Where To Stay In Sri Lanka (The Best Budget Accommodation)

Last Updated: December 10 2020

Finding the best hotels in Sri Lanka can be difficult, especially if you are looking for budget accommodation. Cheap holidays to Sri Lanka are very possible once you know how to cut costs. Cutting down on your accommodation and setting a budget will help you keep your spends lower. If you are looking at where to stay in Sri Lanka on a budget, look no further.

Sri Lanka is such an incredible country, and there is plenty to do and see. In this blog post, we will go through each place we visited, what to do there and where to stay!

The information in this post will give you great budget accommodation options to help you spend more on the things that matter most such as cool activities! We will give an option for each of the places we stayed in Sri Lanka. Hopefully, this post will help you take away the stress of looking for great Sri Lanka hotels but within your price range.

What to do and where to stay in Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka is such an incredible country, and there is plenty to do and see. In this part of the blog post, we will go through each place we visited, what to do there and where to stay!

Colombo

Colombo is the capital of Sri Lanka and is generally where you will stay when you first get to Sri Lanka. There is plenty to see in this city including the Colombo National Museum, Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque and of course the beach. Colombo has plenty of cheap places to eat and shop, it is also a good place to stock up on your travel necessities.

Travel tip: Colombo is a great place to get a sim card if you are wanting to purchase one for your travels.

Where to stay in Colombo

We stayed at a place called Ara Palace.  We would recommend this place however, unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be available on booking.com at the minute. Hopefully, it will become available soon because the guy that runs it is really lovely.

If you are looking for the best hotels in Colombo, you can check them out here.

Hikkaduwa

Hikkaduwa was our first beach destination after visiting the capital of Colombo. There are plenty of restaurants to get great food, and plenty of resorts and hotels to stay in and relax. However, the main tourist attractions that bring people here are the resident wild sea turtles.

They swim off the coast and come very close to the shore. It is the perfect place to snorkel if you want to see wild turtles. However, make sure you are respectful of them. We witnessed plenty of people trying to grab their flippers for a selfie or even trying to hug them. That just isn’t ok!

Where to stay in Hikkaduwa

There are plenty of places to stay in this beach town, so you won’t be short on ideas. We stayed in Navora Home Stay. This homestay was ideal as it was very spacious, had air conditioning and was only a short walk to the beach. We had a fridge and a small kitchen, and the area was peaceful.

When we stayed here it cost us roughly £11.50 for a private room. There were also the cutest wild monkeys here, and they were adorable! They would jump through the trees when we were walking back to our room.

If you want to have a look at more Hikkaduwa hotels, you can look here.

Unawatuna

Unawatuna is a gorgeous part of Sri Lanka and has the most beautiful beach. It is a very popular tourist destination for backpackers and beachgoers, and upon visiting it isn’t hard to see why. There are plenty of cute cafes, Instagram worthy rope swings and lots of places to explore.

Unawatuna is located very close to the town of Galle, which is well known for the historic Galle fort. We visited the fort on a day trip from Unawatuna by going in a tuk-tuk. Galle Fort is one of Sri Lanka’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites and worth a visit.

Where to stay in Unawatuna

We stayed in a lovely place called Villa Vas. Although the owner was incredibly kind and the rooms were wonderful it was a bit too far away from the beach for us. If you don’t mind the walk then it’s a nice place to stay. It cost us around £10 a night.

We looked out for other places to stay in case we were to come back and Home Unawatuna looked like a good option. They had the option of either dorms or private rooms. Epic Unawatuna also looked great, however, it was out of our budget at around £45 a night.

If you want to have a look at more Unawatuna hotels, you can look here.

Mirissa

Mirissa was one of our favourite places in Sri Lanka. In our opinion, Mirissa is one of the best places to stay in Sri Lanka and is a must for any Sri Lanka itinerary. Aside from the beautiful beaches, there is plenty to explore including the famous coconut tree hill, snorkeling and watching the sunset from Parrot Rock.

