Nisala Arana is a small, family-run boutique hotel at Kommala in Bentota, built around a colonial manor house from about 1850 that was once the home of the village Ayurveda doctor. Restored sympathetically from 2001, it now has seven bedroom suites in three buildings, set on four and a half acres of coconut estate and tropical gardens around a colonnaded pavilion and a freshwater pool. Its name means "an abode of peace".
The hotel stands on Circular Road at Kommala, in the quiet countryside just inland from Bentota on the south-west coast of Sri Lanka. Bentota Beach and the Indian Ocean are a short tuk-tuk ride away, and the lagoon and mangroves of the Bentota River, where the boat trips begin, are close by. The gardens are planted with palms, orchids and medicinal trees and draw both native and migratory birds.
Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) is about 110 km from Bentota by road, and the drive around Colombo and down the Southern Expressway usually takes 1.5 to 2 hours, depending on traffic. The easiest way to arrive after a long flight is a private airport transfer booked in advance with Lakpura: an English-speaking driver meets you in the arrivals hall and takes you straight to the hotel in an air-conditioned car, van or coach sized for your group, from 2 up to 15 guests, at a fixed price for the whole vehicle rather than per seat. The same service works in reverse for your departure flight. Book the Colombo (CMB) Airport transfer to Nisala Arana.
The seven suites are split between three buildings. The Doctor's House, the original manor, has three bedrooms with four-poster beds, air-conditioning, an open-air garden shower, a central courtyard with a reflection pond and a pillared veranda with arches. The Coconut Wing has two suites with canopied queen beds, outdoor garden bathrooms and high ceilings, and the Mango Wing has two more with four-poster beds, day beds, air-conditioning and an elevated veranda entered through Jaffna temple doors.
Meals are served in the Pavilion, the open-sided restaurant overlooking the garden and pool, or at tables set out in the grounds. The kitchen cooks Sri Lankan food shaped by Portuguese, Dutch and British influences, from hoppers and rice and curry to lamprais, seafood paella and watalappam, with an arrack sour from the bar. The hotel also arranges English high tea, seafood barbecues by the pool and cooking demonstrations, and caters for Ayurvedic, vegetarian, gluten-free and vegan diets.
At the hotel there is a yoga shala in the gardens for daily classes, a massage hut for Ayurveda oil massages, meditation sessions, guest bicycles and a croquet lawn. Bentota's lagoon is the place for boat and catamaran trips through the mangroves, water-skiing and jet-skiing, and Geoffrey Bawa's Lunuganga estate and his brother Bevis's Brief Garden are both nearby. Further afield are the turtle hatchery at Kosgoda, the Dutch fort at Galle and whale-watching trips in season. Lakpura can arrange private transfers and day tours to all of these from the hotel.
Nisala Arana. Quiet and peaceful. A beautiful and relaxing haven away from the Bentota bustle and the perfect place to begin or end a trip to Sri Lanka. Tony and the team work very hard to ensure your stay is special and are very…
Beautiful buildings in lovely well kept gardens, full of character and charm. Tony, Gavinder and the team never stop, they look after you very well. We had a room over the garage (much, much better than it sounds!) and the beds w…
Nisala Arana was one of the highlights of our stay in Sri Lanka, a truly magical, authentic, and beautiful place. We stayed in the Mango Suites, and the rooms were stunning, spacious, and incredibly relaxing. Thanks to Tony and hi…
Ratings and reviews provided by TripAdvisor for Nisala Arana Boutique Hotel.
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