Emel Boutique Hotel

This was the first part of our stay in Sri Lanka and our host made us feel very welcome-waiting outside for us on our arrival and giving us a choice of rooms in either the original hotel or the new one up the road. The rooms were clean and spacious and the swimming pool was very clean and cleaned every day. I explained that I was celiac and our host made sure that i had a suitable and delicious alternative breakfast. Alongside the fresh fruit and omelette inhad a different sidedish each day-my faourite being the rice noodles with a coconut filling. As well as plenty of delicious fresh Ceylon tea!. We explored the area and swam in the pool, leaving feeling refreshed and invigorated for the rest of our trip..

Hosts were amazing and spacious rooms

Nice place for staying in Negombo. Very delicious breakfast. Very hospitable personal. Special thanks to Chandane for help and information on routes, information about real prices for food) and budget mode of transportation. Clean rooms. Recommend to everyone!)

Well, I had a workation here for 2 weeks. And I had just fallen in love) There's so warm friendly staff, tasty food, comfortable rooms and a house! ❤️ We had a possibility to work outside, near the pool and cool down after each call:) Breakfast everyday was great and delicious (that could be healthy european cousin, or colorful local one). We had found out a lot about local food, people and traditions due to talking with manager 🥰 I'm happy)

Our stay at Emel Boutique Hotel was great. Chandana, the general manager is very friendly and helpful, the rooms where great the, pool was clean and the service is amazing. We had a great BBQ for dinner and a wonderful full English breakfast. Definitely coming back.

Our stay at Emel Boutique Hotel was great. Senith, his mother and the other lady werde very friendly and helpful. Even though the hotel was not busy the last months due to Corona, they did everything they could to make us happy, for example with a clean pool, a delicious breakfast and helping us with the booking of a boattrip in the marshland. The property is situated in a nice and quiet neighborhood away from all the hustle of the city and the mainstream. We enjoyed our stay there as a family a lot and can recommend the hotel to everyone who is looking for a calm and relaxing place to stay after a long day or an exhausting journey

Made to wait forever at check in as the manager insisted they don't have our booking and that we did not pay when we already booked and paid them 8 months in advance in hotels.com. Even the next day they argued with us until eventually they either found the booking on their system or hotels.com called them. How can a property be on this system when it does not have proper admin to know when people book there? Not worth the trouble

I had booked this hotel for one of my colleague. When he arrived the hotel gate was locked. He tried to call hotel for 45 minutes not answered. One can imaging when you reach hotel at 3 am and hotel is locked ........... Please booked this hotel if you are a Night Riders. Thanks Sonu

Stay away from this hotel! I had a confirmed booking and the money was already withdrawn. However when I arrived at the hotel the hotel was closed and calling the number on the gate only resulted in that the hotel said they had no reservations! Can in no way recommend this hotel - the hotel management has not responded to any of my mails.

The hotels says 24 hour check in. However, when I arrived at the hotel around midnight all doors and gates where closed and when I called the number at the main gate the answer was that there where no reservations in my name. This even though the hotel has already charged my bank account. I can in no way recommend the hotel. I have send the hotel mails around my situation with all details regarding confirmation without any answer back!

We arrived from Australia after a 12 hour journey last night. We arrived at midnight. We had confirmed our arrival time. When we arrived at the gate to the hotel it was closed. No one was there to open the door. We had to drive around with 2 kids to find a new hotel at 1am. We had a booking via booking.com yet we could not even stay. We emailed and called the hotel but got no response. Do not stay here. To hotel management - please respond to our emails for a refund immediately!

We arrived at the hotel around 4am after a delayed long flight with our 7 year old daughter. We had booked a triple room and the description stated two double beds, but the room had a double and a single. We were too tired to complain and try and sort another room as we were leaving at 10am the next morning. We had a room right next to reception on the ground floor, with hardly enough room to swing a cat!! with three bags all the floor space was gone. The A/C was extremely nosey and didn't seem to work that well as it still felt stifling in the room!! However the room was actually well equipped (would be OK for two if you took out the single bed). The room was clean and all worked well in the bathroom, its a bit dated and typically Sri Lankan, but clean. Breakfast was OK and the owner was nice and friendly, we had to tell him to stop bringing food, he was very welcoming. The pool looked nice, but we didn't have time to use it. I am not sure what the other rooms are like and maybe there are some more spacious rooms with balconies if you choose to stay longer.

