle décoration, chambres et salles de bain très spacieuses très belles prestations, équipements de qualité. Vue mer et piscine un régal ! Les espaces extérieurs jardin piscine très soignés avec une vue mer. Le restaurant est très bon. Équipe très agréable, serviable et réactive. Le lieu est vraiment incroyable ! Merci pour ce séjour.

Rien

Es war ein wunderschönes und kleines Hotel im Konlonialstil mit modernen Inventar das mit Liebe eingerichtet wurde .

Zimmer zur Straßenseite sollte man meiden, da es sehr laut zugeht auf der Straße.

Geweldige service en gastvriendelijke medewerkers. De locatie aan een niet zo,n druk strand Geweldig Boutique Hotel

Niets

An exceptional beachfront beautiful property that did not disappoint. We mainly ate in the property because the food was the best that we experienced in 3 weeks in Sri Lanka.

Het is echt een super mooi en schoon hotel, savonds deden ze overal kaarsjes aan en dat zag er echt super leuk uit. Het hotel is zeer schoon en geeft een beetje een Ibiza vibe.

Het ligt aan een drukke weg en de kamers zijn heel gehorig. Wij hebben de gehele nacht slecht geslapen omdat we om de zoveel tijd wakker werden door allerlei geluiden. Vooral door de auto's op de drukke weg die steeds toeteren. Maar ook honden die huilen en blaffen snachts.

Wunderschönes, kleines Hotel, sehr sauber und sehr schöne Zimmer aber vor allem war das Personal unglaublich freundlich und hilfsbereit. Auch das Essen im Restaurant (auch das Frühstück) ist super! :)

It was very clean and the staff was amazing and attentive.

Parasol’s in the garden could have been larger providing shade. It was incredibly hot on the ground as the sun came in

おしゃれな内装。のんびり過ごせる落ち着いたロケーション。朝食もおいしい。親切なスタッフ。Galle に行くことがあれば、また泊まりたい。おすすめします。

私が泊まった部屋からはビーチを見ることができませんでしたが、共有のラウンジは海が目の前で最高の眺めでした。あいにく天候が悪く海には入れませんでしたが、ビーチサイドでリラックスして過ごすことができました。スタッフは私の細かなリクエストにも快く応じてくれて、感謝しています。

ほとんどありませんが、強いて言えば、お部屋にヘアドライヤーがあるとよかったです。

We loved everything about our stay at Arabella. It's a beautiful, well designed and curated space that provided an idyllic place to relax and unwind. The staff were all amazing and made our stay really special. Rohan, Nipun, Rukshan, Nuwan, Sithum and teams were welcoming and attentive. They're just lovely people. Special shout-out to Chef Nuwan who made us some amazing meals, we ended up eating with him every night as his food was so good and we wanted to try more of the menu. Our room was beautiful and extremely comfortable, and we had a great view. The common areas were also beautifully designed and comfortable.

We had some trouble with the hot water which the staff could fix when required.

Heel mooi hotel, coole vibe, heel lekker eten, mooie grote kamers en badkamer, goeie airco kortom een aanrader!

Beautiful upmarket stay in a gorgeous location. I will note it’s not walking distance to fort but easily reached by a 10 min Tuk Tuk. We visited in off season and had the entire place to ourself

Simply designed and elegant property with well-tended landscaped garden. Great pool and sun loungers and lovely views from the penthouse room. Fantastic staff.

The entire place had a lovely vibe and the staff went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable

We have had a fantastic and wonderful time. If you are the Galle area this place is a must - I would only recommend to use own transportation should you plan to roam around. I explicitly disagree with the few bad ratings I have seen. Staff was wonderful and extremely kind. Everything was clean, tidy and in an immaculate condition. We would have loved to stay longer. We also enjoyed the food very much.

Location is amazing with great ocean view. Staff was very friendly and helpful and guys did the best so we can enjoy our stay.

Location, staff, service, food, everything

Nothing

Everything.

Nice quiet boutique hotel, on the beach. Great breakfast, very friendly and helpful staff.

Nothing

Pretty boutique hotel on the coast. 10 mins drive from Galle Fort in a tuk tuk. Food was very good and cocktails too. Friendly staff always smiling and happy to help. Also good to walk along to bars on beach

As with many of the hotels we’ve been to in Sri Lanka, Very little atmosphere in the restaurant and they all seem to go to sleep after dinner.