One of the most popular things to do in Mirissa is to go whale watching in the Indian ocean. It is a must-do if you are planning to visit Mirissa.

Click HERE to read our ‘Whale watching in Mirissa’ blog post.

Where to stay in Mirissa

We stayed in Sun Hopes which was a two-minute walk to the beach. There is also an area outside where you can get to know fellow travellers. It cost us around £9 a night for a private room.

If you want to have a look at more Mirissa hotels, you can look here.

Tangalle

There is so much to do in Tangalle from surfing, to relaxing on the beautiful beaches. Tangalle has plenty of restaurants on the beach with beautiful food and lots of places to shop. The nearby beach of Rekawa beach is famous for turtle watching and is one of Sri Lanka’s most important sea turtle nesting sites.

There are also tour operators that do trips to Yala National Park and Udawalawe National Park from Tangalle. We visited Udawalawe National Park from Tangalle as you can easily get to it by taxi or public transport. There are plenty of national parks to visit in Sri Lanka but we would definitely recommend Udawalawe National Park.

Click HERE to read our ‘The Perfect Sri Lanka Safari – Udawalawe National Park’ blog post.

Where to stay in Tangalle

We had to move our accommodation in the end because originally we picked one too far away, and the road was flooded due to the mangroves nearby.

We moved to Charith Home Stay and it was ideal with it being situated right by the beach and the owners were lovely. There is also a beautiful golden retriever here, so if you love dogs this is your place! It was a lovely hotel, and super cheap costing us only £10 a night!

If you are looking for something different such as one of the famous Sri Lanka beach resorts here in Tangalle, you can find more options here.

Booking.com

Nuwara Eliya

Nuwara Eliya is a unique place to visit and is often referred to as Little England. This is because it is a colonial town and has incredible architecture. Nuwara Eliya is found within ‘tea country’ and has lots of tea plantations around that you can visit.

There are plenty of walks to take in this area, and a trip to Gregory lake should also be on your list. Plenty of waterfalls can be found in the area including Lovers Leap waterfall and Ramboda Falls. Horton plains National Park is also only a short drive away from the centre of Nuwara Eliya.

Where to stay in Nuwara Eliya

We spent our time here at Forest View Cottage which is situated at the edge of a large forest. It is a 10-minute walk from the town centre and we had a great stay here. Unfortunately, we encountered a few power cuts during our stay in Nuwara Eliya.

However, the owners were lovely and came around with candles for us and warm blankets, as Nuwara Eliya is located in the hills and is colder than a lot of places in Sri Lanka.

If you are wanting to look at other hotel options for Nuwara Eliya you can find them here.

Ella

Ella was one of our favourite spots in Sri Lanka and we would go back in a heartbeat. From the chilled out vibes to the incredible food and shops Ella has it all. You truly won’t get bored in this beautiful little town.

There are plenty of amazing walks to do such as hiking up Ella Rock or Little Adams Peak. Make sure to pay a visit to the Nine Arches Bridge, explore the many waterfalls that surround Ella and visit Lipton’s seat. The Famous Ella to Kandy train journey is also an experience you need to have if visiting this cute little town.

Click HERE to read our ‘Kandy To Ella Train – Sri Lanka’s Famous Train Journey’ blog post.

Where to stay in Ella

There are plenty of places to stay in Ella, but we chose Ella Green Stay. The room was so comfortable, it was close to the town centre and the owner was lovely. She even made us fresh smoothies upon our arrival! We paid around £11 for a private room.

Ella Green stay is also only a 5-minute walk from Ella train station. Here you can catch the famous Ella to Kandy train.

If you are wanting to look at other hotel options for Ella, you can find them here.

Sigiriya

We only stayed in Sigiriya for one night, as the main reason we wanted to go was to visit Pidurangala Rock. We didn’t go up Sigiriya Rock Fortress as it was quite expensive for our budget ($30 each).

Of course whilst staying here you could climb both if you wanted to. Sigiriya is one of Sri Lanka’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is part of Sri Lanka’s cultural triangle.

