YKD Tourist Rest in Hikkaduwa

Hotel: Let's start by saying I didn't stay at the YKD Hotel, which I had booked, because upon check-in, I found out all the rooms were occupied, and the owner moved me 😒to a house across the street by the sea, explaining that it was part of his hotel, like a beach club. In fact, it's a house with three rooms converted into guest rooms. The owners themselves occupy another room. It's small and has no air conditioning, but there's a ceiling fan. The room has two closets, which are unusable because they smelled of mothballs. I didn't even try hanging clothes in them, as the smell would have permeated everything. There are no curtains or drapes on the windows, making it very uncomfortable because you can see everything, and you can't even get dressed or change. Another discomfort was the fact that the owners of the house were living with you, so it was impossible to get into your room unnoticed. In the evening, around 7:30 PM to be exact, they closed the gate. The hotel's advantages: the house (photo attached) is located directly on the ocean shore, and you can hear the waves all the time. The beach it's on seemed to me to be the best for swimming; there are practically no waves. Despite all the downsides, the hosts are pleasant and very responsive. The busy turtle beach is a 5-7-minute walk away. There are cafes within walking distance, but the ones I've chosen for myself were about 15 minutes away in different directions. Now, regarding the country itself, Sri Lanka is very beautiful, with abundant wildlife. I've never seen so many animals there: turtles, chipmunks, crabs, a shark, etc., and all this without leaving the hotel. The Ella excursion to the center of the island was simply amazing: the train, the bridge, and the tea were absolutely heartwarming 🫶🏼 and the safari (Yala Park) was an absolute joy. It was my first time on such an event and I was transported back to my childhood. There are also plenty of surfing schools, all very reasonably priced, making it a great spot for those who enjoy surfing. As for the prices, I wouldn't say they're particularly expensive, but compared to other Asian countries like Thailand or India, it seems more expensive. The average bill at a cafe for one meal and wine is around $15-$40. Excursions to the center of the island range from $100 to $200. And the big downside of the island, which is why I won't set foot in Sri Lanka again, is the unbearable heat🥵. It's not the first time I've been so close to the equator, but here I felt the heat all over my skin. It's generally difficult to be outside in the midday sun, cream doesn't help, I bought lycra, it seems like the sun's rays penetrated even through it 😀

This is the first time I've encountered something like this. Upon checking into the hotel, I discovered that all the rooms were occupied, even though I'd booked a room well in advance. The owner moved me 😒to a house across the street by the sea, explaining that it was part of his hotel, like a beach club (no one asked my opinion on this). In fact, it's a house with three rooms converted into guest rooms. The owners themselves occupy another room. The room is small and doesn't have air conditioning (which I was hoping for, for an extra fee, of course), but there is a ceiling fan, which was sufficient and comfortable. The room also has two closets, unusable because they smelled of mothballs. I didn't even try hanging things in them, as the smell would have permeated everything. Another discomfort was the fact that the owners of the house were living with me, so it was impossible to get into your room unnoticed. In the evening, around 7:30 PM to be exact, they closed the gate. On the plus side, the house (photo attached) is located right on the ocean shore, so you can hear the sound of the waves all the time. The beach it's on seemed to me to be the best for swimming, with virtually no waves. Despite all the downsides, the hosts are pleasant and responsive. The location isn't bad, meaning the beach is nice and not overcrowded, there are sun loungers and umbrellas, and the busy turtle beach is a 5-7-minute walk away. There are cafes within walking distance, but the ones I noticed were about 15 minutes away in different directions. And now why such a low rating? One morning, when I went into the shower, I discovered a large Madagascar cockroach, and besides this creature, other small creatures were also spotted in the room.

I hesitated for a long time to write this review, but a year later, I think it was the hotel that ruined my experience. First off, I didn't stay at the YKD Hotel, which I had booked, because upon check-in, I found out all the rooms were occupied, and the owner moved me to a house across the street by the sea, explaining that it was part of his hotel, like a beach club. In fact, it's a house with three rooms converted into guest rooms. The owners themselves occupy another room. The room is small and doesn't have air conditioning (which I was hoping for, for an extra fee, of course), but there is a ceiling fan. There are also two closets in the room, which are unusable because they smelled of mothballs. I didn't even try hanging things in them, as the smell would have permeated everything. One of the walls, namely in the shower, adjoined the owner's kitchen (shared window), and as a result, one morning when I went into the shower, a huge Madagascar cockroach was found on the wall with the window. I called the owner, and fortunately he got rid of it. Another thing that made me uncomfortable was that the owners of the house lived with me. It was impossible to get into my room unnoticed. In the evening, around 7:30 PM to be exact, they'd close the gate, and every time I went to dinner, they'd ask where I was going. On the plus side, the house (I'll attach a photo) is located right on the ocean shore, and you can hear the sound of the waves all the time. The beach it's on seemed to me to be the best for swimming, with virtually no waves. Despite all the downsides, the owners are pleasant and helpful. The location isn't bad, meaning there's a nice beach with sun loungers and umbrellas. It's a 5-7-minute walk to the busy turtle beach. There are cafes within walking distance, but the ones I've chosen for myself are about 15 minutes away in different directions.

Would not recommend staying here. We checked around 10am and spent the whole day at the beach. When we came back to our room in the evening we noticed that the bed was infested with bed bugs and bed bug eggs. Showed the owner photos of the bed bugs and asked for our money back however charged us for 1 full night. He offered us a different room however it was also dirty. Pretty horrible experience as we had to find a new hotel at 10pm which was stressful.