Beautiful property next to quiet beach. Only joggers and fishermen in action early mornings perfect place for morning yoga on the beach. Very friendly staff. We had a room upstairs eith wiev with palmtrees and you could hear the trafic a little but we had very good sleep. The rooms are with lots of space even bathrooms are Beautiful. All these elegant interior details, you need to experience.

I liked everything. The prices on the restaurants are little higher than on a plain beach restaurant but you get quality food in Beautiful setting for the lazy luxury days by the pool and sun beds. There is several fresh beach restaurants quite close by if you want take a walk along the Beautiful beach.

Being right on the beach was wonderful. The dining room, living room and pool area are perfect for a relaxing stay. The staff are attentive and discreet. The quality and menu in the restaurant were perfect for us. I am already recommending Arabella to my friends and hope to return.

Ein traumhafter Aufenthalt im Arabella! Mein Aufenthalt im Hotel Arabella war einfach wundervoll! Schon bei meiner Ankunft war ich von der Schönheit des Ortes und der herzlichen Begrüßung begeistert. Ich hatte das Glück, in einer atemberaubenden Suite mit direktem Meerblick zu übernachten – ein wahres Paradies, in dem ich jeden Morgen mit einem spektakulären Ausblick beginnen konnte. Das Essen war hervorragend, mit einer großen Auswahl an köstlichen Gerichten, die mit frischen Zutaten und viel Liebe zubereitet wurden. Jeder Bissen war ein Genuss! Das Personal war unglaublich freundlich, immer aufmerksam, hilfsbereit und mit einem Lächeln auf den Lippen. Ihre Gastfreundschaft hat meinen Aufenthalt noch schöner gemacht. Das Hotel Arabella ist ein wahrer Geheimtipp, und ich kann es nur zu 100 % weiterempfehlen. Ich freue mich schon auf meinen nächsten Besuch!

Good food, staff attentive, location is convenient for Galle by Tuktuk

Pool too small, beds don’t move, beach ok for swimming ,

We loved our stay at Arabella. Loved the simplicity and size of the rooms. Kept very clean and tidy by the staff. Cute offering of bananas for supper in the room with the turn down service. Bed and pillows were very comfortable. Pool area was on the small size but we had no problem using it when we wanted to. Kitchen and kitchen staff were A . Food and service was amazing highly recommend the chimichurri prawns & the prawn or fish tacos! All breakfast options were great also! Tuk Tuks available outside the property cost us 1200 rupees to the fort which is approx 15 minutes away. Beach not suitable for swimming but a lot of the Sri Lankan coastline is rough like this and if you want to be able to swim in the ocean you’ll need to stay at one of the touristy areas which actually make great day trips from the hotel. Great spot for a walk along the beach. We went in the peak tourist season & found this good value for money for our family would happily stay again. Staff attentive even playing cricket with our son. Cons No kettle in the room for making tea only a coffee machine so you need to wait for the kitchen to open at 8am before you can get a pot of tea- would be nice to have one in the room If you’re in room 1 it is closest to the road and you might need some ear plugs or white noise. Also suggest an eye mask as there are shutters that allow the light through. Breakfast not available till 8 when the kitchen/restaurant opens would be nicer if it opened a little earlier

The property and semiprivate beach is great and very convenient. The room was clean and comfortable. The food was good and made to order. Chef and breakfast server were great. New Year's eve beach dinner party and traditional dance show was well done, entertaining and the food was delicious.

I really wanted to like this place more than I did. For the price, it could be much better. You're paying for the location: semiprivate beach just steps from your room. The room was clean and comfortable but very bland and could definitely use some artwork on the walls. (Consider investing in some of the great local art Sri Lanka has to offer...) There was a constant club dance beat music playing on the property during the day. Overall service was just okay and certainly not what I'd expect from this caliber of resort. The property seemed to have a lot of manpower available but it took 2 requests, hours apart, for something as simple as drinking water (which is a necessity in this part of the world and my only room request during my stay). Maybe they just forgot...? Also, the room charge only includes 4 small bottles per day which I think add up to 1L. If you want more, they'll charge you for it. You can purchase better quality bottled water off-site for less which is what I did. Alas, they still charged me for 2 extra bottles I ordered one day which were not used and we're still sitting unopened in the room. Apparently, they were unable to remove that charge at checkout. Perhaps this is a menial issue, but good drinking water is normally provided like clockwork at lodging facilities in this part of the world and at a fraction of the nightly rate this place charges. I feel like this is a rather overpriced wannabe 5+ star resort that knows the location is what attracts and sells. I feel like there are better options available in the area.

