Guest Information

Useful Information

Thank you for your booking at Suite Lanka. We are confident we can give you a memorable stay at our wonderful little Sri Lanka beach hotel.

The information below tries to answer most of the questions you might have and tell you about the hotel.

Your Booking

You should have received full details of your booking. Please message us if you have any queries.

Have You Made the Right Choice?

We are proud that the vast majority of our guests love their stay with us and leave with many happy memories. But a tiny number of people book Suite Lanka without really understanding the sort of hotel we are, and we want all our guests to be content.

Suite Lanka is a rarity: a beautiful colonial-style boutique hotel, with nine rooms, right on one of Sri Lanka's broadest sandy beaches. A place of great tranquillity with a well-regarded bar and restaurant, yet with many other bars and restaurants within easy reach.

We have a lovely global clientele, largely, but not entirely, Western European. We are committed to 4-star standards. We seek a highly professional yet sociable atmosphere at the heart of everything we do. Our chilled-out and happy vibe is why so many of our guests love us.

Please be aware: if you want a big, impersonal, modern hotel with lots of facilities, we are not the right choice for you.

We also politely request that you only hold a room if you have a serious intention to stay. If you need to cancel, please cancel as early as you can. A rush of late cancellations can do a small hotel terrible damage.

Travel agents should always contact us directly.

How We Take Payment

1. Suite Lanka always imposes Booking Conditions with regard to payment. Please note that we do not refund non-refundable bookings, we charge other bookings on the terms shown, normally 50% 14 days before arrival, or 21 days before for long-stay or Christmas and New Year bookings, and we do charge for no-shows.
2. No payment is taken during the booking process, but we store your credit card securely in our Cloudbeds system to ensure your booking is valid. This credit card can only be seen by one director.
3. For non-refundable bookings we normally require immediate payment. For all other bookings, we require a non-refundable 50% deposit more than 14 days before your arrival, or 30 days if your booking is either for seven days or more, or over the peak Christmas and New Year period. If we require payment we will contact you. Do not worry if we do not: your booking is in our system.
4. To take payment, Suite Lanka will send you a secure payment link. You can then pay safely online. This is not available for Sri Lankan credit or debit cards. You will receive a receipt for the transaction. We do this so you are in full control of the payment and for anti-fraud reasons, because our system might ask further security questions that only you know the answer to.
5. If your payment is overdue, and if you do not pay via our secure link, we may also attempt to take payment manually using your credit card details on file. We prefer not to do this as it is a much more expensive and time-consuming outcome for us and very occasionally it might even lead to guest confusion and complaints. We reserve the right to cancel your booking because of late or non-payment, but we would always contact you first.
6. Any accommodation balance will be paid immediately upon checking in to Suite Lanka. You can pay by debit or credit card or by cash, in Sri Lankan rupees or US dollars, or Euros by special request only.
7. Please note again that we do not refund non-refundable bookings and we do charge for no-shows.

Visas, Arrival Cards and Vaccinations

Please find helpful information about Sri Lanka regulations concerning visas, arrival cards, vaccinations, and Covid regulations. Please ensure that you remain up to date with the latest travel information for travelling to Sri Lanka.

You must have a valid tourist visa. Most tourist visas can be applied for online. Visit the official Sri Lanka ETA website: eta.gov.lk.

We recommend that you check with your doctor for personal vaccination advice. Tetanus, typhoid, and hepatitis vaccinations are normally recommended. Malaria has been eradicated, but we still recommend insect repellent, especially after dusk.

Covid regulations have now been withdrawn.

Airport Transfers

Suite Lanka does not normally provide an airport pick-up service.

We encourage our guests to book direct so we do not have to take any commission and so you get the best service and price by cutting out an unnecessary middle man.

At Ease Hotel offers quality airport transfers to Suite Lanka and it is based only 200 metres from us. They also do online booking at ateasesrilanka.com/transport. This is good value with good quality vehicles.

If you have problems with the translation, please email directly info@ateasehotel and mention Suite Lanka. You will probably not have to pay in advance and they will check with us.

You would be greeted by an At Ease sign board at the airport.

