Cape Weligama
Weligama, Galle & Environs, Sri Lanka Book from Book from £372 per night
“High-end resort on a beach-fringed headland near Galle, with huge rooms, gourmet food and 270-degree ocean views
”
The flagship cape-top Moon Pool hugs the headland and seamlessly merges with the Indian Ocean. The sea-facing wining and dining outlets include an open-air pavilion, a lounge-bar and a cliff-edge chef's table restaurant, yet meals ‘at home’ are very much encouraged too. A calm and exclusive ambiance pervades throughout, and relaxation comes easily.
Highs
- High-spec rooms with freestanding tubs, steam showers, verandas and an exceptional amount of space
- Panoramic ocean and sunset views, and direct access to two small sandy beaches (one of which is virtually private)
- The crescent-shaped Moon Pool is beautiful by day and brilliantly luminescent at night
- Supremely romantic but good for families, too (interconnecting rooms, a kid-friendly pool)
Lows
- Luxury comes at a price
- The cheaper accommodation sits within multi-rooms villas and is less private than other options
- The views are better from some villas than others - not all have ocean views - so it's worth checking when you book
- You’ll have to pay a supplement (and book ahead) to dine at Tableau
- The Moon Pool is for adults only and the beaches aren't great for swimming
Best time to go
Our top tips
The resort makes a blissful coastal retreat after a stay at sister property Ceylon Tea Trails, set in Sri Lanka's beautiful hill country. Air taxis operate between the two.”
- Luxury Resort
- 39 villas and suites
- Restaurants + bar
- All ages welcome
- Open all year
- Outdoor Pool
- Spa Treatments
- WiFi
- Pet Friendly
- Disabled Access
- Beach Nearby
- Off-street Parking
- Restaurants Nearby
- Air Conditioning
- Guest Lounge
- Terrace
- Garden
- Gym
- Concierge Service
- Bicycles Available
- Board games and books
Rooms
The impeccably presented rooms and villas are named after seafaring explorers, writers and navigators linked to Sri Lanka. With printed soft furnishings, coloured walls and bold timber bedheads, they are unmistakeably contemporary, yet their fine rattan panelling calls to mind the past, as do books, prints and maps representing their namesakes. All have furnished verandas, and bathrooms boast steam showers and freestanding tubs.
Four 2-storey villas encircle the kid-friendly Cove Pool, housing Master Suites and Junior Suites. These are the entry-level options, but they're still huge and can connect to sleep families of up to 6 in comfort. The larger freestanding villas are clustered around 8 stone-walled wattas (gardens) with 15m pools. We loved our Premier Villa for its big bathroom and outside space, while Grand Villas get (partial) sea views in addition. The Duplex Pool Villas, each with 2 bedrooms and private pools, are the resort's flashiest digs.
Features include:
- Air conditioning
- Bathrobes
- Extra beds
- Family friendly
- Fan
- Hairdryer
- Phone
- Safe box
- Satellite TV
- Terrace
- Toiletries
Eating
The resort has 3 distinct restaurants. The stepped terrace of the indigo-hued Ocean Terrace offers gorgeous views of Weligama’s meandering coastline and serves international fusion cuisine, including day-fresh fish and seafood. Standing even closer to the cliff edge is scarlet-hued Tableau, an intimate chef's table restaurant. The Surf Bar honors Ceylon’s renowned tea heritage with its Ceylon High Tea experience, expect mouthwatering pastries accompanied by delicate savouries.
We lunched at Ocean Terrace, starting with an artfully presented seafood terrine followed by marlin with puy lentil salad and then poached pears. In-room dining is encouraged, too, and private BBQs can be arranged. The veranda of our villa was amply equipped for meals, and it was here that we enjoyed an indulgent afternoon tea.
Features include:
- Bar
- Children's meals
- Coffee / tea making
- Family friendly
- Minibar/fridge
- Restaurant
- Room service
Activities
- Immerse yourself in a novel beside one of the pools, or enjoy a massage using tea-based oils
- Go on a sunset cruises, or try whale- and dolphin-watching (in season)
- Weligama’s wide sandy bay is one of the south coast’s best places to surf
- The resort is within striking distance of many southern Sri Lankan sights, including magical Galle Fort, Matara’s less well-known pair of Dutch forts, Dondra’s slim white lighthouse and Mirissa’s picture-postcard harbour
- Volunteer at the nearby MJF Centre, which holds educational sessions and creative workshops for children from local fishing villages. Classes range from maths, to singing and dancing. Afterwards, head to a fish market and finish off the day back at the hotel with a private cooking lesson
- Day trips to the leopard-filled national parks of Uda Walawe and Yala can also be arranged, and guides and private vehicles are on hand
Activities on site or nearby include:
- Birdwatching
- Boat trips
- Cooking classes
- Cycling
- Historical sites
- Private guided tours
- Safaris
- Shopping / markets
- Surfing
- Swimming
- Traditional cultures
- Well being
- Whale watching
- Wildlife
Kids
Children of all ages are welcome. There’s plenty of space for kids to let off steam, and the area around the Cove Pool is very family-orientated, and close to the beach. That said, the varied terrain and drops aren’t ideal for tots.
Best for:
Children (4-12 years), Teens (over 12)
Family friendly accommodation:
All rooms and villas (except the Pool Villa) can accommodate baby cots and extra beds. Most suitable for families are Junior Suites and Duplex Pool Villas, which have 2 double beds each. A Master Suite can connect with a Junior Suite on request to form a large, private space for up to 6. Kids under 2 stay for free.
Babysitting:
Babysitters can be booked for a small fee
Children's meals:
The Ocean Terrace has a kids’ menu, and the in-room dining option also suits families particularly well. Meals, snacks and drinks can be served at any time of the day.
Kids Activities on site:
- 2 safe beaches
- Family-friendly shallow pool
- Swimming
- Cooking
- Board games
Kids Activities nearby:
- Guided bike rides of the local area
- The opportunity to strike friendship with a pen pal through a cultural learning programme
- Boat trips to see whales and dolphins, exclusive 7-hr adventures can be arranged on their catamaran
- Galle is 25 minutes away
Families Should Know:
The resort’s landscaping is multi-levelled with steep drop-offs and unfenced terraces. In many places there is only foliage to mark the edge of the headland.
Distances:
- Airport: 2.5 hours (Colombo)
- Hospital: 15 minutes
- Shop: 15 minutes
For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection
Location
The resort is located on its own headland on the outskirts of Weligama, a small fishing village on Sri Lanka's south coast. It's a 30-minute drive from Galle.
By Air:
Colombo’s Bandaranaike Airport (178km) is the island’s main international hub and is served by flights from Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere in Asia. It's a 2.5-hour drive from the airport to the resort and staff can arrange transfers. Alternatively, you can take the Air Taxi service to Koggala Lake (20 minutes' drive) and arrange a pick-up from there.
By Car:
It you want to hire a car and driver for your entire trip, enquire through our Tailormade Tour Operator. Otherwise, resort staff can arrange cars, drivers and tuk-tuks for day trips and local journeys.
Detailed directions will be provided when you confirm a booking through i-escape.
More on getting to Sri Lanka and getting around
Airports:
- Colombo Bandaranaike International 178.0 km CMB
Other:
- Beach 0.1 km
- Shops 3.0 km
- Restaurant 5.0 km