A very peaceful atmosphere, perfectly placed on the sandy beach. Highly recommend the Sri Lankan breakfast rather than the continental one, it must be ordered the day before. The room was very spacious, it helped that the staff burnt citronella and incense every night to keep the mosquitoes away. The lounge robes were nice and we got nespresso capsules daily

Nothing major- the shower head didn't have enough pressure for washing long hair. Also the room didn't have a fridge so the water bottles were room temperature.

the service is poor.

Every day was another day in paradise! The room and property was in an excellent condition. The pool was clean, our room and bathroom was amazing and breakfast was delicious. Galle Fort is around 15 minutes tuk tuk drive.

Might be one of the best kitchen. Breakfast and dinner was much better then any chain expensive Hotels. It was not beach season though walking at beach was also amazing

Pool might be a little biggest. Nothing much to Complain

Beautiful property in an amazing location! We had travelled all around Sri Lanka and this one had a modern twist with great food!

Great location on the beach about short tuk tuk ride into Galle. Spacious clean rooms. Friendly staff.

Clean, small, location to beach excellent. Bedroom loved the style/decor, lovely bedlinen, huge bathroom. Pool and garden

Food and drinks were expensive compared to similar hotels. Menu alittle too English.

We loved our stay at the Arabella on Bossa! It was really magical

.rooms are spacious, very comfy bed, pillows and soft clean sheets .the common areas (lounge and bar/restaurant) were really impressive. . Staff are lovely and the barman even adjusts your cocktails based on how you found the previous one. . Food is very generous portions and delicious and the prices are very reasonable. .even the night security guard was great and asked us if after we went to bed he could knock on our door if he saw any turtles coming onto the beach to lay eggs

Don't use the tuktuk directly outside the gate. They charge 3 times the rate, but the hotel unfortunately can't do anything about it as they are on a public road. There's some sort of tuktuk mafia thing there. Again, nothing to do with the hotel, just a warning.

A stunning hotel in an amazing location. Friendly staff and amazing food! The manager was extremely helpful and accommodating. Will definitely be booking again at Arabella.

Loved everything. It would be nice if guests were provided with a kettle to make tea as the kitchen closes at 8. A phone in the room to contact staff would be helpful too.

enjoyed our stay a LOT!!! the staff is amazing and they are doing a great job - always a smile on their face. we enjoyed a lot the fresh breakfast and all food & beverage options available. the garden and pool area, as well as the rooms are stunning. really enjoyed the decor and the vibes of this hotel following a sustainable approach. even if we stayed during the off-season/ monsoon time, we highly recommend this hotel to calm down and relax directly next to the Indian Ocean. It’s also a great location to explore Galle Fort and its shops & cafes.

perfect stay to end or start a big Sri Lanka trip. The building is very modern and invites to rest in absolute peace and privacy. The staff is more then welcoming, and the food is incredible. 10/10

Lovely looking hotel with very comfortable beds and big, stylish bathrooms. Nice, well kept and large garden area and pool served by a bar for delicious juices. There was also an outdoor lunge area for guests with comfy sofas. Staff were friendly. Breakfast was tasty. The put on a beach party while we were there - we had other plans so didn’t attend but it sounded good fun, albeit quite pricey at $30 per person.

This isn’t really about the hotel but we didn’t find the area particularly great. The hotel is styled on being a beach club but while the beach is wide and spacious, the sea isn’t clear and the sand isn’t super clean so it didn’t really appeal to us except to stroll along and watch the sun set (which was lovely). The hotel is also on the main road but there just didn’t seem to be good food and drink choices within walking distance. Easy to get to Galle via tuk tuk for 1500LRK and 15 mins one way so not a problem, just something to consider.

We find the hair iron, this is good thing.

Interior Design of the hotel and the staff! And the beach! Not crowded

The hotel is really beautiful and next to the beach. The breakfast is awesome.

Fabulous location overlooking the beach. Friendly and efficient staff. Large airy room overlooking the sea. Good food- loved the fish tacos and crab cakes!

wifi a bit bit and miss in the room but could get it in reception if needed so not a problem.

