CONTEMPORARY-STYLED HERITAGE HOTEL IN BENTOTA
Originally designed by Geoffrey Bawa, Sri Lanka’s celebrated architect, this enigmatic hotel in Bentota dates back to the 1980s yet has been extensively upgraded since. In 2021 it became the very latest member of the KK Collection family and its approach to affordable luxury reflects the brand’s timeless and meticulously stylish aesthetic. Spend days relaxing on deep verandas and terraces or beside the pool. Slip into the warm Indian Ocean. Sip sundowners on the beach. Indulge your body and mind with a wellness package championing Hela Wedakama, Sri Lanka’s ancient form of plant-based medicine. Experience extraordinary events within private tropical gardens.
The 14 stylish, individually decorated rooms and suites at our luxurious hotel in Bentota promise to cocoon you in comfort. Beds dressed in fine linen ensure a glorious night’s sleep, bathrooms have a fresh, modern look and terraces gaze into lush gardens. Stays here are affordable and each room is a sanctuary for rest and relaxation. Versatile accommodation suits style-loving couples and families; choose from two-bedroom family rooms, a chamber for two, a decadent suite or a hidden-away room with pool.
Affordable rooms for two at this boutique hotel in Bentota with tranquil garden views. Although these are the smallest rooms on offer here, they feature all of the high-end comforts and conveniences you’d expect from a KK Collection hotel. Rooms all have private bathrooms and hot showers and are located on the ground or first floors of the hotel.
The Superior Rooms offer a similar look and feel to Standard Rooms with a few added extras. They are located on the first floor and enjoy sweeping garden views, and one has its own balcony for reading in peace or watching birds, monkeys and squirrels in the garden. Both bedrooms are furnished with king-sized beds and have private bathrooms with rain showers and bathtubs.
The Superior Suites are some of the most indulgent at the Bentota luxury villa. Their elegance and timeless style make these some of the most desirable rooms in Bentota. Sleeping between two and four guests, and with access onto private garden- and ocean-view terraces and balconies, they are fabulous options for decadent honeymooners and families. Each bedroom is furnished with a king-sized four-poster bed and has a private bathroom with rain shower and separate bathtub.
This Superior Suite exudes timeless elegance with an antique four poster bed, a bathroom with walk-in rain shower and a separate bathtub. Although there is no view of the ocean, the room benefits from a private courtyard, seating area and its own plunge pool. Perfect for honeymooners to enjoy with total privacy.
Executive Suites have been designed with honeymooners in mind. However, these rooms can sleep up to three guests across one king-sized four-poster bed and a rollaway bed or a banquette bed, and gaze indulgently across the garden (and one, to the ocean beyond). They are located in a quiet, far flung corner of the Bentota beach hotel, and this provides them with a luxurious sense of privacy and seclusion. In the bathrooms are walk-in monsoon showers and separate bathtubs.
The Mohotti Suite is the hotel’s most unique room. Accessed up a steep wooden staircase, it’s housed in a timber-panelled pavilion next to the children’s pool. Sleep here, and you’ll feel like you’re staying in your own villa in Bentota. Sri Lanka’s famous architect Geoffrey Bawa carved out this beautiful suite, and it works as well for couples as it does for families. Sleep comfortably in beautifully dressed antique four-poster beds and relax in the sunken sitting room. The two bedrooms share a bathroom with rain shower and bathtub.
Dining
The main Bentota restaurant sits beneath a pavilion-style roof, and the chefs concoct modern Sri Lankan dishes crafted from local produce. For those seeking a little less formality and a more western menu, The Bawa’s Bar is the second dining option with bar that overlooks the palm-shaded lawn. If you’d rather stay in, meals can be served to your room, balcony or terrace. The hotel also hosts theme nights – think Middle Eastern and Thai – along with weekly seafood beach barbecues. If it’s an ocean-view drink you’re after, the team serve sundowners to sun loungers placed on the neatly brushed beach.
Let the talented Bentota chefs take you on a culinary journey of Sri Lanka and teach you the intricacies of local cuisine on a Sri Lankan cookery demonstration. Learn your favourite island dishes for recreating in your own kitchen back home.
The Madu Ganga wetlands lie to the south of Bentota at Balapitiya, and this is a richly bio-diverse destination for wildlife, culture and nature. By private boat, you’ll journey into this aquatic wonderland that visits pristine mangrove forests, a cinnamon estate and a Buddhist temple that sits on one of the 32 islands within this extensive wetlands complex. Wildlife to be seen includes a great variety of waterbirds, reptiles and monkeys.
Bentota is a key water sports hub in Sri Lanka, and offers a variety of activities throughout the year. In the still waters of the Bentota Lagoon, you can jet ski, water ski or take a banana boat ride. Boats travel up the Benthara River and through avenues of mangroves on nature cruises while the ocean sets the scene for deep sea fishing.
The Villa Bentota (and the local area) is synonymous with the Bawa brothers – a celebrated architect and landscape designer whose former homes may be visited as part of a garden tour to include lunch or afternoon tea. Lunuganga is the extensive former estate of Geoffrey Bawa. Now a hotel, it overlooks Dedduwa Lake and its meticulous design incorporates hills, woodland and wetlands. Brief, the smaller yet equally enchanting home and garden of Geoffrey’s brother Bevis is another fascinating place to visit.
Map and travel information
Monday – Friday: 9am – 5:30pm
Saturday: 10am – 4:00pm
1 Market Place Mews, Gardiner Place,
Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, RG9 2AH