Drifters Hotel and Beach Restaurant
602 Galle Road Narigama, Hikkaduwa 80240 Sri Lanka
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About
#32 of 415 hotels in Hikkaduwa
Location
4.7
Cleanliness
4.4
Service
4.5
Value
4.3
Drifters is a medium-sized, owner-operated hotel in the heart of the best beach and surfing spot in Hikkaduwa. Drifters offers comfortable, clean rooms built around a garden and swimming pool, with a restaurant opening onto the beach. Service is Drifters' mantra and owner Lalith is always on hand to give personal attention to all guests.
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Property amenities
Free parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Pool
Bar / lounge
Beach
Children Activities (Kid / Family Friendly)
Airport transportation
Currency exchange
Secured parking
Wifi
Pool / beach towels
Outdoor pool
Restaurant
Shuttle bus service
Outdoor furniture
Sun loungers / beach chairs
Sun terrace
Sun umbrellas
Express check-in / check-out
Private check-in / check-out
Ironing service
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Room features
Air conditioning
Private balcony
Safe
Seating area
Iron
Bath / shower
Room types
Ocean view
Non-smoking rooms
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL STYLE
Quiet
Family
Location
602 Galle Road Narigama, Hikkaduwa 80240 Sri Lanka
Drifters Hotel and Beach Restaurant
Getting there
Great for walkers
Grade: 91 out of 100
91
76 Restaurants
within 0.3 miles
333Reviews11Q+A61Room tips
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Five stars for the class of hotel. We stayed for four nights at Drifters. The hotel is centrally located on beautiful Naragami Beach and has direct access to the beach with some covered lounge beach beds. Our room was poolside and sufficient to our needs. Nothing special and the bed was a little hard but otherwise no issues. It did provide a safe and a lockable cabinet (with your own travel lock). They have universal outlets and WiFi was fine throughout our stay, except that it was hard to make long calls over WiFi as the electricity would periodically switch from the main line to the generator which resets WiFi (this happened every place we stayed). Breakfast is provided but limited - 2 eggs (omelet or fried), fruit or juice, toast and butter/jam, and coffee or tea. It got a little boring by the end of our stay. There are surf schools next to the hotel on the beach - the waves were decent but not enough for surfing every day. I enjoyed it for swimming since it wasn't too rough. There is also a pool, which was excellent. I really enjoyed the pool even if the security guard made sure there was no after 8 pm swimming. There is nightlife nearby. Vibration is a big club that is open on Fridays (recommend!) and Mambo's and Top Secret a few buildings down the street had something going on every night. We tried massages at several places. The best (i.e. deepest) was at Hotel Remember near Drifters. Only caution for those that bruise easy (me!) that you need to ask them to go lightly (unlike me who spent the next 10 days with some stellar bruising). Overall Hikkaduwa is a pretty laid back beach town with a lot of tourists - it is also centrally located for an easy afternoon trip down to Fort Galle or north to the other beaches. It was pretty quiet too, as in I didn't really need ear plugs to sleep. I would stay here again although I wouldn't use their taxi service since it is terribly overpriced. Oh, and contact the hotel directly for a rate. You will get a better one than through any website.…
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Date of stay: March 2022
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip: Make sure to get an AC room.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Great to come back to Drifters Same friendly , helpful and professional staff working Pool area great and right on the beach ! Would definitely recommend the restaurant tasty food for lunch or dinner Thanks for a great stay , will be back soon !
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Date of stay: November 2021Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
The food was absolutely appalling. It was so bland, even after being drowned in salt and pepper. I was so disappointed by the food here. I was honest with the waiter that the food was not tasty but he did not seem that bothered. We ordered a sprite, he did not have. Instead we ordered a coke, he only had coke light. Fine. Bill comes and the coke light is considerably more expensive than the coke was on the menu. I questioned this and he told me that coke light is more expensive. I explained that it should be on their menu if they’re going to charge so much more for it. Again he did not seem to care telling me it is not on their menu!🤦♀️ I ate mine out of sheer hunger. My other half fished out the chicken and left the noodles that were barely edible. Absolutely shockingly boring food, would not return or recommend! …
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
After staying at one of the pricier resorts and having consistently bad service, moving to drifters was a nice experience. The pool was nice and clean, the location was perfect (right on the beach) and the rooms were clean. Sunny at the front desk helped us with absolutely everything we needed and made our stay a breeze. They have security at night so you always feel safe as well.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip: There are a few rooms that seem to be ocean view but not sure how you can book one
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
This is the end of the beach to be, a great location and surprisingly good food. Negotiate a good rate as advertised price a bit expensive. Location is right on the beach. There is a swimming pool but would recommend the natural swimming pool, the ocean.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
My 4th visit to this hotel.The owner Laleith and all his staff cannot do enough for you. On the beach clean friendly and lovely food. We had a lovely Xmas eve buffet. So relaxed stayed for 4 weeks.Interesting guests from all over the world too. I was alone and so well looked after by the hotel manager and the lovely professional restaurant manager who took great pride in their roles. Cannot wait to go back. The resort was unusually quiet this time but I had a lovely time and hotel had filled up when I left so hope it continues.