It was a very pleasant stay. Super friendly and helpful staff. The hotel itself was amazing. Calm and peaceful surrounding Very good breakfast.

Very friently staff right on the beach

The service, helpfulness and standards were exceptional. Breakfast was so beautiful. Can not fault at all.

Amazing hotel and atmosphere on the beach with so much delicious food!

Topp service,fersk sjømat daglig.personalet var veldig imøtekomme og hyggelige.ordnet opp med en gang hvis det var noe.kom med forslag til utflukter og arrangerte en 2 dagers tur med fyldig program,for oss.lite,hyggelig hotell med koselig hage med svømmebasseng,ved sjøen med flott strand.anbefales.

Hotel is about a 10 minute tuk tuk from Galle train station, hidden behind a large gate - make sure to ring the bell to get let in. It is a hidden oasis though, its airy, white and concrete leading onto a lovely garden with pool and direct access to the beach. We paid a bit more for a balcony room which I would recommend as the garden rooms don't face onto the ocean. Our room was very comfortable. Only slight downside is there is no back up generator so when there is a power cut (common in Sri Lanka) everything stops working, including the water upstairs. Staff were very helpful and organised a whale watching trip for us. Food in the restaurant was good, with a good range including local food.

Absolutely amazing hotel, enlightened hospitality at its best. The facilities are superb and the location is perfect if you want to be out of the hustle and bustle, but very close to all of the amazing places along the South West coast of Sri Lanka. The staff were incredibly amazing people and always went out of their way to make you feel comfortable and really looked after. The rooms were beautiful and really clean, the food also fantastic! We were really blown away with how perfect this place was. Highly recommend!

It’s a great botique Hotel on the beachfront near Galle. The hipster vibe that the Australian owners wanted to convey in this eight-room boutique hotel is evident in this contemporary black and white hotel. The heavy bass music in the lounge area is great mid-day while drinking a wine however, I am of an age that thinks music starting at 8:45 am was a bit earlier than wanted. The western breakfast was fine with terrific juice and fresh fruit although the eggs were cold on both mornings. I suggest asking the kitchen to prepare the eggs after the toast and other sides.

We had a fantastic 4 days at Arabella on Boossa. A little piece of tranquility against the hustle and bustle of Galle Rd. We had ocean views waking each morning to the sound of the ocean, friendly but not intrusive staff, a short stroll down to the beach and a fifteen minute tuk tuk drive away from Galle. Thoroughly recommend it. Thank you Arabella x

This was probably one of the most expensive places we payed out for on our trip and having been recommended it by a friend we were super excited as reviews and pictures looked amazing. Sadly this fell well below what we expected. The concept of the place is amazing but sadly let down by numerous pests in the rooms ( we had ants crawling up us in bed in the middle of the night!), staff that don’t speak any English so you can not communicate with them on even the simplest things like ordering food or asking questions about the hotel facilities. There was no manager around when we asked for him and I had to speak to him over mobile as he only comes in at certain times ! The air con in our room was broken when we arrived and so we were freezing cold but no one understood when we went to ask about it being fixed as no one understood us. There was no hot water the whole of our stay from the shower but by this point we had given up trying to get help with things because of the language barrier. And finally the food was awful. It looked great on instagram and the menu looked amazing but when ordered it did not meet expectations and was pricey. We got charged for things we hadn’t ordered and because of the langauage barrier it was impossible to sort out, plus they didn’t even order my food so my friends came and I had to wait another 20 mins for mine to eventually arrive after asking numerous times. We decided to eat out for the rest of our stay there. Avoid!!

Great boutique hotel with a relaxed atmosphere. The standard of the rooms, service & food is excellent and th vibe is great, especially considering limited rooms. They are very happy to arrange activities for you, including a cooking course at the hotel restaurant. Food/drink prices are a lot more expensive than the rest of Sri Lanka, but I think this is representative of Galle too. Would definitely recommend to anyone who wants a calm environment, 10 minutes drive from Galle fort!

A beautiful hotel with wonderful helpful and smiling staff. The rooms and gardens were delightful. Only gripe is that there is no tea/coffee making facility in the room and breakfast does not start until 8am. The breakfast, whilst good, is too prescriptive. i.e. One could not have curd with fruit as curd comes with muesli! Prices in restaurant were priced without tax and service charge which was misleading as everything was 25% more than expected. We checked out other hotel in the area whilst there and we feel we made the right decision to stay at Arabellaonboossa. We are planning a return trip.