If this is not suitable, we also recommend Ceylon Escapes, who offer quality drivers and vehicles. They will also take a modest commission for booking you an airport taxi so you know the taxi will be ready when you arrive.

For an airport drop or pick-up, you are requested to pay the driver in cash in Sri Lankan rupees at the exchange rate at the time.

Another alternative is to arrange a taxi on arrival. This is normally straightforward, but delays could occur, especially in peak season. You could book an airport taxi or, if your priority is to get the cheapest deal you can, you can use the airport rank for Uber or PickMe.

A further option is to make an online booking. This website is building a good reputation for reliability: Welcome Pickups.

Please note there is no convenient rail, bus, or shuttle option to travel from the airport down the west coast to Hikkaduwa.

The journey time from the airport to Suite Lanka depends on traffic but averages about three hours from the time you leave the airport, around three hours from landing.

Swimming

We have a fantastic, quiet beach, one of the best in Sri Lanka, but sea currents can be dangerous throughout Sri Lanka. Safer swimming is in a lifeguard area a short stroll further up the beach or at the famous Turtle Beach, a short tuk-tuk ride away. We also have a courtyard pool with perfect temperatures all day.

If you expect to be able to swim safely in the sea directly opposite the hotel at all times of the year, we are not the right choice for you.

Changing Money

The easiest way to get Sri Lankan rupees at the best rate is to change currency such as US dollars or other leading currencies at one of the little bank outlets in the arrivals hall. It is fast, with better rates than the ATMs.

There is also an ATM in airport arrivals and many ATMs within 2 kilometres of Suite Lanka.

Day Tours

We may be able to provide a quote from a freelance driver for day trips on request. Again, this is purely a service and we do not take commission. For full island tours, except for budget tours, we recommend reddottours.com.

Disabilities, Medical Conditions, Allergies or Dietary Preferences

Please tell us whether you have any disability, medical condition, or allergy which may affect your holiday or put you at risk. Please also inform us of any dietary preferences.

VIP Greeting

Would you like to be greeted by traditional Sri Lankan drumming, complete with a short devil dance? Perhaps to celebrate a special occasion such as a birthday or anniversary? Our two housekeeping staff can provide this. There is a modest additional fee of LKR 5,000 which goes to the staff. Ask us for details.

Early Check-In Requests and Night Arrivals

As you may already be aware, normal check-out is 12 noon and check-in is 2pm.

We get many requests for early check-ins. We will always say yes when we can, and we do not seek extra payment if you need to arrive a few hours early, but we often do not know when a guest will check out until the last minute so this is not always possible.

What we can promise is this:

• You will be very welcome from the moment that you arrive.
• If the hotel has any spare room, in any category, you will be offered the room for a few hours to shower and change or to grab a few hours' sleep until your room is ready.
• If the hotel is full, you can relax in The Snug, our small sports lounge, in the beach garden, or in our pool bar or restaurant. We also have beach-side showers if you need to freshen up after a long journey.

If you want to know exactly what we can offer before you arrive, please contact us as late as possible and we may be able to advise with more certainty. We will do everything we can to make your first few hours enjoyable.

It is always good to know what time you expect to arrive. If you are arriving between 10pm and 8am, please warn us so we can brief night security.

Off-Site Facilities: Yoga and Ayurvedic Massage

If you wish to pre-arrange a private yoga session on the beach while you are at Suite Lanka, we can put you in touch with a local teacher. Or you can simply join one of her group sessions which take place 1km away, and may be high season only. We also have arrangements with a well-regarded Ayurveda hotel nearby which can offer high-quality Ayurvedic massage.

Hot Takeaway Food

To protect the quality of our rooms for future guests, hot takeaways are forbidden within the hotel. Please respect this at all times.

If Things Go Wrong

We strive for excellent customer care both before and during your stay at Suite Lanka. This includes solving any problems together in an honest and amicable manner to everyone's satisfaction. So, if something does go wrong, please tell a member of our management team and give us the chance to put it right.

If matters are still not satisfactorily resolved, please tell us by email at reservations@suitelanka.com.

Let's Enjoy Suite Lanka Together

Lots more information, including full Terms and Conditions, is available at suitelanka.com.

Best wishes,
The Suite Lanka team