EKHO Weligama

Great villa, with beautiful and comfortable rooms! Always clean and tidy! The staff is friendly and attentive; top-notch service

Despite the poor ratings on Booking.com we decided to still give this hotel a chance…. The new manager who Took over in November 2024 is trying to turn this hotel around it definitely has potential to be lovely - let’s just say he is getting g there and this is very much a work in progress … However we had a very comfortable 2 night stay the room was spacious and clean … We were looked after very well by the limited staff that were present - are vegetarian diet was a challenge for them but they did their best . Given time we believe this would be a great hotel to stay at .

I visited EKHO Weligama a year ago and recently returned two days ago. The hotel has transformed completely under new management. The improvements are remarkable - it now offers service quality worthy of a 5-star rating. The entire experience has been greatly enhanced.

Its located near Weligama beach which is known for surfing, variety of sea foods and beautiful candle night near beach. Highly recommended place. We stayed here for 10 days. The staff and the manager were exceptional. The garden is very nicely maintained. The rooms are very large and comfortable. Breakfast and especially dinners was excelent. Will certainly stay here again when travelling to Weligama.

Bed linen is very clean
The rooms are also clean
Rooms are very spacious
It’s very convenient place to stay to go for surfing and other activities.
Very close to the city centre and cafes.
Maintenance of the garden and interior is great
Nice place to stay with your family and friends

We had a memorable experience at the hotel and it's totally worth the price paid. We stayed for 2 nights and the service was excellent. The food was also good and enough space for children and beach close by. It was an overall super experience and we enjoyed as a family

As an field based employee , i am travelling around the country for business purposes during last 24years. In year 2005 - 2008 i stayed in this hotel .After 18 years last 11th April i stayed in this hotel. I am so happy to share that i received an outstanding service from the staff. Rooms were very clean and tidy. Foods were delicious. When i enter the room cinnamon fragrance were spreading in the room. Thank you so much for all the staff including the manager for making my stay a pleasure one. Friendly environment were there in the hotel.

Check in 5/4 Check out 6/4

I was originally due to stay here for 6 nights as a base for all of the south coast, but what a disappointment, I checked out after one night.

Maybe I've been spoilt by all other EKHO hotel stays I've had, but this hotel did not live up to my expectations. The promo photos from the EKHO rebrand, which are still available on Google, completely misrepresent the condition and standard of this hotel today. Do not fall for them.

The room decor is Spartan at best. TripAdvisor still says there is a phone - no there isn't. The manager's method is to do everything by WhatsApp directly, which actually put me off making any direct requests/complaints. They seem to save on laundry costs by not issuing hand towels, just use the one bath sheet for everything. The offering of toiletries was slim, and I'm not even sure they stock their own, everything was branded EKHO Surf Bentota. The wardrobe solution was weird, which was a rail attached under a shelf 2-3 feet of the floor. Hanging beach dresses is a no 🤔

I was initially given a ground floor room, and I was disturbed about the lack of a safety deposit box, which has been standard in all other EKHO hotels. And again, TripAdvisor still says there is a safe available..! That, plus the direct access into the grounds right up to your room's garden door from the busy coastal road, led me to request a different room on the 1st floor and keeping my valuables on me at all times (yes, including in bed).

The Google photos show some gorgeous murals and artwork painted in the dining/bar area and staircases, but these have alllll been painted over. Any flourishes EKHO put effort into are not there anymore. It was also a bit confusing that the main dining area isn't used, rather the bar area is where all the dining takes place.

The staff are doing their best, but they appear under-trained with very little English. You have to hope the hotel manager is around, because they all default to him for decisions and orders. Again, I know he's trying his best too, but my breakfast was a bizarre game of lucky dip. I wasn't offered an a la carte menu, I didn't see what the breakfast choices were to be able to distinguish what the dietary offerings were... rather food just started turning up. And next to a very nicely made Sri Lankan omelette was a slice of bacon and chicken sausages 🤦🏻‍♀️ when I'm not a meat eater. The manager then insinuates it's my fault, saying I should have told him I was vegetarian, but I was never asked, nor shown what food was coming 🙄 Come on! At least he arranged a car for me at short notice to whisk me out of there. Maybe other guests are more forthcoming with their demands and desires, but when you've flown across the world to relax, you don't expect to do all the hard work on top of the money you've paid.

I'm sure this hotel accommodates hundreds of satisfied guests looking for a short, cheap stay by the beach in Weligama, but please, this is not an EKHO hotel by a long stretch. And if you are paying attention to the name and not the cost or star rating, you're in for a shock. In fact, it's hard to tell who owns this hotel, food was still being served on Ceylon Hotels Corporation plates 😂

The cherry on top for me was the extractor fan in the bathroom. Either it was broken, or unhooked deliberately (like everything else - TV, phone, safe), and they've taped clingfilm/saran wrap all over it.... I'm assuming to prevent a colony of bugs from invading the shower.

Sorry EKHO Weligama (or whatever you are!), I will not be returning!

To start with the positive first: when requested extras (towel, adapter) the staff was very attentive and immediately brought what I needed. The garden is very nicely maintained.

Pool was good for the kids

The staff and the manager were exceptional.

Staff was flexible with check-in & check-out time.