Looking to read a detailed Ravana Garden Hotel review before booking your next trip to Sri Lanka? You’ve come to the right place!
Ravana Garden is one of Sri Lanka’s newest eco-friendly resorts, sitting perched on a pristine beach on the island’s south east coast.
I spent 3 nights in a villa at the sustainable Sri Lankan resort. My review of Ravana Garden features info on the hotel’s accommodation options, culinary program, and unique on-site amenities.
Book A Luxurious Holiday at Ravana Garden in Sri Lanka
Ravana Garden sets itself apart in Sri Lanka’s boutique hotel scene with its admirable dedication to sustainability.
Nestled in the scenic town of Ambalantota along Sri Lanka’s southern coastline, Ravana Garden offers a tranquil escape from the hustle and bustle of city life.
Opening its doors in 2018, Ravana Garden was conceived by architect Sunela Jayawardene, known for her pioneering work in eco-conscious design. Collaborating with local architect Laki Senanayake, the hotel’s architecture seamlessly fuses creativity and sustainability.
The eco-resort has been honoured with the 2024 Condé Nast Johansens Award for Excellence and recognized as the Best for Green Practices and Sustainability in the Asia, Africa, Middle East, and Oceania region.
The construction of Ravana Garden prioritized environmental preservation, with no trees cut down during the process. Unlike other 5 star hotels, Ravana Garden’s team seamlessly blends luxury with environmental consciousness, providing guests with an unparalleled experience that indulges the senses while preserving the natural beauty of our surroundings.
Elements such as walled gardens and water features create a tranquil oasis that seamlessly integrates with the natural surroundings. Every detail, from the use of natural materials to maximizing natural light and ventilation, reflects the hotel’s commitment to environmental stewardship.
The eco-resort is conveniently located a short 15-minute walk to Ussangoda National Park, boasting awe-inspiring panoramic vistas of the Southern coast, showcasing Sri Lanka’s unmatched natural beauty. Its famed mineral-rich sands are reputed to possess therapeutic qualities.
The resort is located down a dirt road flanked by scenic rice fields where you’ll find a plethora of exotic birds, monkeys and meandering water buffalo.
Upon arrival guests check-in at the relaxing lounge, enjoying a refreshing cold towel and tropical fruit juice welcome drink.
Ravana Garden Hotel Review Highlights
Before booking your trip to Sri Lanka, here are a list of details you should know about the resort before booking a stay at Ravana Garden:
- Ravana Garden is ranked as one of Sri Lanka’s top eco-friendly hotels. It’s the perfect beach resort to book for sustainably minded travelers that are looking to disconnect. While there is WIFI, during our visit it was spotty and slow, so if you need regular high speed internet it’s not the best option.
- The resort is intimate, featuring just 8 suites and villas, many of which have plunge pools or ocean view terraces.
- Guests can enjoy a relaxing day by booking Ayurvedic treatments, which are performed in two spa rooms: an air-conditioned room or rustic beach hut.
- On a hot day you can enjoy a plunge at the resort’s pool. The beach is quiet and relaxing but is too rough to swim directly in front of the hotel so if you are keen to easily swim in the ocean it’s not the best option. There are lounge chairs by the pool but no sun beds on the beach.
- The hotel’s friendly guest relations team can organize additional activities like Sri Lankan cooking classes, village tours, fishing excursions and cycling.
- The onsite restaurant prepares local Sri Lankan dishes, which are served as set menus at breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you are a picky eater or like to select dishes off a menu based on what you are craving, the resort is probably not the best fit for you. In keeping with its sustainable ethos the kitchen does not serve beef, pork, lamb, or farmed salmon. You’ll find a lot of vegetarian dishes as well as chicken and fish.
Accommodation
The most important question you have to ask yourself when reading a Ravana Garden review is, “what type of accommodation would I like to book for my holiday?”
The beachside boutique hotel offers 8 accommodation options: Junior Suite, Terrace Suite, Garden Suite, and Honeymoon Suite. All of the newly renovated suites are decorated with artwork created by children from a local school.
In keeping the Ravana Garden’s eco-ethos, there is hardly any single use plastics like plastic water bottles, toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, toiletries, or straws. Instead you’ll find eco-friendly room amenities and toiletries.
Guests enjoy unique bath products sourced sustainably, which include refillable shampoo bottles and bamboo toothbrushes to minimize plastic waste.
Suites feature outdoor bathtubs or plunge pools, private gardens, and verdant green walls, the perfect intimate ambiance for a romantic retreat.
Spacious interiors also boast comfy king sized beds, writing desk, water filter, air conditioning, sky view bathroom and plush bath robes.
Ravana Garden Experiences
Ravana Garden is the perfect weekend getaway for nature lovers looking to rest and relax. Indulge in beachside spa therapies or explore the regions natural wonders.
The resort features a rustic spa overlooking the beach, a simple hut which is constructed of recycled materials. Spa treatments cater to holistic rejuvenation, ranging from relaxing massages to invigorating skincare rituals. There’s also a more chic treatment space up a flight of stairs in an air conditioned room overlooking the beach that features two Ayurvedic table and a vintage wooden steam table.
Guests can also enjoy sunset strolls on the beach, cycle tours, romantic private dining, beach picnics, Sri Lankan cooking classes, and madal fishing.
Nearby attractions that make for a great day trip include a meditation centre at Madunagala Hermitage, safaris at Bundala National Park and boat cruises on the Walawe River.
Ravana Garden Restaurant
Ravana Restaurant embodies the hotel’s commitment to sustainable dining, offering eco-friendly organic cuisine that celebrates Sri Lanka’s culinary heritage.
The resort’s restaurant offers organic local dishes prepared with a modern twist. The kitchen takes sustainability seriously so you won’t find lamb, beef, pork, farmed salmon, or processed foods like bacon and sausages on any menus.
At breakfast a daily porridge is served with an explantation card written by Dr. Disna Kumari, the hotel’s consulting Ayurvedic doctor. The details outline the ingredients of the porridge and their resulting health benefits such as immune enhancement and metabolic health.
The culinary team tend to an onsite vertical and horizontal organic vegetable garden to source fresh produce, which you’ll find in fresh salads and flavour-packed curries.
The speciality here is fresh seafood, as you might expect given the resort’s beachside location. Over 3 days we were mostly served vegan dishes, eggs, chicken and fish.
The restaurant’s beverage program includes a selection of freshly squeezed tropical juices (orange, pineapple, watermelon, papaya, mango and lime), as well as a thoughtfully curated tea menu perfect for those who have a penchant for chai.
In December 2024 the hotel launched a rooftop bar, which is located above the restaurant and boats beautiful views over the beach. For those looking for a boozy beverage, wag your finger down the menu to select from a range of fine wines and ice-cold beers.
Ravana Garden Hotel Contact
Velipatanvila Road, 94-474-935-515
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