Kleines, schönes und gepflegtes Hotel. Liegt etwas abseits von den “Hotelburgen” von Negombo. Mit dem Tuk-Tuk in 5-7 Minuten zum Strand. Sehr freundliches und zuvorkommendes Personal. Hotel im Preis-Leistung-Verhältnis empfehlenswert. Garten und Pool sehr gepflegt. Zimmer etwas verspielt und könnten ein Design Update vertragen.

Room size is very small. Location is also quite far from Negombo beach, restaurants, market. Distance from Airport is almost 16 KM but Cab drivers will not be ready to go this location and even if they agreed they usually ask almost 1500 LKR which is quite expensive. Hotel team was asking for $17 USD for Airport to hotel transfer which was even more than normal Cabs. But at least staff understands English, so that is relief.

Great Hospitality & personal touch. Small Boutique hotel with only 5 rooms and a large swimming pool near airport. We occupied 3rooms on our last day after a fabulous Srilanka tour. Would definitely recommend the place to friends & everyone.

We were picked up from the airport for a reasonable price. We were shown to our room which was on the ground floor I would guess the rooms are better in the top floor. Our had everything we needed. Our host helped us plan our trip and the breakfast was great.

We have just come back from an amazing holiday thanks to having booked at this hotel. It is tucked away in a quiet place in Negumbo and because it is just 6 rooms you get to feel like one of the family. The rooms are very comfortable and Chef (Abey) provides excellent breakfasts (Continental or Sri Lankan style) as well as tending to all other in-house needs. Manager Nalaka went out of his way to provide us with the best itinerary to view the wonders of this country. He listened to some of our suggestions and then gave us the best cultural experience we could have had - places, religions, food and a real immersion into the Sri Lankan way of life. He, together with his driver ((Janaka - the best I have ever driven with) then took us on numerous tours. Some were just days, others overnight at excellent and affordable hotels in the area we were visiting. In the end we were just four firm friends enjoying a holiday together. Eight days that will be fondly remembered thanks to a lucky choice of hotel. Thanks Emel Hotel.

We have just come back from a amazing holiday thanks to having booked at this hotel. It is tucked away in a quiet place in Negombo and because it is just 6 rooms you get to feel like one of the family. The rooms are very comfortable and Chef (Abey) provides excellent breakfasts (Continental or Sri Lankan style) as well as tending to all other in- house needs. Manager Nalaka went out of his way to provide us with the best itinerary to view the wonders of this country. He listened to some our suggestions and then gave us the best cultural experience we could have had - places, history, religions, food and a real immersion into Sri Lankan way of life. He, together with his driver (Janaka - the best I have ever driven with) then took us on numerous tours. Some were just days, others overnight at excellent and affordable hotels in the area we were visiting. In the end we were just four firm friends enjoying a holiday together. Eight days that will be fondly remembered thanks to a lucky choice of hotel. Thanks Emel Boutique Hotel.

The team is nice and the place is a good location with a garden and a swimming pool. The swimming pool is bigger than someone would expect for a 5 rooms hotel which was a good surprise! Very friendly and respectful.

Wow, what can I say. After 24 hours of air travel I was just ready to get to the hotel and sleep. I first peeked at the mattress and was taken back by how dirty it was, but at this point I was just ready to sleep. I took a shower, and then pulled up the sheets to get in bed and what I saw was disgusting. There was significant amounts of blood stains, hair, an wet spots. These sheets had clearly not been washed for a long time I left the the hotel immediatly after and ended up having to take a 45 minute ride to downtown Columbo in TUK TUK on a rainy night at 1:30 AM to search for another hotel. Then the guy would not even issue a refund. Please, I'm warning you, do not book this place. There are plenty of other decent and clean accomodations in Colombo at the same price where you dont have to be freeked out about sleeping in the bed.

room needs a little renovation but the hosts are extremelly helpful, thumb up for the service!

