Nisala Arana Boutique Hotel

What a great start for our holiday in Sri Lanka. The hotel and welcoming staff gives you an immediate holiday feeling and has a colonial vibe. We stayed at the doctors house with our family of 5 and that is very spacious with 3 bedrooms. Tommy and staff are great and really pamper you with a personal service and excellent food. Highly recommended!

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Nisala Arana is such a tranquil oasis. The grounds are beautiful and there’s something very special about having breakfast whilst watching the kingfishers, green bee eaters and other lovely Sri Lankan birds. The breakfast was the best we had on our travels. We also ate dinner there a couple of times and it was delicious. The team were really accommodating of our 2 little kids and provided high chairs and child appropriate food. The rooms were lovely with a great hot shower and good aircon. They had mosquito nets and anti mosquito coils. They even provided a cot with a net over it for our baby. We would love to come back here some day, it’s a special place.

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The only positive aspects were the friendly staff and very tasty breakfast.

Our stay at this hotel was unfortunately very disappointing. We had booked several nights while traveling in Sri Lanka with our family, but after the first night we had to leave. My wife and our young son slept in the same bed and woke up covered with numerous bites all over their bodies. After consulting with our doctor and sending photos, we were informed that the bites had a typical bed bug pattern, appearing in lines on areas such as the neck, back, stomach, and legs. Because of this, we decided to leave the hotel immediately and find other accommodation. When we contacted the owner and shared photos, he refused to acknowledge the possibility of bed bugs and claimed the bites were from sand flies, even though we had not been on the beach prior to our stay. The bites caused strong allergic reactions, and the symptoms lasted for about two weeks, which significantly affected our trip. What disappointed us most was the owner’s response. No solution or compensation was offered, and the main concern seemed to be that we pay for the remaining nights, even though we had already left. The only positive aspects were the friendly staff and very tasty breakfast. Unfortunately, due to this experience, we cannot recommend this hotel.

A stunning garden setting full of wildlife and with beautifully stylish rooms . We loved the authentic village setting away from the busier areas and close to the river. The staff were absolutely lovely.

A few more sunbeds by the pool would be useful

A stunning location, with a real WOW factor, we had such a lovely stay at this unique and beautiful boutique hotel. Our gorgeous accommodation was immaculate, spacious, with an amazing bathroom. Every morning, before a delicious breakfast, we enjoyed a swim in the fantastic sized pool, situated in well kept gardens, whilst listening to the tropical birds in the background. It was just bliss! It is up there as one of best places we have ever stayed. A big thank you to Tony, and his fantastic team, for their wonderful smiles, incredible welcome, generous hospitality, and always going the extra mile. We didn’t want to leave this idyllic place, and definitely hope to return one day.

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Beautiful grounds, wildlife and buildings. Pool was refreshing and well maintained and not overly chlorinated. Large garden and pavilion area with hammocks to relax and enjoy the peace and birds. All staff and especially Tony were so accomodating and looked after us well. Free to use bikes for getting around the neighbourhood. Very close to the lagoon. Would highly recommend.

Lunch options were limited and slightly overpriced, but tasty and freshly prepared.

We enjoyed a week at Nisala Lodge. Very tranquil location set in beautiful gardens. Tony and his team were amazing, and we were truly spoilt during our stay. We even managed a cheeky little ride in the Morris Minor, which was a fabulous ending to the week

Nowhere to store personal belongings securely, but this was soon rectified

La proprietà è molto bella ed è immersa in una natura incantevole.

Abbiamo pagato $200 al giorno per una camera tripla con colazione: per i servizi avuti (colazione, pulizia, manutenzione giardino) il rapporto qualità-prezzo non è stato adeguato. La location è comunque bellissima e la zona circostante molto tranquilla.

