The Rook House in Hiriketiya

8 reviews

• G

  Gregory

  CH · couple · Oct 2026

  10/10

  Will stay again. Ajith, he caretaker, was a great guy who was helpful and accessible if required.

  Comfortable. Pool was an extra bonus. Quiet but accessible area.

  The kitchen could be a bit more functional but had all the basics.

• P

  Pravin

  LK · extended_group · Sep 2026

  9/10
• M

  Martin

  GB · family_with_children · Aug 2026

  5/10

  Disappointing. Very overpriced.

  The caretaker, Ajith, is wonderful—highly attentive, friendly, and helpful. The location is excellent, situated just a short walk from the beach and local restaurants. The villa sits in a nice, private garden with a clean swimming pool, though the pool's shower head is broken, leaving only a tap over the grass.

  The property is currently neglected and needs significant maintenance to justify its price. By the fourth night, we realized both of our children were covered in bites. Upon inspecting the beds, we found significant black dirt buildup along the mattress seams and caught two fleas. For safety, we all had to crowd into the master bed for our final night. Furthermore, the physical property deviates heavily from its Booking.com listing: The floors are basic concrete, not the advertised tile or marble. There are only three bathrooms, not four. Crucially, only one has hot water, meaning there is only one functional shower for a family of four. The kitchen lacks cupboards, and the open shelves were covered in grime. The kitchen sponge provided was filthy. Additionally, the fridge was rusty and the temperature gauge is broken and froze all contents, which was a major issue as my wife needed it to store her medication. The listed washing machine did not work at all, which was a primary reason we booked this villa after six weeks of travel. It clearly had been broken for some time. There is no indoor dining table anywhere in the villa. The wardrobes were only half-accessible, with one side locked up to store the owner's personal items. The open halves were cluttered with old, unlocked junk (such as sea boots, a broken picture frame, and a grubby bed throw and pillow) rather than being cleared for guest use. Additionally, the ensuite bidet hose burst open in the middle of the night, flooding the bathroom. Bedroom lamps were broken, and a bedroom desk was unusable because it lacked a chair and was holding a broken computer monitor. Cash payment was required upfront which is unusual and caused logistical difficulties of local ATM withdrawal limits. We have stayed in multiple properties around Sri Lanka and other parts of Asia and sadly this property is currently overpriced and needs a revamp.

• N

  nadine

  NL · family_with_children · Aug 2026

  9/10

  Helemaal top.

  Wat een fijn huis in Hiriketiya. Personeel heel vriendelijk en behulpzaam. Super rustige plek op loop afstand van het centrum.

• D

  Daisy

  NL · family_with_children · Aug 2025

  10/10

  Beste verblijf van onze trip in Sri Lanka! Schone kamers, heeerlijk zwembad, lekkere ligbedjes/stoelen en een super vriendelijke host. De locatie wordt als minpunt vaak benoemd. Het klopt dat de weg erna toe hobbelig is maar wij waren met de tuktuk waardoor dit goed te doen is. Ook heeft dit positieve punten waardoor het huis heel rustig ligt, weinig buren/ geen last van de buren en paar keer per dag komen er gezellig apen langs lopen die op een veilige afstand blijven en die je vanuit het zwembad goed kan bekijken. Voor ons was de locatie dus juist een plus punt.