Karpaha Sands Reviews

This hotel was one of the best hotels we stayed in Sri Lanka. Everything was just perfect: the beach, the restaurant, the service and all amenities. We stayed in a private garden villa , the room was super clean and nicely decorated. The breakfast had a big variety of healthy meals, lunch and dinner menu is very good, has a big choice of fresh fish and seafood. The service was just excellent! Highly recommend to go to cinema under the stars and enjoy a movie on the beach. Will definitely recommend this place to friends.

The hotel looks very primising in the pictures, beautiful setting and facilities. Unfortunately we were a bit disqppointed on the way it is managed. It looks like the place is abandoned relying on its own structure and pictures. Pros: - beautiful setting and location, in front of a beautiful beach. - rooms are well done, big bathrooms, nice outdoor area. - faclities have a beautiful decoration, the bar, the restaurant. Cons: - cleaning! The resort has a cleaning issue. To the point that we wrote "clean me" with our fingers on the restaurant toilet mirror, and it was there during our entire stay. Nothing has regular cleaning, spots everywhere, toilets are terrible specialy the poil toilet (see pictures). - bar drinks are not good. We tried many drinks and juices in all the hotels we stayed in Sri Lanka, and this one we had to give up, drink after drink, juice after juice, were not good at all. Also the drink glasse come very very dirty. - bar is beautiful but never had any music during our stay. Its a silent empty place, no one uses it... and the bartender usualy is not there which makes it a ghost place. - service is welcoming but not prepared. For example before you reach the breakfast area upstairs they ask you: "what do you want for breakfast? So i dont have to go upstairs to ask", overall staff is tired, not motivated and have no training, they are as abandoned as the hotel. - spa was closed during our entire stay, because the lady had days off. So we booked a hotel with a Spa that did not exist...you have to be lucky not to book on her days off. - when at check-out i tried to tell them the place have lots of potential but they need to pay attention to this details they just replied: thank you for your stay, please make us a review on tripadvisor! So they just don't pay attention... which is sad to see. I wish they could change the management and have someone motivated and energic to transform the place into the best hotel in Sri Lanka, because they could be.

This is a beach villa. You can see the sunrise over the Indian Ocean when you wake up! It's quiet and you won't be disturbed! Breakfast is ordered and tastes good. The location is relatively remote, so you basically eat in the hotel.

Complete delight) Starting from the staff who greeted us at the entrance to the hotel. I didn’t want to leave at all, but we were able to book only for one day; there were no villas available for other dates. The general manager met us and we had a personal assistant. Everything is so beautiful, rooms with a private courtyard are more private than those with access to the sea. The interior is very stylish, a cool area for tea and a shower outside, and the most important thing is the presence of a bathroom) In the main building there is an area for working on a computer and a children's area - an incredibly beautiful room. There are many photo zones on the beach, there is a bar near the pool, and waiters serve drinks. The breakfast is perfect, the presentation and the dishes themselves are top class. We liked the dinner, we ordered a dish from the chef, it depends on the catch that day. We had lobsters. Everywhere they give compliments - coconuts upon arrival, shrimp by the pool, detox drinks for breakfast, etc. We travel a lot, but this particular hotel has sunk into our hearts. Probably, it’s also a matter of emotional attitude towards each guest. The general manager, Umberto, an Italian, accompanied us along with the rest of the staff. We'll definitely come back again.

We are overwhelmed. Absolutely fantastic place. The staff, our butler Banda, the food, sir Omba, and all the other people did their best to make our stay perfect. Both us and our kids loved this hotel. It's calm, has a beautiful pool which is well maintained, and has a gorgeous beach with local fishermen's and palms as far as eyes can see. This hotel gives you the feeling of "that little something special," and even with everything so high quality, it is still with a chill atmosphere. The hospitality gives you a feeling like you're welcome as you are. We would love to stay longer and of course we'll come back.

Karpaha Sands is a luxury hotel with unique beach Glamping tents all situated in amongst the palm trees, with fantastic views, it's a most beautiful Sri Lankan location. This really is a hideaway resort, luxury meets authenticity. Guests can unwind and be close to nature and relax in the infinity pool, or sit and chill in the artistic boutique surroundings. A walk across the beautiful white sand and then swim in the turquoise sea you can observe the local fishermen go about their daily work. The food and drinks were out of this world as was all the staff working in the Karpaha sands, we really can't wait to go back.