We walked up Pidurangala Rock for sunrise and got a beautiful view of Sigiriya Rock. We walked up with a friend we met at our accommodation and really enjoyed the experience!

Where to stay in Sigiriya

We stayed in a little place called Pidurangala View Home Stay. It is only a 5-minute walk from Pidurangala Rock, had amazing food cooked by the owners and it was really quiet. It cost us about £15 for a double room.

The owner was caring, and even though the Rock was only a 5-minute walk away, he insisted on giving us a lift because it was dark. We could not recommend this place enough!

If you want to have a look at more Sigiriya hotels, you can look here.

Trincomalee

The main reason we stayed in Trincomalee was to swim with sharks. It was a dream of Jacks so we made it happen. Although the beaches on the east coast aren’t as nice as some of the beaches on the south coast, Trincomalee is still worth a visit.

There is plenty to do in Trincomalee including whale watching (depending on the time of year), paying a visit to Fort Frederik and of course snorkeling with sharks.

Where to stay in Trincomalee

We stayed in Blue Blu Resort and loved it. The rooms were comfortable and the hosts helped us organise our boat trip to swim with sharks. There are also lots of little shops and restaurants close by.

If you want to have a look at more Trincomalee hotels, you can look here.

Negombo

Negombo was our last destination in Sri Lanka and we only spent one night here before our flight out of Sri Lanka. However, there is more to do in this city if you are looking to stay for a couple of days.

You can relax at the beach, take a city tour or visit the many markets that can be found in Negombo. If you are into fishing you can also take a fishing trip tour out into one of the local lagoons.

Where to stay in Negombo

We stayed in Visal Home Stay and would recommend this place. We had a large room, lovely owners and it is close to the airport. It cost us around £13 for one night.

If you are wanting to be more in the centre and not by the airport, you may want to look at other options. You can find more Negombo hotels here.

Booking.com

Where to stay in Sri Lanka depending on the type of holiday

Where you choose to stay in Sri Lanka can all depend on the type of holiday that you are looking for. Whether it be a luxury beach resort or adventure holiday you are after, there are plenty of accommodation options.

Your preference may also differ depending on who you are taking the trip with. For example, we believe the best places to stay in Sri Lanka for couples may be quieter destinations such as Trincomalee or Tangalle. However, the best places to stay for families may be destinations such as Hikkaduwa as they are more developed and have more options for food.

Where to stay in Sri Lanka for a safari?

If you are looking to go on a safari in Sri Lanka, your best options are probably Udawalawe national park, Yala national park or Minneriya national park.

Click HERE for our ‘The Perfect Sri Lanka Safari – Udawalawe National Park’ blog post.

Where to stay in Sri Lanka for a beach holiday?

If you are looking for the perfect Sri Lanka beaches that the country is so famous for, there are plenty of destinations you can choose from. We would recommend Unawatuna, Mirissa or Tangalle!

We hope this post helps you plan your trip to Sri Lanka on a budget! Whether you are looking for beach hotels in Sri Lanka or a lovely homestay, accommodation here in Sri Lanka can be extremely cheap.

We loved all the places we stayed in Sri Lanka and we would return to all of them! Have you ever visited Sri Lanka? Do you have any Sri Lanka travel tips you would like to share?

P.S If you want to follow our journey, you can find our Instagram here.

Thanks for reading,

Jack & Abbie

MORE SRI LANKA BLOG POSTS!

Kandy To Ella Train – Sri Lanka’s Best Train Journey (Info & Tips)

Backpacking In Sri Lanka (The Ultimate 4 Week Sri Lanka Itinerary)

10 Amazing Things To Do In Ella (The Ultimate Guide)

11 Great Things To Do In Mirissa (A Must For Any Sri Lanka Itinerary)

Udawalawe Safari Guide (Seeing Wild Elephants On Your Sri Lanka Safari)

15 Sri Lanka Tips That You Need To Know

The Sri Lanka Beaches That You Have To Visit 

Whale Watching In Mirissa & The Company You Need To Choose

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