Galle, Sri Lanka

KK Beach

Price per night from$160.30

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (USD160.30), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

Style

Corbusier on the coast

Setting

Blue lagoons, golden beaches

The sun-kissed, palm tree-tickled splendour of Sri Lanka's south coast is classically good-looking; however, coastal stay KK Beach celebrates both Sri Lanka's past and present with modernist architecture and cool contemporary interiors – with a few traditional touches to give you a true sense of place. Start the day watching the sunrise over the Indian Ocean from your private balcony or the comfort of your bed. A generous alfresco breakfast will help you to make all the day’s big decisions; to sunbathe, snorkel, surf or sail? That is the question… Whether you pick a poolside sunlounger or don your snorkel gear and head for Koggala beach (mere steps away from the hotel), days of glorious sunshine on the island’s golden coastline are a shore thing…

Smith Extra

Get this when you book through us:

A bottle of sparkling wine; an additional lunch for two with two-night stays, and for three nights or more, guests also get two deep-tissue massages

Facilities

Photos KK Beach facilities

Need to know

Rooms

10, including four suites.

Check–Out

Noon. Earliest check-in, 2pm; both are flexible, subject to availability.

Prices

Double rooms from £165.05 ($208), including tax at 30 per cent.

More details

Rates usually include a full-English or Sri Lankan breakfast, or picks from the á la carte such as pancakes, yoghurts, cereals and fresh fruit.

Also

KK Beach is the sister hotel of fellow Smith stay, the award-winning Kahanda Kanda hotel. There's a free Tuk Tuk shuttle running between the two, allowing guests to sample the restaurant at each.

At the hotel

Sitting room, free WiFi throughout the hotel and a laundry service. In rooms: a private terrace, Bose sound system, safe, air-conditioning, minibar and tea- and coffee-making facilities, house-brand bath products.

Our favourite rooms

Go straight to the top: the Penthouse Suites have the best views in the hotel. At 80sq m, these are by far the largest rooms. With floor-to-ceiling sliding doors, you can watch the sunrise over the ocean from the comfort of your dreamily soft bed or your private balcony.

Poolside

The hotel’s mirror-shine, 20-metre pool (for adults only) overlooks the Indian Ocean, which laps the beach just a few steps beyond.

Packing tips

Make sure you have the most up-to-date snorkelling and scuba tech-gear, and don’t forget your boardies for surfing on the beach.

Also

Unwind with in-room massages and yoga or Pilates classes held every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday during high season (at an additional cost. Private classes available). All rooms are non-smoking.

Children

All ages are welcome at the hotel, but it’s better suited for just Mrs and Mrs Smith.

Food and Drink

Photos KK Beach food and drink

Top Table

Take lunch on a sunlounger by the pool so you can top up your tan while filling up on fresh fish and and local curries.

Dress Code

Cover up with a kaftan or throw on a T-shirt at lunch, then take inspiration from the hotel’s design with an understated shirt or dress paired with colourful, local accessories.

Hotel restaurant

Dress up for dinner, which is more formal than the hotel’s chilled-out lunch; both meals are served at the hotel’s alfresco restaurant. The chef whips up an authentic Sri Lankan curry buffet on Wednesday and Saturday nights; on Monday and Friday, there’s an array of seafood; and a selection of fusion dishes or Thai treats on the remaining three nights. All meals are prepared with the freshest local ingredients, including some lesser-known regional fruits and vegetables – so you can learn about your locality while you lunch…

Hotel bar

Enjoy a glass of wine or a refreshing beer in the casual bar area by the restaurant. Perch on one of the high stools or sink into one of the sofas, with one of their KK Signature cocktails in hand – made with dark rum, lychee, lime and passion fruit juice.

Last orders

The restaurant is open for breakfast from 7am to 10am, lunch from noon to 3pm, and dinner from 7pm to 10pm.

Room service

Take your pick of the restaurant menu between 8am and 9pm.

