Ratings based on 20 Verified Reviews
Real reviews from guests who’ve stayed
4.7 Room cleanliness
4.6 Service & staff
4.4 Room comfort
4.4 Hotel condition
Wotif-Verified Reviews
Real reviews from guests who’ve stayed
by A verified traveller
Posted 29 Jan. 2023 on Expedia
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Waterland. It is convenient for the airport but in a quiet spot, situated by the river. It is beautiful. We had a great private villa with a good size pool. The staff and service were excellent. In particular Raganan was brilliant and looked after us very well. Incredibly good value for money and a short Tuk Tuk ride into Negombo town.
Comment from Hotel Management
6 Feb. 2023 by Mark, Hotel Management
Thank you so much for choosing Waterland and for taking the time to review your stay and share your experiences.We are delighted that you had an excellent stay and enjoyed the setting, convenience, beauty, value, villa, private pool, and service.Special thanks for your kind words about the staff. Their warmth, dedication, and professionalism make the difference between a good stay and a great stay.We hope your tour of the island has brought you joy.Good wishes from all of us at Waterland.
by A verified traveller
Posted 4 Dec. 2019 on Expedia
Very friendly and helpful staff, location is very isolated so you enjoy some peace of mind during the day but its bloody scary at night specially your inside a jungle riverside, not flexible at late checkouts which
Comment from Hotel Management
31 Dec. 2019 by Mark (Owner), Hotel Management
Thanks for staying and for reviewing your experience.
Thanks too for the kind words about the staff and the setting.
We're sorry that you found the experience at night to be frightening. This is not a concern we have heard from others. That said, we can understand how you could find the non-intrusive lighting can make our protected landscaped garden blend with the surrounding nature. As a result of your feedback, we will add additional lighting around the property.
Thanks too for your comment about late checkouts. Unlike a large, impersonal hotel in which many of the rooms are interchangeable, each of the villas at Waterland is unique. We cannot offer a late checkout because doings so prevents the next guest from being able to check in on time.
by A verified traveller
waterworld...
Posted 8 Apr. 2019 on Hotelsfriendly staff, lots of power cuts when we were there. Air conditioning wasn't working properly so the room was very hot. We were only there for one night so didn't really get into the feel of the hotel but we would have looked for somewhere else if the problems continued.
breakfast was not very good.. Bread basket consisting of 2 hard croissants, 2 cup cakes and 2 hard boiled eggs! really less than impressed..
they did reduce some costs because of the issues, which was good of them.
there was no view of the canlal from the room, due to a privacy there is a hedge obscuering the view.
Comment from Hotel Management
10 Apr. 2019 by Mark, Hotel Management
Thanks for staying and for your thoughtful and helpful comments. We're sorry about the difficulties you experienced.
All of Sri Lanka has been undergoing intermittent power cuts through the day. As you will have noticed, we have a generator so that there is always power, but there is a 3-5 minute lull between the time that the power is cut and the starting of the generator.
Thanks for alerting us to the heat in the villa. We had a repairman come to look at the air conditioner. It turns out to be a problem with the electronics of the air conditioner that cannot be repaired. We have ordered a new air conditioner. The air conditioner will be installed in 2 weeks. In the meantime, we have upgraded all guests who had booked the Lotus Villa for these 2 weeks to other villas. We would gladly have done the same for you.
We're sorry that you did not enjoy the bread basket. The croissants are home baked as are the cupcakes. We have been preparing the breakfast baskets on Tuesdays mornings and serving it on each guest's deck in order to provide a more romantic guest experience. While we have received lots of positive feedback about the breakfast baskets, other guests have, like you, felt that it is less than stellar. Accordingly, we will be discontinuing the serving of the breakfast baskets.
Finally, thanks for your comments about the privacy hedges. We will do some additional trimming of these so that guests in the Studio Villas by the Canal have some privacy, but also a view of the canal.
by A verified traveller
Mostly excellent, but...
Posted 31 Mar. 2019 on HotelsGenerally excellent with very good staff, but with just a small complaint. The room was lovely, but small things slightly spoiled it, such as the air conditioning was not very effective as the netting over the bed prevented the air from getting to you when you slept, which made it very stuffy. And while the bathroom was spectacular, the shower went everywhere. On the plus side the staff were wonderful and the food delicious.
