Hotel La Veranda di Serena

My mum and I absolutely loved our stay at La Veranda di Serena. The ocean views from our room were beautiful and hearing the sound of the ocean on daily basis brought a lot of peace. We saw turtles every morning and we even found some unique seashells on the small beach in front of the property. The location is great, 2 minutes walk to the main Unawatuna beach. The room was comforable and the breakfast lovely. The owner and staff at La Veranda di Serena were very friendly and welcoming and they even helped with a car ride back to Colombo. I will definitely be back at this property as it is a unique cute little place.

Staff is amazing they are so kind and helpful! The place has an amazing view and the rooms are clean. Breakfast is delicious!

The hotel is located right on the beach, offering stunning views—especially from the breakfast table. Breakfast was generous, with a good selection including toast, fresh fruit, smoothies, tea or coffee, and omelettes. I opted for the most budget-friendly option, the 'garden room', which was simple but had the essentials I needed. The accomodation was about a 10 min walk to the main Unawatuna beach - some of this walk was via the main road which might be difficult for some travellers.

Unfortunately, the room had a noticeable musty smell, and there was visible black mould in several areas, including the bathroom, fridge seal, and some wooden furniture. This made the space feel uncomfortable and even affected my clothes. Additionally, the door lock was quite stiff and required a lot of force to secure properly.The hotel is adjacent to the owner’s family home, so it was common to hear children playing near the reception area or outside the rooms. While I didn’t mind this, it gave the place more of a homestay feel than a typical hotel experience.

To say it is beachfront is an understatement! The waves come right up to the hotel! Gazing out to sea from the shared balcony is lovely, especially when a turtle comes swimming by. The villa is very pretty and is positioned on the coastal road (10 minutes walk to the main town areas or 3 min tuk tuk). It is on a small beach with rocky outcrops each side making it private, Swimming is possible but there are waves. Beach beds/towels are available. It is just around the corner to the main Unawatuna beach area, with it's multiple bars, restaurants, etc. The main beach can be lively at night with music etc from the beach bars. This villa is near enough to get involved should you wish, and also quiet enough should you not.Our room was a little compact, but everything worked, it was very clean and the bed was very comfortable. No real road noise but you will hear the sea. Quite mesmerising. Tea/coffee and a small fridge, A/C, safe, but no tv in our room. The owner and his family live adjacent. He and the staff are very friendly. Room made up daily should you wish.Breakfast overlooking the sea was good: European, with eggs, toast, jam, fruit and a very nice smoothie. Tea/Coffee.The owner can arrange trips if you wish and also provided our onward transport. Easy access by tuk tuk to Galle Fort and other surrounding areas.We enjoyed our stay at La Veranda di Serena.

The furnishings are a little tired. The large bed, although comfortable, could only be accessed from one side and the foot of the bed.

We had a great stay in La Veranda. Our top floor appartment was huge, with an ocean view from every room including bathroom. Seeing big sea turtles coming to the ocean surface in the morning was amazing. The hotel personnel is very helpful and caring. There a lot of good restaurants in the area.

Nothing to complain about. :)

view’s perfect, breakfast

at nights waves’ noise’re very loud

Absolutely beautiful place couldn't do enough for you the breakfast was amazing ? the owner and staff were beautiful kind caring people the rooms and view no words for thank you all so much xxx

The staff

Great location, breakfast and fanstastic service.

The location was very nice, right on the beach and it has a nice view of the ocean. The breakfast was pretty good. Close to the center.

The furniture is very old, the room has a smell. It looks dirty because the things there are old. It needs some renovation because the property has a good potential. The bed is uncomfortable, the bathroom door very noisy

Views!!! Peace, right on beach, lovely breakfast on waters edge, friendly staff

Nothing really, only negative was leaky shower..

Beautiful location right on a small beach with amazing views. The rooms were not big but had every you needed, including fridge and hair dryer. Restaurants and shops were nearby.

Beautiful ; literally on the beach and easy walk to the main beach ( 10 minutes along the beach), numerous restaurants nearby

Relatively good location, great to hear the waves but no usable beach in front of the property. Ideally a property set back further with better usable beach preferred.

I prefer a more private outdoor balcony space

The location was lovely with a small private beach easily accessed from the hotel. We could see turtles swimming from our room and the owner was very caring of them. The staff were excellent and nothing was too much trouble for them. The breakfasts were fantastic and beautifully presented. The room was very clean and comfortable and had a great view. It was within walking distance to restaurants and shops.

We loved everything about this property it’s just perfect. Right on seafront, we saw loads of turtles from our balcony which was great. All the staff are excellent and can’t do enough for you. The breakfast and fresh juice was delicious.

The worst hotel in Sri Lanka

The room smelled musty! As the previous guest commented, you had to pay extra to change the room, and the owner's attitude was bad. In the end, we had to endure the room for one night, and woke up in the morning coughing like crazy. We finally found the reason, the moldy air conditioner! Finally, the traffic noise during the day is unbearable, don't book here! It will ruin your vacation!

Nice location, friendly staff, clean room with perfect view to the ocean (turtles can seen all the time) and very very delicious breakfast.

Friendly helpful staff and owner, right on little private beach, waves lulled us to sleep! Spacious topfloor apartment...2 showers! Comfortable furniture and bed. We hired scooter from here and used onsite tuctuc...lovely man took us to main town area in evenings . Shops and bars close by. Breakfast fresh with lovely service. We have only praise!

Nothing not to like

Literally right on the beach-the waves come right up to the property so you can hear the sea day and night.You can spot he turtles whilst eating your breakfast.A 15-20 minute walk to the main town or shorter if you go by the beach. Great little local place almost opposite called ‘mamas’ (I think)where the locals go, very good food.

Would of been nice to sit on the beach on sun beds

Review for La Veranda di Serena:La Veranda di Serena is a very special place for me! In 2017, I had a random picture from the internet as my phone wallpaper—palm trees, sand, and the ocean. I loved looking at that picture, imagining myself there.In February 2018, my friends traveled with us to Sri Lanka and booked a room at La Veranda di Serena. When I arrived, I had this strange feeling that I’d been there before, but I couldn’t figure out why. Then I went up to the third floor, looked out from the balcony, and saw the exact view from my phone wallpaper! I still can’t believe it actually happened—it felt magical!This place is truly amazing, with breathtaking views. The owner of the hotel is incredibly friendly and attentive—huge thanks to him for making our stay so wonderful! And I must mention the breakfasts—they are absolutely divine!