Location

Photos KK Beach location
Address
KK Beach
Matara Road
Habaraduwa, Galle
80630
Sri Lanka

Between the small seaside towns of Habaraduwa and Talpe, on Sri Lanka’s south coast, KK Beach is about a 20-minute drive south of the historic city of Galle.

Planes

Bandaranaike International Airport (www.airport.lk) is less than two-and-a-half hours away from the hotel by car. Our Smith24 Team can help to arrange flights and hotel transfers (US$120 each way) on request.

Trains

Trains run regularly to Galle and Colombo from Habaraduwa station, which is a swift five-minute drive from the hotel. Let the staff at KK Beach know your arrival time and they will pick you up at the station and take you to the hotel for free.

Automobiles

Travel is cheap on the island so you won’t need a car unless you like having the freedom of your own wheels; driving in Sri Lanka can be a little nerve-jangling at times. Our Smith24 Team can arrange a hire car for you to pick up at Bandaranaike. You’ll need an International Driving Permit and a Sri Lankan recognition permit, which you can get at the AA in Colombo. There’s free on-site parking at the hotel.

Worth getting out of bed for

The Unesco World Heritage Site of Galle Fort is just a 20-minute drive away and well worth a visit if you fancy stepping back in time for an afternoon. Right next door to the hotel is a sea-turtle farm and hatchery where you can meet and learn all about the five types of turtles found on Sri Lanka’s shores, and help the small team continue to protect the island’s sea life. A trip to the working Handunugoda Tea Museum is a must for all that appreciate good cuppa. Be sure to stop by the gift shop to buy some brew to take back home. Seafaring types should arrange a whale-watching excursion or a day of deep-sea fishing. Alternatively, hire a bike and cycle through paddy fields to Koggala Lake, where you can canoe or take a boat across the postcard-perfect waters. If you prefer the feel of sand between your toes, stay beach-bound at Koggala, where the coastline is mere steps from the hotel. Hours of sunbathing, body-surfing, snorkelling and scuba-diving await.

Local restaurants

Dress up for the old-world elegance at Amangalla hotel’s Zaal restaurant in Galle Fort. Choose between European and Sri Lankan dishes – all served with impeccable silver service. The secluded courtyard at the Fort Printers on Pedlar Street is a great spot for a quiet lunch, mid-fort tour, or a peaceful evening meal. Take a table below the illuminated banyan tree and enjoy a sharing mezze plates, followed by the chef’s lightly seared yellow-fin tuna, super-fresh sashimi or meaty lobster. The delicious six-course dinners at Tri are just a short drive away around Koggala Lake. Dine out on the deck overlooking the water; chef Neil Wager’s daily menu offers creative takes on classic Sri Lankan fare.

Local cafés

After touring Galle Fort, take lunch at cool contemporary café Church Street Social in Fort Bazaar. Take a street-side table to watch local life pass by while tucking into a juicy burger or spicy Sri Lankan curry. Over on Leyn Baan Street, Royal Dutch Café (+94 77 177 4949), is an old-school eatery owned by the well-known local character, Fazal Badurdeen, who’s as famous for his wide range of teas and delicious home-made cakes as his elaborate stories of fort life.

Local bars

Put your feet up on one of the colourful couches at Koha Surf Lounge on Unawatuna beach. Stop by this laid-back lounge for a refreshing brew and some life-affirming mantras, written on blackboards on the walls. If it’s a view you want, then head to the rooftop Harbour Bar at Lady Hills hotel for panoramic views over Galle and the bay area beyond.

Reviews

Photos KK Beach reviews
Audrey Ward

Anonymous review

By Audrey Ward, Hotel-loving editor

Sitting in the comfortable lounge of KK Beach’s reception area, sipping from a king coconut with a straw and wiping my brow with a cool towel, I know I should be luxuriating in this check-in experience but I am not. I don’t want to sit. I want to unpeel the layers of this hotel, paw through the books on the shelves, pick over the menu and size up the waves thundering onto the shore beyond.

