We just did a family trip of 10 people with varying needs and dietary requests inclusing 2 vegans. The Villa is beautiful, on a picture postcard beach back drop. The team at the villa exceeded expectation with the attention to detail, friendliness, amazing food, cleanliness, they threw my mum and niece a birthday party and even had someone accompanying us on our trips to make sure all was in order. We loved the wildlife watching from the terrace too! Sri Lanka is definately on my must return to list...just hope the Boat House is availbale when I do! Thank you for making our stay so memorable.

We stayed as a group of 8 adults and 2 kids at the Boat house and couldn't recommend it enough. The villa is absolutely beautiful and very spacious. The staff namely Arjuna, Hasanga, Jeewan, Lasantha, Sunil and Dulitha were simply fantastic. They worked as a team and we do not want to single out any individual. They went out of their way to make our stay a memorable one. All the meals we had were very delicious. We have no hesitation in recommending Boat House for anyone who is looking for a relaxing and enjoyable holiday.

This was the best holiday I ever had. The villa is large and beautifully furnished. The pool incredibly inviting and the beach amazing. The food was so good I wanted to bring the chef home with me. We will definitely be returning and recommend very highly.

We stayed as a group of seven at the boat house and couldn't recommend it enough. The villa itself is beautiful, spacious but homely and immaculate! located right on the beach which was absolutely stunning. The staff were attentive, but not obtrusive - no question or enquiry was ever too much and was always done with a smile on their face. We opted to have meals at the house a lot and the food was delicious, highly recommend trying all the local curries. Thank you Suraj and the team, we could not fault you for anything!

A fantastic spacious villa, made to feel at home immediately from welcoming staff who looked after us unobtrusively for the week. Our group, 2 families with 4 teenagers (19-14 ) had an amazing week. This is the perfect location for villa, right on beach, soft sand, no litter and warm water which we seemed to have to ourselves for most of week. Apparently 'low season ' but not any rain until leaving for airport , 3 hour drive but always plenty to see in this beautiful country. Thilina, house butler was just a star, from sorting menus, booking trips, arranging Yoga, booking in house massage, local advice and cocktail making, always with a lovely smile. Surfing lessons and transport arranged by Thilina is a must, 5 minutes in Tuk Tuk to surf beach, local cultural trips, again organised for us with driver with local knowledge .Safari trip also arranged, although we saw nearly as much wildlife in villa garden !. Everything was arranged for you, just had to mention what you would like and it happened,no hassle. Take plenty sunscreen & mosquito spray, they make an appearance at sun down ! Local pharmacy and supermarket ( 5 minute walk ) stock a good range as well. The food we had was amazing, 5*, all requests catered for and we ate like royalty for a week for under £80.00 each ! ( that also included a lot of lobster on the BBQ as well ) If you want premium alcohol brands, bring from duty free as expensive to buy but when you run out, the local brands are fine. An amazing villa ,WiFi OK, a bit slow when all teenagers connected,but everything you need or want is there.

The Boat House was the perfect place to host my first retreat, the staff , the villa, the location.. Elaine who is just super helpful when it comes to bringing the place alive. The staff quickly become your family which is what I believe makes this such a perfect place to stay. Location, relaxation home away from home you got it. The beach is perfect and was secluded for the time we were there. I will be hosting my next retreat again at The Boat House because I just cant get enough.

We arrived at 3am and the staff were ready and waiting to help us unload our luggage, including 5 surfboards. That was just the beginning of an awesome time spent at this villa , the staff were always there to assist they were more than happy to organise anything we required, it was our sons 21st birthday , they organised champagne and a cake along with a special seafood bbq for dinner. Suraj and Tilly were awesome they organised everything we need including a tuk tuk’s to take us surfing each dayThe location and facilities are first class, infinitely pool with the beach right there, The food was amazing and we tried the local cuisine every day including breakfast, we will all remember the curried eggs for a long time If you are looking for a great location and a villa with it all give the Boat house at Dikwella a go , you will not regret your choice

We stayed at the house in mid-December as a family of 5, with another family of 5, with the children all between 9 and 4 years old and it worked fantastically. We had more friends staying in the house next door, which made it even better, as we could have some big meals together and drinks after the kids had gone to bed, First of all the people that looked after us, Elaine (the owner) did a good job of telling us what was what before we got to the place and arranged our transfers for us, which made us more relaxed. Secondly, the main guys for our house Suraj and Tilly were superb (the house next door had another good crew). They were friendly, patient and very professional. When one of the youngsters hurt their foot on the beach they got a doctor for us very quickly to check it over. They also gave us lots of good advice about what to do and how to do it in terms of day trips. Then there were the chefs and the house boys, the chefs did a great job cooking us what ever we wanted for breakfast, lunch and dinner all week, and it was all really high quality food, that was amazingly fresh. The next thing to mention was the house, set in a mesmerizingly beautiful setting, right on the beach, with a great pool out the back (shared with the other house), and steps right down onto the lovely beach, which was practically empty. We had a lot of fun bodyboarding on the waves. The inside of our house was decorated and furnished to a really high level, with a lot of style and fun, and was a complete home away from home. Finally the day trips and things to do from the house were lots of fun too. we did turtle watching, when they were laying their eggs, went on a day safari to see Elephants, crocs, monkeys, water buffalo izards and birds, which was all amazing, and our drivers looked after us. Sri Lanka itself is a great country to visit and now was a good time to do it, before it gets further developed as it inevitably will. I cannot think of a better family holiday I have been on. Truly memorable. Thanks again to all of those that helped host us.

What an outstanding holiday destination. I happily give 10/10 for a truly remarkable holiday. The staff were wonderful and nothing was too much trouble. They were genuinely happy to assist. The food was local, fresh and utterly delicious. Rooms were spotless and decorated to a very high standard. Whilst relaxing around the pool you could see monkeys, visiting peacocks and hear the sea lapping just a few feet away. If you are looking for a luxurious holiday where you can escape the pressures of everyday life and be thoroughly spoilt then this is the destination for you.

Thank you Andy and Elaine for the beautiful setting of The Boat House. To surf and swim before a leisurely fresh fruit breakfast served gracefully by Suraj and Dili was an ideal way to relax. The rest of the staff discretely supported us. Saturday was market day so Suraj took us round, explained all the local fruits, vegetables and fish with no sense of hurry. Lots of sites could be visited and by chance a Buddhist festival procession took place through Dikwella, even sitting by the pool we could watch birds and animals enjoying the garden with us. Diane and David Lyle