Calamander Beach Hotel

Overview

Unawatuna beach, next to Galle on the island’s south coast, is rated one of the best beaches in the world and is famous for its natural beauty and intimacy. Unawatuna was voted ‘The World’s Best Tropical Beach’ by The Discovery Channel, and ‘Best Beach in the World’ by Mark Ellingham, founder of the Rough Guides. No other beach resort in Sri Lanka offers the same combination of golden sand, a protected bay, spectacular sunsets, Sri Lanka’s safest swimming all year round, and a reputation for being hassle free and laid back; all conveniently close to a wide variety of shopping, dining and cultural attractions only 15 minutes away in Galle Fort, Sri Lanka’s Riviera and a UNESCO heritage site. This combination of attractions, unique in Sri Lanka, is just 90 minutes away from Colombo airport. Paradise has never been so accessible.

Calamander Unawatuna Beach Hotel is an ‘affordable luxury’, family friendly resort that celebrates its superb location. The resort is all about being outdoors: sun bathing on one of the world’s best beaches, joining a game of beach volleyball or a yoga class, lounging by one of Sri Lanka’s three best swimming pools, kayaking on the Indian Ocean in one of our free kayaks, or dining al-fresco at one of our four beachside restaurants and bars.

Calamander beach hotel provides 5 star quality at a 4 star price, wrapped in cool modern design. Rooms are including all taxes, service charges and breakfast, but they also provide the public facilities of a top 5 star hotel. To provide quality at a reasonable price, ‘everything you need, and nothing you don’t’, they focus on high room standards, good bathrooms and excellent beds, rather than huge rooms. Good free Wi-Fi is standard in all rooms, and there are designated 4G Wi-Fi hotspots in public areas.

The 49 deluxe rooms are 25 sq. m. and have balconies or a terrace on the ground floor and ensuite bathrooms. Two of the Deluxe interconnect to provide a Family Suite of approx. 45 sq. m. with twin bathrooms, twin rain showers and sinks, and a bathtub. Most of the Deluxe benefit from a partial sea view, a garden view, or a mountain view over the Rumassala Hills.

The five bars and restaurants at Calamander Unawatuna Beach Hotel boast the best al-fresco dining experience in Sri Lanka.

Melt Bistro offers a wide range of International and Sri Lankan dishes. The bistro specializes in live cooking stations for Italian pasta, the island’s first Ramen noodles bar, and a range of Asian street food favourites. These include Sri Lankan ‘Kottu Roti’, Singapore Laksa and Chicken Rice, Thai Green Curry, Vietnamese Pho, and Malaysian Satay, all freshly cooked in front of you. A nightly ‘Seafood Market’ displays the freshest local catch of the day on a traditional fishing boat which can be cooked to order, and diners can have a romantic candlelit dinner on the beach with a wood fire. The recently revamped ‘A La Carte’ menu retains dishes thet are famous for such as the pasta and the ‘Melt Perfect Langoustine’ (grilled, melt in your mouth garlic buttered jumbo prawns), and adds comfort food classics including the All-Day English Breakfast.

Brix Cafe is the light eating, café style concept. Built around a brick oven, Brix specializes in real Italian style (thin crust) hand-made pizzas, panini’s and wraps, and has a full service bar with draught beer on tap. Brix is also a Café, and is a popular spot for playing chess and other board games, and offers a range of the finest Ceylon Teas and superb Arabica coffees.

Both Melt and Brix are sited directly on the beach with breathtaking ocean views and are open all day, every day.

680 Blu bar + pool is a lively beach and sports bar directly on the beach at co-ordinates 6 Degrees North and 80 Degrees West. It specializes in cocktails, and shows major sports events daily. Its ‘couple loungers’ are a big attraction.

In addition to the attraction of the stunning swimming pools and marine water sports, beach games are a major draw at Calamander Unawatuna Beach Hotel.

Ocean swimming: Unawatuna beach offers the country’s best and safest year round swimming. A coral reef and rock outcrop protects Unawatuna bay, so the bay is effectively a giant salt-water swimming pool. The calm waters also attract resident sea turtles, that nest on the beach. Bodysurfing is also popular.

Marine sports: The beach hotel offers ocean kayaks and stand-up paddleboards for free. Other marine sports available for a charge include snorkeling, diving, and whale and dolphin watching. The Unawatuna and Galle bay area offer three wreck dives and a good range of reef dive sites.

Land sports available include beach volleyball, badminton, table tennis, a gym, aqua aerobics, boules and croquet. Beach cricket matches are held regularly. Private fitness lessons are available from an excellent ex-Sri Lankan army fitness instructor, and our equally good ex-Sri Lankan Navy swimming instructor.

Yoga: The hotel specializes in Hatha Yoga classes taught by the resident Yogi. Our Yogi prefers outdoor lessons, as the sea air aids the correct breathing.

Other amenities  include a kid’s club, playground, full service spa, additional shops, a conference room, a cinema, mini golf, and an Apple I-Pad station.