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Date of stay: December 2019Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Very clean and tidy place, small rooms but very comfortable, tasty breakfast. Professional and welcoming staff. An excellent beach front place and if the surf is too big no problem... you can always relax by the swimming pool! Ideal for relaxing and surfing. On the beach right in front of the Drifters Hotel there is a good place to rent surf boards and to have surf lessons, it's called Hippie Surf School, the staff is committed and experienced, they can easily give you valuable surf advices and lessons at a fair price. Then if you need a massage don't hesitate to ask for Banda, he is very experienced in deep muscle massage perfect to relieve muscle contractures and stiffness, is some way better than some ayurvedic centres. I would definitely recommend to stay at Drifters Hotel!
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Date of stay: December 2019Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
We recently stayed here in a sea view triple room for 6 nights. The hotel is basic but the staff are very friendly and helpful. The sea view room was more than adequate for our family of three although we could have done with more storage in the room, especially drawers. Bathroom is wet room style and again could have done with more storage. Cleaning done well whenever requested. Breakfast although good was a little basic and repetitive. The options were toast, porridge or eggs with fruit juice/coffee. We ate out some mornings just for variety. Location of the hotel was great with a decent swimming pool and direct access to the beach. Walking distance to many of the attractions in the town. The restaurant next door has a nice vibe although service is extremely slow. Mambos just along the beach is also good. If you need taxi transfer from the airport go through the hotel as it was a great price. All in all we liked our stay here and would return. …
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Date of stay: April 2019Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Service is excellent and staff is very friendly. The location on the beach is perfect. Our family always feel so well looked after and we have returned to the very same place for our vacation. We also like the food at their restaurant very much, but there are many options nearby if you need a change.
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Date of stay: April 2019Trip type: Traveled with family
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip: The best rooms are the once facing the sea. If you stay in one of the rooms toward the street,...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Recently stayed at Drifters for 2 weeks with my husband, our 3 year old daughter and another family of 3. Will start of by saying we loved it so much that we have already booked to go back for 3 weeks in December. Efficiently waited for at airport by the hotels transfer driver in a comfortable mini van which fit all our surfboards etc. We had a balcony, sea facing deluxe room and it was perfect. Waking up every morning to the sound of the ocean and checking the surf. Massive queen size bed was sooo comfortable and bathroom had great shower. Lalith and all his staff were fantastic, nothing was ever too much trouble. They all made a fuss over our two toddlers. Pool area was perfect, very very clean. Then there is the food!!! OMG! Every morning we were told what fresh fish etc was going to be coming in, we feasted on kilos of king prawns, tuna steak, the most delicious curry banquettes, crab and the list goes on. Morning buffet was perfect, a selection of fresh fruit, curry, toast, rottis, omelettes or eggs however you wanted then cooked, juice, tea and coffee. Sun lounges out the front were great for keeping little ones in shade with a few trucks, buckets and spades that the hotel had for them to play with. We had an early flight back to the UK, so the staff kindly made us all a pack lunch and several bottles of water. Thank you all so much for a truly wonderful holiday. We cant wait to come back. Nadine, Dan and Summer…
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Date of stay: March 2019Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
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PRICE RANGE
$66 - $67 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
Sri LankaSouthern ProvinceGalle DistrictHikkaduwa
NUMBER OF ROOMS
20
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Claim Your ListingDRIFTERS HOTEL AND BEACH RESTAURANT - Prices & Reviews (Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka)
Frequently Asked Questions about Drifters Hotel and Beach Restaurant
Which popular attractions are close to Drifters Hotel and Beach Restaurant?
Nearby attractions include Chilanka Gems & Jewellers (0.1 miles), Yula Beach Bar (0.2 miles), and Tea Zone (0.1 miles).
What are some of the property amenities at Drifters Hotel and Beach Restaurant?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, a pool, and an on-site restaurant.
What food & drink options are available at Drifters Hotel and Beach Restaurant?
Guests can enjoy an on-site restaurant and a lounge during their stay.
Is parking available at Drifters Hotel and Beach Restaurant?
Yes, free parking and secured parking are available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to Drifters Hotel and Beach Restaurant?
Conveniently located restaurants include Hello Burger, Salty Swamis Cafe & Surf Shop, and Sea Salt Society - Beach restaurant & Bar -Hikkaduwa.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Drifters Hotel and Beach Restaurant?
Yes, guests have access to a pool during their stay.
Does Drifters Hotel and Beach Restaurant have an airport shuttle?
Yes, Drifters Hotel and Beach Restaurant offers an airport shuttle for guests. We recommend calling ahead to confirm details.
Does Drifters Hotel and Beach Restaurant have airport transportation?
Yes, Drifters Hotel and Beach Restaurant offers airport transportation for guests. We recommend calling ahead to confirm details.
Is Drifters Hotel and Beach Restaurant located near the city center?
Yes, it is 1.0 miles away from the center of Hikkaduwa.
Are there any historical sites close to Drifters Hotel and Beach Restaurant?
Many travelers enjoy visiting Galle Fort (10.0 miles).
Does Drifters Hotel and Beach Restaurant have any great views?
Yes, guests often enjoy the ocean view available here.