The most magical, perfect paradise in Sri Lanka. My husband and I spent 6 nights her, in the middle of our 2 week trip on the island. We could not get over the kind, accommodating nature of the staff here & how they made our trip so unbelievably special. A special thanks to Nifras, and the whole restaurant and bar team. Remembering our favourite drinks, our names and giving us tips & tricks about where to visit on the next part of our trip. Thank you to Umberto, for spending the time to get to know us, and for making our stay relaxing and enjoyable. The hotel really is a tranquil little hiatus. If you’re wanting a real reset and some R&R, this place is for you. We can’t wait to come back one day

Idyllic setting on probably the best beach on the East Coast. A 5 star Robinson Crusoe setting with lovely staff, led by the awesome GM Umberto, beautiful pool and good selection of great food and drinks. Undoubtedly though it is all about the location complete with fishing boats, eagles soaring above, golden sand with photogenic palm tree. "Tents" are well equipped with aircon and private outside showers- a joy!

After 2 years we came back to our favorite beach resort at the east coast of Sri Lanka. Meanwhile it became popular and you feel the new management, coming from Italy, everywhere. Best service, proper working butler system, very well designed food and these wonderful spacious airconditioned tents made our recent stay even more enjoyable than last time. We did not want to leave

Karpaha Sands is an absolutely wonderful boutique hotel that delivers on so many levels. The safari-style tents with outdoor shower create a very stylish and romantic ambience, the restaurant and bar offer lots of choice and consistently high quality food and drink. The location, off the beaten track, is stunning and relaxing. The public spaces are beautifully designed with attention to detail, I could go on and on. Umberto, the general manager strives to deliver a very personalised service and talks to guests on a daily basis. He even offered our 9-year-old to accompany him into the kitchen and help cook his pasta! Both the Sri Lankan and Italian dishes offered in the restaurant were delicious and fairly prices, as were the drinks. We booked half-board and were very pleased that we weren't limited to a small separate menu but could choose freely off the normal menu, which had lots of options and huge portion sizes. Ash, our butler looked after us extremely well. When he saw us up for sunrise on the beach he offered to bring us a cappuccino. He surprised us with a wedding anniversary cake and when after our meal, we returned to our room we find our bed decorated with towel art and flowers. He arranged our beach bbq dinner and acted as our personal server during the evening, even taking photos and videos for us! He also organised our cinema under the stars and brought us popcorn, it was a wonderful way to while away the evening. Karpaha Sands is the kind of place that truly relaxes you and lets you forget all your stresses and strains. Sadly I didn't get round to trying the ayurvedic spa treatments, which looks very inviting and again were very fairly prices. All in all we were very sad to leave and would have happily stayed longer. We would throughougly recommend staying here if you're visiting this part of Sri Lanka.

Had a wonderful stay at Karpaha Sands from start to finish. The hotel is beautifully set on a quiet remote beach, safari style tent accommodation is comfortable and stylish, and the staff were all extremely attentive, friendly, and hospitable. Just like the pictures online, paradise on Sri Lanka’s East Coast. Our butler Banda went above and beyond to make us comfortable, and a special a shout out to Kumari for the wonderful three-day Ayurvedic spa treatments. Reasonably priced and highly recommended. Food was also excellent and aside from a couple of meals, we ate at the hotel restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Lots of options available, from local favourites, to Italian seafood dishes, to BBQ private dining experiences. Lastly, access really isn’t as bad as some other reviews make out. Yes, the 2km track off the main road is a little bumpy in places but our driver had no problems, and getting around the local area by TukTuk is easily arranged.

Umberto.....a pleasure!! Saw a review that slammed the drive to the hotel. Yep its bumpy , and after a long drive the last thing you want....however... After that , your hotel , the staff , the food the rooms , everything is well worth a bumpy ride....which by the way is life....a bumpy road. Your hotel caters for all. Small things matter, the fact you go out of your way to greet everyone at sometime when they first arrive is lovely, and makes your guests feel very welcome. The food and choice is superb ( your Italian ,please add a bruschetta!!).. Wish it was closer , but we won't we back sadly , all we can say is...if you are a potential guest...go there, you will not be disappointed

Absolutely fantastic! The hotel is gorgeous the staff are amazing, the food is first class and the rooms are perfect. We could not recommend this place highly enough and a shame we couldn’t stay longer! We came for our honeymoon and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to others

An unbelievable hotel - it is the only hotel on a huge, beautiful bay, and it feels so private. We were often the only people on the beach, other than the local fishermen hauling in their nets. We stayed in the ‘tent’ rooms right on the beach, which were very luxurious (we loved the outside shower!). The staff, food and pool were also amazing, and we particularly loved our private cinema screening on the beach under the stars!