Comment from Hotel Management
10 Apr. 2019 by Mark, Hotel Management
Thanks very much for staying and for your thoughtful remarks about elements that you enjoyed and how we can improve.
We're glad you found the hotel and the villa lovely, the food delicious, and the staff wonderful.
We have looked into the situation and discovered that it is not the placement of the air-conditioner that is a problem, but the air-conditioner itself. We had an air-conditioning company come to repair it, but apparently it cannot be fixed. We have ordered a new air-conditioner for the villa.
Thanks too for the comments about the shower water going everywhere. On 16 April, we will close Waterland for 2 months to upgrade the property. As part of that upgrade, we will fix the problem with the shower so that it does not go everywhere.
by A verified traveller from Australia
Posted 10 Mar. 2019 on Expedia
Waterland has excellent facilities. We enjoyed our private plunge pool. Some might find the out of town location a little inconvenient, but we liked being along the canal near the river estuary.
Comment from Hotel Management
10 Apr. 2019 by Mark, Hotel Management
We are delighted that you had a wonderful stay.
Thanks for noting that Waterland is in a remote part of Negombo. Tourists who want to be near lots of restaurants and bars will be happier at one of the many hotels on Negombo Beach. Waterland is, as you note a quiet oasis where guests can enjoy the excellent facilities and a private plunge pool.
by A verified traveller
Posted 22 Feb. 2019 on Hotels
Comment from Hotel Management
10 Apr. 2019 by Mark, Hotel Management
Thank you for staying at Waterland.
by A verified traveller
Peaceful on the lagoon.
Posted 26 Dec. 2018 on HotelsGood find for a night or 2. Chose this as fairly close to the airport. Small hotel exactly as advertised. Very helpful and friendly staff.
Good size room and bathroom. Very nice and pleasing views.
Recommended
for Everyoneby A verified traveller from Perth Australia
Quiet location
Posted 23 Jul. 2018 on Expedia
Pros: Quite location and river vista.
Cons: Signage and direction could be better, as our driver followed signs and came in the back way through a narrow lane which was difficult to negotiate.
Location: Small river boat tours operate in the canals and river - good to see sunset from.
We found Waterland quiet and tranquil nestled between a river and canal and close to the beach (about 600mtrs away). Quite surprising as you are close to busy/noisy Negombo City. The Staff, rooms and meals were excellent.
Normally we stay on the beach where there are more restaurants and activity, but as we only stayed one night this did not bother us. It would be a good location to do day trips from.
We stayed in a Canal View Room but really it should now be described as Garden View as plants and shrubs have been grown to ensure privacy from the canal and dwellings on the other side.
Comment from Hotel Management
13 Aug. 2018 by Mark, Hotel Management
We know you have many places to stay in Negombo. Thanks for choosing Waterland, for writing so extensively about your experiences, and for sharing your insights.
It's terrific to see that you enjoyed so many aspects of your stay and found the the service, rooms, garden, meals, and views to be excellent.
Your description of the location captures the essence of the property perfectly. Waterland is well suited for those who like quiet and tranquil boutique properties. As you note, Waterland is not a good choice for guests who like to be within walking distance of many shops, bars, and restaurants.
Thanks too for your excellent suggestion that guests go on a boat tour before sunset.
Finally, thanks for noting that our signage can be improved. We have added more signs throughout Negombo to help guide drivers, have placed directions and a downloadable map on our website, and are now on Google Maps.
We look forward to welcoming you back.
by A verified traveller
Loved it
Posted 24 May 2018 on HotelsLovely hotel. Can highly recommend the Elephant villa!
Comment from Hotel Management
6 Jun. 2018 by Mark, Hotel Management
Thank you very much for taking the time to review your stay at Waterland.
We are delighted that you had such an enjoyable stay and that you highly recommend the Elephant Villa. The Elephant Villa was the first villa we built. Its gorgeous views of the river make it a guest favorite.
We look forward to welcoming you back.
Recommended
for Everyoneby A verified traveller from Montreal
Wonderful villa
Posted 21 Mar. 2017 on ExpediaWe had the nicest stay in Waterland. Located in a fishing village, the villa offers a super pleasant experience in terms of comfort. You get to see life in the village as it is, every day...a genuine and true sri lankan life experience which you carry with you for the whole life. Beautiful villa, beautiful people, exquisite surroundings, nature, birds, elephants, monkeys...Loved everything, hope to be back...