In this hotel cheated on me!! They show me two rooms one downstairs one upstairs down there was a small dark room with no view up there a rooms with balcony llights and two times bigger . They told me unfortunately I need to wait for three days for the room upstairs after that I can move up . We agreed the price and on everything. After three days I want to move upstairs but they told me I need to wait three more days. Again the same story but at this time they told me some body will come and they give the room for that couple. So I told them I dont stay any longer and I want discount because the two room has no same value they refuse to do that offered me a free breakfast after an argument also offered me free lunch so because they dont give me 10 percent discount what is nothing . Because the different of the value of the twoo room I went to the police station I told them what happened they bring to the police station the maneger and after three hours waitng and questioning later the police told him they have to give me the discount . The time we get back They told me I have 13 minutes to check out otherwise they will charge me for on extra day . I strongly advised everybody not to go there.Because the location is far from everythig. And the reception was close to my room therefor was very dificult to sleep they always speak very loud, no respect for they guest Also tv and the internet some times wasnt working, becuase they did not buy enough credit so you need to wait for that.Everybody go there good luck! They made me very very up set was a big mistake to go there !!!! I almost forgot you have night guest big cockrouches . Iwas here three years ago

EMEL boutique hotel. What do i say bout the place 🤔 E xcellent M ystique E namoring L ovely Words are short to describe the uniqueness of this place. Its like a home away from home. Nestled little far from the beach but the beach road is like damn crowded and expensive, moreover you can always catch a tuk-tuk for the beach and the driver is just a phonecall away. The room on the first floor no 6 is excellent, clean,spacious and so is the food they serve. The manager Mr. Nalaka is a gem of a person who will go out of his way for the comfort and needs of his guests. So are the two jovial people helping him Abeya and Chaminda. Sadly i will be leaving in 2 days time but as Arnold said "I WILL BE BACK" with my WIFE next year. Let me cut it short that this can be stated as the best hotel in negombo at a good price with excellent food and a swimming pool and worth every dime u spend.

Excellent value for money. Lovely staff. Easy place to stay for short trip.

Very hard to find even for taxi drivers. Rooms are large, but need renovating. Metro nearby. Good enough for one night.

The pros: Cozy, intimate feel; decent food; excellent guest hospitality and willingness to go above and beyond A few cons: AC in room was leaking onto the floor, only cash payment accepted (no credit cards), lack of awareness about food safety for foreigners The quality of the room and main area was not particularly great, but the hospitality and guest service made up for it. The hotel let me use the main sitting area for a full day of interviews (for an article I was writing) with locals coming in and out. Every night I requested something basic from the kitchen (usually chicken and cooked vegetables) from the kitchen. The one caveat here is that they kept trying to feed me fresh vegetables, which would likely have made me ill because of the water they were washed in. They seemed strangely unaware of this for having foreigners in and out all the time. I was particularly impressed by their efforts to order transportation for me every day, and for their willingness to let me check out at 2am. The location was pretty good--my first choice was beachfront, but this was much more affordable and only a 10 minute drive from the beach.

