Hotel Lagoon, also listed as Lagoon Bentota, is a small hotel on the bank of the Bentota River, a short way inland from the beach. It has only a handful of rooms, all looking out over the pool and the water, and a quiet setting among coconut palms and riverside greenery. Guests come here for the calm of the lagoon, the personal service of a small, family-scale hotel and easy access to boat trips on the river.
The hotel stands on Yathramulla Road at Thotupola, on the inland side of Bentota on the south-west coast of Sri Lanka, right at the edge of the Bentota River lagoon. The river's mangroves begin just a few hundred metres away, and the centre of Bentota is about a 15-minute walk. Bentota railway station, on the coastal line between Colombo and Galle, is a little over 2 km from the hotel.
The drive from Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) runs around Colombo and down the Southern Expressway to the Bentota area, then inland along the river to the hotel, and usually takes around 2 hours, depending on traffic around Colombo. The easiest way to arrive after a long flight is a private airport transfer booked in advance: Lakpura can arrange an English-speaking driver to meet you in the arrivals hall and take 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.
The rooms are spacious and air-conditioned, with ceiling fans, and look over the pool towards the lagoon. Listings name Deluxe Rooms, a Deluxe Double Room with a lagoon view, a Deluxe Triple Room with a river view, and a Luxury Room with a river view. Guests often mention the carved wooden furniture and how well the rooms are kept.
Breakfast is served in the hotel's restaurant, which also serves fresh, home-style food through the day, and there is a lobby bar. The outdoor pool is set among coconut trees with sun loungers overlooking the lagoon, a good spot for watching the sunset. The hotel has free Wi-Fi and parking.
The river is right on the doorstep, and the hotel can arrange boat safaris through the mangroves, where guests regularly see crocodiles, kingfishers, eagles, owls and monkeys. The beach and the water sports of Bentota lie on the other side of town, and Lunuganga, Geoffrey Bawa's country estate, and Brief Garden, created by his brother Bevis, are both close by. Further along the coast are the turtle hatcheries of Kosgoda, the mask makers of Ambalangoda and Galle Fort, an easy day trip. Lakpura can arrange private transfers and day tours to all of these from the hotel.
Bookable activities, tours, and tickets within a 25 km radius.
Pre-book a private vehicle for arrival, departure, or onward travel.