There is no-one around but the staff who are chatting at the hotel bar and I can sense this hotel is keeping secrets, that there is a world of possibilities about to unfold within the crisp white dining area, upstairs where the bedrooms overlook the Indian Ocean and out by the pool area, which smacks of Miami with its orange-burst umbrellas pitched against a blue sky.

Just before I can urge Mr Smith to hurry up with his brow wiping, an email pings. It’s a message from the owner, George Cooper, listing recommendations for experiences in and around KK Beach, as well as shops and local restaurants. There are a few no-no’s to help you out. ‘Steer clear of topless or nude bathing, it is illegal’ Cooper warns. ‘Don’t assume you’ve understood the Sri Lankan head-waggle. Best to confirm, or have repeated all-important instructions.’ His note details the restaurants’ themed food nights ranging from Western and Thai to Sri Lankan curry and seafood barbecue.

I begin to relax and simmer down, feeling somewhat in-the-know. I start to ‘ooh’ and ‘aahh’ at the activities offered: a boat trip on the Koggala Lake, a tour of the Handunugoda Tea Estate, a jaunt through Galle Fort… Mr Smith wont even contemplate a plan until we’ve checked out the room and settled ourselves on a lounger.

KK Beach, which sprang to life just over a year ago, is perched on the south-west coast of the island on the dusty road between surfer’s haven Mirissa and the fortified old city of Galle. It has 10 stylish rooms, all with balconies overlooking the lawn and the ocean – ours is on the first floor. A comfortable suite with television, comfy sofa and industrial strength air-conditioning leads to the airy bedroom with blue batik-style blinds, pretty heart-shaped hanging side lights and a large bed. There are fresh flowers in a vase and the walls showcase the works of Sri Lankan artists.  

A quick lather of sunscreen and we are by the pool where a tiggerishly enthusiastic attendant urges us to choose our spot and then lays out two fluffy towels on each lounger, before presenting each of us with a chilled glass of water. During our stay he keeps us abreast of the ocean's mood. At times she rages but today she is calm and he encourages us to have a swim. A little gate leads from the pool area, smack-bang onto the palm-fringed, white-sand beach. It is beautiful and deserted. Wading into the water is not the protracted tip-toeing affair that is the prelude to an Atlantic Ocean swim. The waves are gloriously warm and frothy.

Breakfast the following morning is simple and tasty – fruit plates with sliced pineapple, papaya and Sri Lanka's finest sweet bananas. The coconut pancakes are fluffy light and there's toast, served with pots of jam and marmalade, to nibble on. If you want to start your day like the locals, put in your order the night before and by 8am you'll be scooping fish or chicken curry from a bowl with a hopper and lacing it with fiery coconut sambol.

Given Mr Smith’s Masterchef-style aspirations, we select the cookery class from Cooper’s list of activities. A complimentary tuk-tuk bounces us along a rural road to KK’s more refined older sibling, Kahanda Kanda, where we will be instructed in the art of curry-making. The hotel's villas are set among jungle and tea plantations and as we make our way to the demonstration kitchen, monkeys leap through the trees overhead, pilfering jackfruit. A white aproned maestro greets us and before him is an impressive collection of leaves, spices, vegetables and meat as well as an array of clay pots. Within an hour he has demonstrated to our group that a sumptuous aubergine curry, chicken curry and dhal can be rustled up with ease. Can we replicate such a feast at home? The jury is still out.

We feast on the spoils of our labour and a vague plan to eat lunch afterwards is abandoned, so it’s back to KK Beach. On our return the staff are doing a military-style clean up of the downstairs area. The sofas, dining tables and chairs are all outside, gleaming in the sun. We navigate our way back to the sun loungers to finish our books and to enjoy the white wine we spotted on the menu earlier. We are uncovering the secrets of this hotel and finding our rhythm…

 
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Price per night from $160.30