An amazing week at Arabella. The team worked tirelessly to provide a first class customer service. The food was of a very high standard and the waiting staff were brilliant. The hotel is right next to the beach and the staff arranged transport if you wanted any day trips out. The rooms were very comfortable and clean. All of the areas of the hotel had a very attractive design. The staff were very customer centred and provided consistently high levels of service.

This is the first time I've personally looked for and decided on a hotel online (i usually have a travel agent's package hotels or on-the-go sort of bookings done). And so, after much reading through reviews on hotels.com and many other popular sites, I decided on Arabella. I just had to see if the photographs that were being posted, were infact the real deal. It turned out to be one of those places where 'photos don't do justice'. The service was excellent from the minute we arrived, and at times i felt they were even going out of their way to make us feel comfortable. The design language of the hotel is a mix of minimalism, contemporary design and Srilankan style. The Suite was nothing short of spectacular. The balcony doors opened to the beautiful and clean beach, with views of the garden and swimming pool below. I couldn't stop taking pictures of the room and the view, and found it very pleasing to sleep to the subtle sound of the waves crashing onto the shore. Even their restaurant - ahara - has a beautiful range of food and drinks to offer. It overlooks the pool and the beach, almost as if it all flows as one. We're a family of 3, and we went to Galle only to experience everything we had heard about the place - from the fort and the architecture, to the great food and the beach. Next time however, it'd be for all that + Arabella on Boossa.

Rooms are nothing to gloat about but the view was fantastic. We ran into some glitches with wi-fi that took some time to get sorted.

Pros: - employees smiling and kind - nice grass Cons: - room without window - floor very sliding and dustry but they do not provide sleepers - No wifi in the room - Beach very dirty (they clean it by making a hole in the sand and put garbage inside) - Service inefficient: - bad english: they say yes to whatever you say but after you discover that they did not understand - totally irresponsible to take care of kids: they say on the website "babysitting and childcare". But they let our 3 years old daughter alone at 20 meters from the sea. Basically they just give you things to draw and paint for 15 USD... - manage everything yourself or you will have bad surprises (bad service and charges) - They overcharge external services like Tuk-tuk (700 rs instead of 400-500 !) - There is nothing to do around. If you want a restaurant you need to pay for a Tuk-Tuk to go Galle (10 km) - The restaurant is super expensive 15-20 USD for a main course, and it is not good. Only presentation is good. The breakfast is ok.

We stayed at the Arabella for at total of 6 nights and throughout the stay the staff were wonderful and very attentive to our needs. The hotel is peaceful and the food was especially good.. Breakfast is fab with plenty of variety to suit most peeps taste. I especially loved the crab curry.. We will return to Sri Lanka and the lovely Arabella.. Thank you

We had a great time and it was relaxing. We were in room number 8 which I believe is the largest, has great views and is spacious. Plenty of space for our little one to move about. The staff were very friendly and eager to help. The beach is a little dirty but you can safely enjoy it without issue as we did with our 21 month old son. The pool is not very large but proportionate to the hotel. The entire hotel is spacious and welcoming and you can relax almost anywhere in the hotel. It is definitely a good place for family with young children as you know everyone around. We also made use of the babysitting service provided which gave us adults a bit of time for ourselves. The breakfast that is included with the stay is good the only thing I would say is that for the price of the room you could throw in the bacon for free :) The food menu is a little limited if you are staying there for more than three days but all the food I ate the restaurant was well prepared and tastes great. The kids menu can be improved. If you like your food there are many places available to eat in Galle (15mins) and other hotels in the area which we did and enjoyed a lot. Dutch hospital & Fort Printers in Galle and WB Villa (30mins) for great seafood and Italian with an amazing selection of wine. Overall it was a great stay and we returned refreshed and rested. Thank you all and we will be back.

If your looking for a relaxing five star experience at an excellent price with unbelievable service this is the place for you. Can't recommend this quiet boutique hotel enough. Arabella is a stunning white villa on a quiet beach, a great place to unwind and a good base to explore the southern and western part of Sri Lanka. The staff are exceptional and will cater to your every wish. The hotel only has four rooms and feels more like a home than a hotel. Without a doubt it's my favourite hotel in Sri Lanka. . Also there is a beautiful family beach restaurant called Sadans one hundred metres down the beach to the right, and a backpackers bar a little further.