Neilis Villa

Saman, the on-site caretaker was really friendly and helpful. He cooked us an amazing meal on NYE and generally he couldn't do enough for us. The villa is spacious and every room (5 bedrooms) have their own private ensuite shower/toilet. The communal areas inside aren't huge, but then you're not in Sri Lanka to stay inside, so it was perfectly adequate for the property. The pool was a good size and the garden gave the villa a peaceful outlook. Hikkaduwa is a tourist spot with plenty of bars, beach bars, restaurants and cafes. The level of spice is tailored for a more sensitive palate however, so if you're expecting spicy food, you may be disappointed. You have to ask for hot hot hot if you want to match UK Sri Lankan spice levels! There are lots of Russians in Hikkaduwa, so you can have some fun trying to get a smile out of them! The bus routes are well connected and Little Lanka, Galle and Unawatuna are not too far and it's definitely an experience. We highly recommend Angel Tours, Two Brothers, Mambo, Mandala and Hello Burger.

Sadly none of the overhead/waterfall showers were working in any of the ensuite bathrooms. We think the water pressure was possibly the issue? But the handheld showers all worked, albeit with low water pressure, so it wasn't a huge deal. The water was only hot mid afternoon, again, not a big deal, as a lukewarm shower was fine when you were trying to cool off anyway. The rooms generally were clean and any request for fresh towels and bedding was handled with a smile. However the smaller details (inside cupboards/drawers for instance) were not to our usual standards when travelling.