With direct beach access, lounge chairs for soaking up the sun, the ocean a few footsteps away, two small swimming pools and friendly staff, Ubuntu Beach Villas at Mirissa is one of Sri Lanka’s top beach hotels where you leave the world behind for a few days. This property is comprised of two main villa-style buildings, each with just five private rooms. There are three ocean view rooms and two garden view rooms in each building. Staying here allows guests the feel of a private villa, without the minimum nightly stays of private villa rentals, with the service of a hotel and the homely feel of a small, boutique property. This property expands into the sandy beaches that are great for swimming and gentle walks. The hotel features a guest lounge with piano, ideal for relaxing and enjoying a sundowner. It is the smaller, more intimate hotel to Lantern, its sister hotel (also a boutique property) about 500 metres along the coast which shares a restaurant and spa with Ubuntu.
The rooms are spacious and airy. We love the ocean view rooms with the infinite view of the ocean and an open bathroom. A great way to start your day is to sip a cup of coffee or Ceylon tea and watch the sunrise across the ocean. The rooms consist of one large King size bed with all other amenities including coffee/tea making facilities, TV, safe and branded toiletries. It is possible to have the rooms converted to triple bedding.
The hotel has a small, modest spa across the main road within walking distance. Although quite basic, there are quite a few good therapies including a rejuvenating deep tissue massage certainly recommended if you have been on the move for some time. The staff is happy to make arrangements for you and escort you to the spa.
Food options are limited at Ubuntu; however, you can walk a few minutes along the beach and step into its sister property Lantern to enjoy an open-kitchen restaurant. If you want to have a quiet evening sipping a glass of wine and enjoying the ocean's beauty, give your dinner order to the staff with an hour’s notice and they will serve your dinner on the outside patio at Ubuntu. (The meal will be prepared at Lantern and brought down to Ubuntu). Breakfast is served inside the small restaurant or on the verandah outside if that’s your preference. Some of the meals we savoured during our recent stay include the fried calamari salad and the Sri Lankan breakfast of hoppers, coconut sambol and chicken curry.
This property is very much central being just a 10-minute drive to the harbour for whale watching in Mirissa, making it an ideal place to stay. Galle Fort is an hour's drive and great for a day visit if you stay for 2-3 nights at Ubuntu. If you are a keen surfer, do remember Weligama Bay is just an 11-minute drive from Ubuntu. Surfing enthusiasts might be interested in our suggested itinerary for Surf Sri Lanka.
What we love about Ubuntu is that it is small enough to give that homely touch. It's great value in terms of accommodation and food and being centrally located on the south coast makes it a good hot spot on your stay on the south coast. For more details and information about which are the best beaches in Sri Lanka, take some time to read our travel blog which focuses on the best beaches on Sri Lanka's south coast.
