Ahu Bay

Style

Beatific beach-house

Setting

Shore thing, Ahungalla

A boutique hideaway seasoned with local flavour, Ahu Bay is an oceanfront idyll of suites and villas on a quieter stretch of Sri Lanka’s southwest coast. Its location – north of Balapitiya, on an oceanswept promontory flanked by jungle-fringed, sand beaches – flirts with perfection. The additions of a spa, gastronomic dining and a hotel-spanning infinity pool bring resort frills to its boutique charms. This is not, however, a place to fly and flop… The wealth and finesse of tours and experiences on offer elevate Ahu Bay into the most brilliant of basecamps for getting to know Sri Lanka.

Facilities

Rooms

13, including three suites, plus two villas.

Checkout

11am. Earliest check-in, 2pm. Both are flexible, subject to availability and a fee, but must be arranged ahead of time.

More Details

Rates include breakfast à la carte, served in the hotel restaurant.

Also

Unfortunately this on-the-beach stay is unsuitable for wheelchair-users.

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Pool

On-Site Restaurant

Spa

At the Hotel

Concierge, paid laundry service and free WiFi. In rooms: ceiling fan, smart TV, umbrella, beach bag, minibar stocked with beer, soft drinks, Dilmah Tea, and local snacks, free coffee- and tea-making kit, and local, natural bath products.

Our Favourite Rooms

Suites often steal the show when it comes to favourites, but can we take a moment to appreciate the high-spec decor, generous size and balcony ocean-views that come with Bay View Rooms at Ahu Bay. Upgrade to a Bay View Pool Suite for a private plunge-pool, garden, and a four-poster in the bedroom. Groups and families (teens only) will love the Pool Residences – two-storey, three-bedroom villas, each with a private plunge pool, gardens and courtyard.

Poolside

In front of the restaurant, beanbag-style sunloungers sit squat on a wooden deck edging Ahu Bay’s infinity pool, where the Indian Ocean views put you as close to sea swimming as fresh-water dips come. You’re right beside the restaurant and bar, meaning there’s no need to wander far for refreshment, and it’s open from 7am until 6pm, and has a lifeguard. If you’re in a Bay View Pool Suite or Pool Residence, you’ll also have a private plunge-pool – a raised, concrete-sided confection that sits on your private terrace, and has step entry at one end.

Spa

Beside the hotel entrance, a spiral staircase takes you directly to Sanctuary Spa, a modest-but-airy retreat combining a welcome lounge and two ensuite treatment rooms. Its menu of head-to-toe therapies takes full advantage of island-grown herbs and spices: we love the sound of its spa bundle which parcels up a shoulder massage with a cooling mint foot-soother. Body rituals range from hot-stone treatments to deep-tissue workouts to a calming massage with warm herbal compresses.

Packing Tips

If you have even one artistic bone in your body, bring art materials, as this most picturesque of coastal landscapes is a surefire muse.

Also

Scout your favourite spot in the gardens or on the sand, then arrange a private dinner for two for a memorable five courses by candlelight.

Children

Over-12s are welcome at Ahu Bay, and three-bedroom Pool Residences also include a bunk room that’s ideal for two children. Extra beds can be added on various board rates from US$50.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

As you face the ocean, an L-shaped sofa set below the main restaurant is an idyllic spot for sundowners – you’ll need to bag it well ahead of sunset.

Dress Code

The sartorial bar goes no higher than smart-casual (and beachwear is fine by day). For evening, we’re leaning towards flowing dresses, oversize tropical prints, and perhaps a sailor stripe or two.

Hotel Restaurant

Seasonal ingredients and a hyperlocal supply chain are the cornerstones of the Sri Lankan cuisine you’ll find at Ahu Bay’s all-day restaurant. The ocean-soundtracked heart of this hotel, it sits behind the pool – an open-sided space, nautically dressed in shades of white and blue, with woven chairs, and boat paddles and fishing baskets upcycled into art. Breakfast’s local heroes amid the bircher, omelettes and pancakes include a herb-flecked coconut salad, and a village-style tapioca bowl with chilli sambal. For dinner, debate the pros of choosing marinated-overnight Cajun chicken, popcorn-crusted Angus fillet, or a banquet-like seafood platter; or plump for the delicious local flavours of lagoon crab curry or lobster kottu with shredded paratha. And leave room for desserts such as watalappan (coconut custard) with jaggery syrup, or dark-cocoa-and-mint-tea mousse.

Hotel Bar

There’s no firm demarcation of a drinking den at Ahu Bay, so much as a free-flowing space between restaurant, bar and pool, where you can enjoy a cocktail, beer or glass of wine. Please note that on Poya days (full moon), alcohol is served in your room only and not in any communal areas.

Last Orders

Restaurant service flows all day from breakfast through lunch and afternoon tea, to dinner. And the bar is open all day until 11pm.

Room Service

There’s no room service at Ahu Bay, but the compact layout of the hotel and the restaurant’s all-day set-up means that your next meal or snack is only ever a saunter away.

Planes

Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport is a two-hour drive from Ahu Bay and private transfers can be arranged.

Automobiles

Free parking is available at the hotel, which is off the Welipenna exit of the Southern Expressway from Colombo.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Without leaving the grounds of Ahu Bay, there’s a clutch of memorable experiences you may want to try: take afternoon high tea in the garden; pick your favourite spot for a candlelit five-course dinner; or deep-dive into Sri Lankan cuisine with a cookery class. The hotel has an impressive glut of tours to tempt you further afield too. For nature lovers, there’s a shoreline walking tour with a naturalist guide, or a cruise on an outrigger along the Madu River to visit the estuaries and mangroves of Balapitiya. Two wheels is the way to see the Dedduwa Backwaters with a guided bicycle ride. Or lace up your boots and enjoy a trek through rainforest and marshland in the Beraliya Jungle, which is home to the mysteriously titled Crying Waterfall, just 45 minutes from Ahungalla. Water-based adventures are also in abundance. On the Bentota River in Aluthgama, a watersports centre is your one-stop hub for anything from deep-sea fishing trips to wakeboarding to SUP. And between December and April, there are whale-watching tours (either in a shared boat or private). Cinnamon is a big deal in Sri Lanka: take a tour of an estate, plant your own sapling, then head out onto the waters of Baddegama Lagoon, which is edged by cinnamon groves, before enjoying a foot massage with cinnamon oil, followed by a suitably aromatic lunch. One of southwestern Sri Lanka’s other famous exports is architect Geoffrey Bawa – and a hotel-arranged tour in his honour visits some of his houses and gardens. Or if you prefer your architecture a little more history-steeped, sign up for an after-dark tour of Galle Fort, plus its surrounding cemeteries, dungeons and mills. By day, the hotel’s happy to pull a few strings so that you can visit the house of a puppeteering family in Ambalangoda to explore the art of puppet making and try puppetry for yourselves before seeing how it’s done by the pros during a brief show.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .