Kayaam Wellness

Style

Bawa-style beach house

Setting

Tangalle tropics

With dense jungle on one side and the Indian Ocean on the other, Kayaam Wellness occupies a prime position along Tangalle’s golden shoreline. Set in a bright, white colonial building with airy, open arches, the design combines tropical modernism, traditional Sri Lankan architecture and Buddhist motifs to create a restorative space; while reclaimed wood and turquoise accents act as calls to the ocean. Here, wellness is encouraged through a slower pace of living, and whether you find that at the intimate spa, getting your laps in at the frangipani-flanked infinity pool, stretching out at the yoga shala or finding inner peace on the beach, you’re sure to be seduced.

Facilities

Rooms

Nine, including three suites.

Checkout

11am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 2pm.

More Details

Rates at Kayaam Wellness include breakfast.

Also

Kayaam Wellness is suitable for guests with mobility issues – there are wheelchair-friendly rooms and an elevator.

Fitness Center

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Pool

On-Site Restaurant

Room Service

Spa

At the Hotel

Beach, spa, pool, yoga classes, bicycles, and laundry service (at a charge). In rooms: minibar, coffee machine, Dilmah tea, and Green Leaf Herbal bath products.

Our Favourite Rooms

All rooms at Kayaam Wellness are alike in design, with muted tones, earthy textures and warm, wooden accents, but water babies should opt for the Palm Suite with Jacuzzi or the Palm Residence for their very own dipping station.

Poolside

Flop and drop at the T-shaped infinity pool, flanked by frangipani and cloud-soft loungers, just a mango’s throw from the beach.

Spa

The hotel’s intimate spa is spread across four treatment rooms and follows Ayurvedic principles, drawing on traditional Sri Lankan healing methods, using hyper-local herbs and spices in all its oils, creams and scrubs. Choose from Balinese or deep-tissue massages to hot-stone treatments and hydrating facials, plus there’s daily yoga lessons in the beach-facing yoga shala. There's also a sauna, steam room, jacuzzi and small gym for fitness fiends.

Packing Tips

Pack your dog-eared novels for lazy days around the pool and your snorkelling kit to get well acquainted with some of the Indian Ocean’s aquatic residents.

Children

Kayaam Wellness is for over-16s only.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Bag a table at the edge of the restaurant overlooking the pool.

Dress Code

Billowing boho maxis, floor-trailing kaftans and barely-there footwear.

Hotel Restaurant

Kitted out with earthenware in amber tones, traditional materials and tropical plants, the restaurant at Kayaam House is a warm and welcoming space where chef Namal Surenda satisfies with his contemporary spin on traditional Sri Lankan fare.

Hotel Bar

There’s no dedicated bar area, but you can enjoy a tipple or two wherever you please; lying horizontal on the beach, say, or half-submerged in the pool. As well as wine, beer and spirits, the cocktail menu covers everything from the classics to custom, cooling concoctions. We love the ‘Oh My’, made with Ceylon old Arrack, king coconut, passionfruit, lime and ginger juice.

Last Orders

Breakfast is served from 7am to 10.30am, lunch is from noon to 2.30pm and dinner runs between 7pm to 10.30pm. Guests can also take high tea anytime between 3.30pm and 5.30pm.

Room Service

Guests can order from a limited version of the restaurant's à la carte to enjoy in-room.

Planes

The nearest airport is Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport; it’s a three-hour drive, but a Sri Lankan Air Taxi can get you there in just 50 minutes.

Automobiles

Wheels come in handy here, though you’ll have to apply for a licence in advance. Save yourself the trouble and hire a driver instead. There’s free private parking at the hotel for guests.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Tangalle is known for its pristine stretch of secluded beaches, and luckily Kayaam Wellness has its own, just steps away from the pool, where you can spend the day being lulled in and out of sleep by Indian Ocean breezes. For a more active sandy spot head to Rekawa Beach, where guests can kayak through the picturesque mangroves of the neighbouring lagoon. And though it’s popular with bird watchers, you’ll also find plenty of winged wonders at Kalametiya Bird Sanctuary, where guests can journey through shrub jungles and grasslands on a traditional paalam paaruwara raft accompanied by slaty breasted crakes, black bitterns and watercocks as well as grey mongooses and Hanuman monkeys. December to April is prime time for whale watching, and the hotel offers private and shared trips on a catamaran-style yacht in search of blue and sperm whales as well as dolphins and turtles. Further along the coast, Unakuruwa has some hardcore waves sure to please the most skilled spin-drifters, while Nilwella is ideal for beginners – both are within a half-hour drive and private surfing lessons can be arranged on each. Down in Tangalle proper, rise early to see the fruits of the sea on sale at the crack-of-dawn fish market, or scale Mulgirigala, a 210-metre tall Buddhist rock temple. The Hummanaya Blow Hole is the second biggest in the world and just 25 kilometres away. Make the day of it by hiring a bike and cycle by prawn farms, rice mills and through paddy fields.

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. .