Secret Garden Villa Unawatuna

Everything about this hotel is perfect. Steps always from the beach but very quiet corner location, room is spacious, breakfast is very good with fresh fruits and homemade bread, staffs here are super helpful and friendly, the shower is open roof one which is very unique, the whole garden is full of plants with food maintenance, we will definitely stay here again in the future. I posted some updated images and videos so everybody has an idea with the current environment, it’s beautiful.

Wonderful location, quiet jungle atmosphere, even feed a monkey that visits the area. laid back. Best service, I have experienced in Sri Lanka. Staff were excellent, even spike very good English. Madame is very helpful, caring and wonderful person. Thanks so much for the memories. Beach was across the road, threw a restaurant, perfect location. Outside shower. Rustic room, antique vibe.

Truly in love with this space, a proper immersive jungle vibe with serene over arching greenery, tiny bridge walkways and optionable cute little cottage style rooms. The staff here are quick and prompt, well informed. Havent eaten breakfast here but it looked and smelled delightful! It is located walking distance from the market. Whenever I do return to SL, SecretGarden is hands down my first choice for stay!

Very calm small hotel consisting in several old houses which keeps the traditional architecture of Sri Lanka (very strange to see) surrounded of a nice jungle garden full of plants and animals. Not suitable place for people who do not like nature. Very friendly and helpful staff. Take care with moskitos due to a polluted stream which runs nearby, thanks to the terrible management of the sri lankan Water Board.

We had a great stay at secret garden villa for 3 nights. The room was clean with incense on arrival with a huge bed and a lovely outdoor shower. We made the most of the facilities; we had dinner and cocktails at the sushi bar and did morning yoga in the domed yoga hut. The staff were all very friendly. The garden was amazing. Would recommend.

Favourite place I stayed in Sri-Lanka!|This villa was tucked away from the busy street and it was so calm a serene. It has a beautiful large garden with a yoga room (daily yoga classes with a great yoga teacher!). The room was rustic, but beautiful, clean, and spacious. Our room had a covered outdoor shower which may not suit all tastes but we loved it!|The staff (both day and night) were so friendly and welcoming and made us feel at home.|Would definitely recommend!

Stayed here for a week and it was OK. I think it's more aimed at people who enjoy yoga and need somewhere to stay rather than longer term stays. Very friendly staff. An old colonial villa and quite dated. Good for a "Sri Lanka Experience". Ill fitting doors not great when there are mosquitoes around and the outdoor toilet and shower sounds lovely though can wear a but thin and wouldn't be great if an upset stomach meant you needed to spend time in the loo. The layout isn't great. My "private" bathroom was at the end of a corridor that ran past 2 other bedrooms and the kitchen. Not sure how often it's cleaned and my toilet seat disappeared half way through the week. I was probably there a bit long and chose the wrong sort of hotel.

Let us begin with the positive - the staff was really nice. And the obvious - positive reviews are rigged. ||||We aren’t the type to leave negative reviews. If we have nothing nice to say we usually don’t say anything at all. ||||There are a few exceptions and this is one of them. ||||During our month of travel in Sri Lanka, this is the only place we stayed that was a true disappointment. ||||Everything we endured during our stay would have been bearable if our room and the hotel were clean. But they are not clean or kept. The place is not cared for at all. An older building requires a lot of extra up keep - it cannot exist on charm alone. Especially in a tropical climate.||||Our room was so dirty we didn’t walk on the floor or shower without wearing our sandals. The walls, floors, ceiling fans, light switches and furniture - all covered in fifth. The bed linens, stained and threadbare.|| There were cockroaches and ants everywhere along with a really creepy 8” centipede - the kind that will bite you in your sleep. ||||The electricity and water went off for hours at a time - we were told “They have no control over this - it’s the Sri Lankan government”. However, one afternoon I was in the shower covered in soap, while my husband was sitting outside on our veranda and an employee came outside our room and switched off the electricity. I had to wipe soap out of my eyes and off my body with a towel. When the electricity is shut off the water shuts off too. ||||In the heat of the same night the power went out for 3 hours. The owner (who is Swedish) knew the power was going to be cut and hired a generator for her restaurant (on the same property) which is open to the public. She did not care enough about her guests to extend the same courtesy. ||||A few other issues- the toilet lid would not stay open. We had to hold it open and use the toilet at the same time. The “handheld” shower nozzle would not stay attached to the “wall mount” adaptor. The stream running through the “Secret Garden” is being used as a grey water flushing system by the establishment. One morning my husband was offered breakfast while the cook brushed his teeth with his fingers. Personal hygiene is important. Which is why it should stay personal. ||||Our bill for two nights of sleepless torture was $260. Do yourself a favor and stay where you are wanted. The Secret Garden doesn’t want you, but they do want your money.