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Weligama Bay Marriott Resort & Spa is a five-star beachfront resort on Sri Lanka's south coast, occupying a single white tower above its own stretch of sand about a kilometre east of Weligama town. It opened in 2017 as the first Marriott-branded resort in the country, and all 198 rooms and suites face the Indian Ocean. Three outdoor pools, Quan Spa, five places to eat and drink and one of the gentlest surf breaks in Sri Lanka are all a few minutes from the lobby.
The address is 700 Matara Road, Pelana, Weligama 81700, on the coast road between Weligama town and Mirissa. The grounds run down to Weligama Bay itself, a crescent of sand roughly two kilometres long, with direct access to the beach from the gardens. Weligama town and its fish market are about a kilometre west; Taprobane Island, the tiny private islet that sits some 300 metres offshore and can be waded to at low tide, is a short walk further along the same bay. Mirissa is around five kilometres east by road, and Galle is about a thirty-minute drive west.
Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) is roughly 175 kilometres north, and the drive takes about two and a half hours on the E01 Southern Expressway before dropping down to the coast road. There is no direct rail or air link, so a pre-booked private transfer is the usual arrangement, and it saves working out the expressway exits at the end of a long flight. Free private parking is available at the resort if you are driving yourself. Book the Colombo (CMB) Airport transfer to Weligama Bay Marriott Resort & Spa.
There are 198 rooms and suites in seven categories, and every one of them looks out over the ocean: 76 Ocean View, 57 Luxe Ocean View and 55 Ocean Vista rooms, then ten suites made up of four Superior Ocean Suites, three Luxe Ocean Suites, two Ocean Vista Suites and a single Presidential Suite. Rooms come with a private balcony, a day bed set at the window, a bathtub and a 55-inch smart television, and the suites add a separate dining area. The higher floors look straight down the length of the bay towards the headland.
Weligama Kitchen is the all-day restaurant, with buffet spreads and live cooking stations that run Sri Lankan dishes alongside international ones. Big Fish is the seafood restaurant, a chef-led grill with a Mediterranean lean. Tides is the lobby lounge, for coffee, cocktails and lighter plates, and Mirissa Baking Company handles bread, pastries and takeaway coffee. There is also a bar beside the pool under a conical thatched roof, and room service runs 24 hours.
Three outdoor pools are laid out through the gardens — a lap pool, a relaxation pool and a children's pool — ringed by lawn, frangipani and coconut palms that run down to the sea wall. Quan Spa has five treatment rooms, one of them for couples, offering therapies drawn from both Asian and Western traditions. There is a fitness centre and a kids' club, and the event space runs to four meeting rooms plus a poolside lawn large enough for 600 guests, which is why the resort is a common choice for weddings. Wi-Fi is free throughout.
Weligama is generally reckoned the best place in Sri Lanka to stand up on a board for the first time. The bay has a sand bottom rather than reef, and the waves break slowly and forgivingly close to shore, which is why the beach is lined with surf schools and board hire. Further out, the peaks carry enough size to keep improving surfers interested. Boards and lessons are easy to arrange locally, and the resort has water sports facilities of its own.
Mirissa, five kilometres along the coast, is the departure point for blue whale and dolphin watching, with boats sailing in season from roughly November to April. Galle Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage site of Dutch ramparts, churches and cafés, is half an hour west. Matara Fort is about fourteen kilometres east. Closer still, the stilt fishermen who balance on poles planted in the shallows work either end of the bay, most reliably early in the morning.
The old hotel, all the infrastructure is worn out and has long required renovation. Self-service, it was annoying that the staff were constantly chatting among themselves, the hotel guests were just background noise to them. I do…
We loved it. We spent 4 nights and 5 days and enjoyed our time at the Marriott. The room was spacious and well appointed. Housekeeping maintained the room well each day. The room here was among the best that we have had in our tr…
We recently had our homecoming function at the Weligama Bay Marriott Resort & Spa, and everything was quite excellent! The food was really great, and the kitchen staff was incredibly friendly. A special shoutout to Chef Chamath at…
Ratings and reviews provided by TripAdvisor for Weligama Bay Marriott Resort & Spa.
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