La location è fantastica, sembra di essere in 1 film, giardino curato, la gentilezza e il servizio di Conrad sono eccellenti, tutto curato nel dettaglio, le camere sono spaziose, con tutto ciò che serve, il bagno è esterno ed è fantastico, dietro c'è la giungla, esperienza da non perdere. La zona comune e la cena sono meravigliose, colazione ottima, consiglio di non perdere questa meravigliosa esperienza, la porteremo nel cuore e nel ricordo di questo viaggio! Grazie Conrad... siete un popolo speciale!

This is a beautiful location. The gardens and buildings are exsquisite, it is a lovely place to spend time. The surroundings are very beautiful anda lot of thought has gone into their design. The breakfast is delicious. I highly recommend taking the available bikes and exploring the quiet streets in the village. Bentota is a really lovely spot. Most importantly, the staff are lovely, Conrad and team went above and beyond to make sure our stay was perfect. My son even got the chance to play cricket with them, which he loved! I highly recommend this beutiful, perfect spot.

Echt een prachtige plek, hele mooie kamers en interieurs hele hoge kwaliteit allemaal! En zo leuk dat er fietsen waren die je gewoon kon gebruiken! Wij zijn met onze kids op de fiets naar lunaganga gegaan, dat was een super leuk tochtje en fietsen in de buurt ging sowieso prima!

Ligging en tuin. Prachtig!!

Stunning stay

A beautiful place, peaceful and stylish

From the very first moment, our stay at Nisala Arana was a total success – and became the absolute highlight of our Sri Lanka journey. This hotel was far more than just a place to stay; it felt like a true home full of soul, nestled within a lush, peaceful garden paradise. The expansive garden is a tranquil oasis right in the heart of vibrant, rural Bentota. We loved exploring the quiet backstreets by bike (freely available), observing local life and reaching the serene, uncrowded beach in just minutes – perfect for swimming and surfing. A fantastic Ayurveda centre was also nearby. The accommodation is stylish, immaculately kept, and yet wonderfully welcoming – it immediately gave us a sense of belonging. Special thanks go to General Manager Conrad, who hosted us with incredible warmth, attentiveness, and insight. He was not only a perfect host, but also a cultural guide and a true friend – making everything possible, from a fresh seafood BBQ to tracking down a lost phone. Even the owner went above and beyond – including sourcing a guitar for us! We actually stayed at Nisala Arana twice – once at the beginning of our trip, and again at the end. That’s how much we loved it. The second time we brought friends and enjoyed an almost private guesthouse experience, complete with a talented chef who prepared amazing curries and menus tailored to our tastes. In short: a place with true heart, deep respect for its guests, and a very personal level of service. Perfect for families, couples, and anyone seeking a stylish yet relaxed atmosphere – not about Instagram hype, but about real soul.

Absolutely nothing to complain about.

It is difficult to adequately put into words how wonderful our 6-star experience at Nisala Arana was. As soon as you enter the gate, you step into another world. The serenity and beauty of the place is incredible. It is definitely one of those, 'OMG! How amazing is this place!', type of places. My husband & I have travelled a lot and Nisala Arana is definitely up there as one of our best stays. The buildings on the property are beautiful and the attention to detail in their design, decoration and furnishing is incredible. It was also the best sleep we had in our 10 day trip around Sri Lanka - comfortable beds, soft bed linen and in a very peaceful environment as the property is away from any large roads and it backs onto jungle. The only sound we could hear in the morning were the twitters of the birds and the distant sound of the baker's tuktuk playing Für Elise. The staff were also very professional and extremely helpful. Conrad, the manager, was always on site if there was anything we needed - we missed the baker's tuktuk, so he had one of the staff go to the bakery to get our boys some sugar buns. In his down-time, it was really nice to have a chat to him about this and that. We also liked that there was a restaurant on-site. Having two young kids and being out all day, it was great not to have to go out for dinner. We had a wonderful crab curry in the open-air pool pavillion and the chef was more than accommodating to our two fussy eaters - making them pasta and fried rice. In all, we had an excellent two-night stay at Nisala Arana. We felt as though we were thoroughly welcome guests at a friend's house, rather than plain guest in a hotel. We would definitely recommend Nisala Arana to anyone travelling along the southern west coast of Sri Lanka,