French Garden

French Garden, Uppuveli Beach, Sri Lanka: A Recommendation

Plus points:
All rooms with stunning sea view about 50m from the water;
Unbeatable room rates

Minus points:
Filthy, very basic rooms that could be so much better with small efforts;
No care from family owners towards their guests

Of all accommodations I have stayed so far in Sri Lanka, this place is least recommendable. My biggest wish is for the competition to move in soon, so this family is forced to re-invest some money. Unfortunately, due to the lack of current alternatives, this sea view guest house at unbeatable prices is frequented with independent travellers coming to the Trinco region.

The first three nights, I stayed at the left side of the guest house (managed by the old man and his daughter). The rooms were not clean and except for the night, I spent all the time outside. But I found a nice spot for my hammock and improvised to make myself comfortable. Current room rate for a single: 800 Rs (single) / 1,000 Rs (double).


Ironically, though the guest house was pretty bad, I wanted to prolong my stay because of the direct location at one of the nicest beaches in Sri Lanka. All rooms on the left side were booked, so I relocated to the right side of the guest house (managed by the son). I spent my nights with cockroaches, ants, and rats. Needless to say anything more... The agreed room rate was 700 Rs per night. I only paid them half the price, so 350 Rs per night.

A secret tip: Just around the corner from the French Garden is the Palm Beach Guesthouse. It's like a palace with a pretty garden and a nice terrace. The owners are Italian and have an amazing sense to please their guests. And the cappuccino - mamma mia, Donna!