My wife and I stayed at Emel Boutique for 2 nights on arrival in Sri Lanka. We liked the friendliness and hospitality of Nalaka and his team (Abeyranaa & Chowinder) and the great poolside evening dinners so much that we also stayed there for one night at the end of our holiday. On arrival we were greeted with smiles and a lovely chilled drink, our bags were quickly carried to our rooms. Both of the rooms we stayed in were on the first floor, one bigger than the other but both perfectly adequate for short stays, clean and comfortable. There is a spacious communal balcony on the first floor overlooking the beautiful swimming pool and a nice place for sundowners. Though not licenced to sell alcohol Nalaka will purchase for you and keep cool, though I think from memory the rooms have a small fridge. We elected to have dinner at Emel Boutique rather than go into the Negombo strip. This was a great decision as Nalaka is a superb chef and dinner is served outside adjacent to the lovely pool where the soft lighting create a very nice ambience. Nothing is too much trouble for the staff they are most helpful and courteous, arranging excursions and airport pickup/drop off. OK they don't take credit cards, but neither, with one big hotel exception, did any other hotel/guesthouse we stayed at in Sri Lanka over a period of 16 days. ATMs are easy to find and given the small amounts involved it's not a problem. We would have no hesitation staying there on any future visit. Lovely staff, great food, excellent refreshing pool and value for money. Good internet too.

Place tarted up for pictures and very misleading. Don’t accept credit cards.rooms not made up on a daily basis breakfast and evening meal very good, staff friendly and helpful. We were a group of 4 and we both had trouble with the room safe

Very nice boutique hotel.Wonderful and attentive service!You'll feel like you're staying with friends in no time.Airport transfer went smoothly,room was spacious and breakfast was fresh and tasty!Will stay here again next time,thank you!

Very pleasant boutique hotel near the airport.The rooms are spacious and clean.Breakfast was lovely with fresh fruits,eggs,sausages and tea/coffee.Stayed on our first night to Sri Lanka as we landed late at night.The airport transfer was smooth.Nalaka was very kind to let us stay again on our way back for a few hours and arranged a delicious home cooked sri lankan dinner for us.It felt like we were staying with friends.A lovely and memorable way to end our trip.

Emel Boutique Hotel, proved to be a fantastic stay. Close enough to the airport to recover in a relaxed manner from a long haul flight and before heading out on the road around Sri Lanka. Nalaka and his staff are very attentive and go above and beyond to help. Either chilling out by the pool or just relaxing in the lounge, Emel proved to be a home from home. As a solo female traveller, it was a good place to start my adventure. I will return again and again.

I wanted to stay around Colombo as I thought it good to visit the city for a day. However, Nogombo is about 30 KM north of Colombo, but fairly close to the airport. I found Nagombo more interesting and this hotel a quirky but very nice find. Emel is a cross between a small hotel and a B and B. The most memorable part of the stay was the 2 staff. Nalaka is the manager who went out of his way to make sure I got picked up, advised me on places to go in Sri Lanka, and arranged for transportation to Kandy and Galle. Abee (probably not spelled correctly) was I also incredibly nice. When I got up at 4 am jet lagged, he was immediately up and got me coffee and breakfast. The room was comfortable and a good value. But, it’s the staff that makes the stay.

A loverly italian inspired and furnished home with a great pool in a garden setting. Close to restaurants and beach by tuk tuk

We only stayed one night on our way from the airport to Sigiriya. It was like staying at someone's home, which was nice. The manager, Nalaka, took good care of us. They served nice breakfast, really liked that avocado juice! just that the transport to Sigiriya turned out (after 12 days travelling around know much better about the prices!) a bit pricy. It is about 15 min tuk-tuk to the beach and all main restaurants. Ask Nalaka for a good place to exchange currency, was the best rate! all in all, a good value.

A good place to be if you enjoy peace and quiet. Very helpful in assisting you to get the most out of your stay.

We enjoyed our stay in Emel Boutique very much and plan to stay there again when we visit Sri Lanka in the future. The staff are very friendly and nothing was too much for them. They catered for what ever food we wanted. The place is clean and we felt like being at home as it was so relaxing. We felt much happier staying at Emel Boutique Hotel than staying in other big hotels. We would certainly recommend this place to others specially if you want a relaxing holiday. If you need to go on trips etc they are more than happy to recommend reliable transport to take you about, also will arrange you up from the air port if necessary. Swimming pool under construction and would be completed sometime in August.

rooms foods service both things are excellent. really appreciating their hospitality to gave us a valuable vacation.they arranged nice transport to travel.we are coming back definitely. again thank you very much for your services.