Tartaruga Hotel

This April for our holidays we really wanted to find a place by the beach with easy access to the beach. While exploring the hotels in Unawatuna, we found this gem of a hotel right by the beach. We had initially booked for 2 nights and upon checking into our room we knew we had to extend our stay by a day and ended up staying for three nights. The entire team at Tartaruga from the reception staff to the restaurant staff were amazing. I was so amazed at the way they took care of us with unparalleled hospitality. There was a nice breakfast buffet and the menu options at the restaurant was amazing. For the second day we were joined by two of my friends with their families, there were three 2 year old kids in the group and the hotel staff prepared all the baby food needed for the kids. Thank you Tartaruga for this amazing experience!!! We will return for sure next year

This is a good hotel right on the beach in Unawatuna. The staff are a delight, all were friendly, courteous and exceptionally helpful. The rooms are large and clean with comfy beds, air con and large bathrooms, and most have a balcony and sea views. There was a good choice for breakfast, with fruit, local specialities, and an egg station, all served in their upstairs open air restaurant overlooking the sea. The only slightly disappointing part and in sharp contrast to the hotel was the very messy beach area, with very old & grubby sun beds (some broken) & umbrellas, all set so far back that you could barely see the sea, and what you could see was impeded by a load of empty chairs and tables, presumably waiting to be set up for dinner but serving no purpose in the day. However, this was minor and there are plenty of other places to enjoy the beach.

Before arriving in Unawatuna we were a little worried about the nature of the place (not the hotel but Unawatuna itself) as we had heard some negative things about it. However we had a lovely 3 nights here at the end of our 16 day tour of the beautiful Sri Lanka. Unawatuna is a seaside resort with lots of the usual tourist shops, a lovely beach and people of all nationalities but we enjoyed it. The bedroom and bathroom in the Tartaruga were spacious and clean and we had what were probably the best towels during our time in Sri Lanka. The staff were very friendly, the breakfast was very good and dining on the beach at night was lovely. I would definitely stay there again.

Well appointed rooms and you step out onto the beach. Great location and helpful staff. A small hotel which offered a pleasant retreat from the chaotic, Russian dominated tourist traps of Unawatuna, except for the annoyingly persistent gem seller whose shop for some reason is next to the hotel pool. The food was ok, but below the standard of other hotels we stayed at in Sri Lanka. Having travelled in Italy, we saw no evidence of an Italian influence despite the way that was promoted as a feature of the hotel. A god option for families.

Great location and 2 immaculate rooms that had sea views. Food was excellent - an array of dishes ranging from Sri Lankan/south Asian to European so to cater to all appetites. The Manager, Ajith, was very friendly and welcoming throughout our 3 day stay. My family and I experienced a very upsetting altercation with a group of people sitting near to us during dinner one evening. I asked if they could refrain from smoking as the smoke was blowing over to our table area and I had a young child of 8 who was also eating food. Initially they stopped but then started again and became very hostile when asked again to refrain from smoking. Although we were seated in the outside area, due to heavy rains we were moved very swiftly by staff so we were underneath a large canopy which covered all diners - cigarette smoke thus stayed underneath the canopy and affected others dining next to the smokers. I appreciate that cultural and personal differences exist but I do feel that manners and etiquette should transcend all cultures in re to smoking due to the risks from passive smoking. It is not an enjoyable experience to breathe in second hand smoke during a meal and also with a child present. I first visited Unawatuna in my mid 20s in 1998 . The beach is beautiful which makes the hotel a perfect location. The close location to the beach however did come at a cost as on the friday night we stayed there was a beach rave/party which blared music so loud until about 3am. For those that are light sleepers like myself, I was unable to get back to sleep until it stopped. My daughter thankfully didn’t hear anything and remained asleep throughout. On the whole a great hotel, fantastic location for the beach, really good food served as well a diverse buffet breakfast menu. May be worth while double checking before ordering food if smoking is permitted or not - for those that want to smoke and for those that prefer not eat in an environment with smokers.

A very good option if you want to stay close to the beach with breakfast and sun-beds. On one side is the Unawatuna main street and the other opens out to the beach. Staff is very helpful and polite in their interactions with the guests, especially would like to call out manager Jagath and front office executive Kaveesha. Breakfast offered has a decent spread including SriLankan food. Restaurant is outdoor lined with shady trees and offers a menu with prices competitive with other options available on the beach. Overall a very good 4 night stay at Hotel Tartaruga.

Stayed in unawatuna from November 2022 to February 2023 and used Tartaruga frequently,lad's behind the bar alway's friendly and welcoming,downside is the food,very poor and expensive compared to other good restaurants along the beach,we ended up only going for a drink until they increased the drink's dramatically in February,example a lion beer normally between 750slr and 800slr,they increased there's by 200slr,same with spirit's,totally out priced themselves for us and our friend's which was a shame as enjoyed the bar,,management should take note for future season's to much competition along the beach to be greedy,,