Highlights
- Select, intimate boutique hotel
- Pool, spa, yoga pavilion, volley ball, cricket
- Expansive tropical gardens
- Super location for Galle and beaches
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Why House is an independently run boutique hotel located within three acres of tranquil tropical gardens close to the historic port town of Galle in southern Sri Lanka. This charming, select property offers eight rooms, a swimming pool, a restaurant and bar, a spa, and attentive, friendly service. A short walk from sandy beaches and 8km from the celebrated UNESCO World Heritage Site of Galle Fort, Why House offers an intimate and relaxing haven towards the higher end of the budget spectrum.
The hotel’s extensive grounds house a spa, a yoga pavilion, and a super pool, all surrounded by lawns, tropical plants, and pretty fruit trees. Meals are served in an alfresco dining pavilion, with a daily changing menu comprising contemporary western and Asian cuisine, including Sri Lankan specialties. Special diets can be catered for, and private dining is available.
Yoga and pilates sessions can be enjoyed in the tranquil yoga shala, whilst beauty treatments and massages are available at the onsite spa. The hotel also offers cookery classes. Enjoy a game of volleyball or cricket, or simply relax in the sizeable pool. Several lovely sandy beaches can be accessed on foot or by tuk-tuk: Dalawella Beach in Mihiripena has a calm lagoon, ideal for swimming. Wijaya boasts a choice of beach bars, whilst Unawatuna offers great swimming and snorkelling. The vibrant town of Galle, with its renowned historic fort, numerous shops and restaurants, is a 15km tuk-tuk ride away.
The hotel accommodates up to 20 guests in eight well-appointed rooms. Three rooms are located within the main house and three in a garden annex, whilst two additional garden cabanas are each suitable for two guests. All rooms are individually designed and have double or twin beds and a spacious, ensuite bathroom. Each room has air conditioning, satellite TV, a DVD player, minibar, and Wi-Fi. Outside is a private terrace with views of the garden, pool, or the surrounding paddy fields.
Children are extremely welcome at Why House, and the large, secure gardens and pool will appeal to guests of all ages. Reductions are offered for children aged 12 years and under, with cots provided free-of-charge for infants. Children’s menus are available and babysitting can be arranged. There are four accommodation options for families. Two of the Main House Suites sleep four and have anterooms meaning that parents and children have their own sleeping areas. The Garden House Double also sleeps four, with a four-poster bed on the mezzanine floor and twin beds on the ground flour. The new Bungalow has spacious, interconnecting rooms and again sleeps four. Finally, the Paddy View Room has a king-sized bed and a single bed in the atrium – the two interconnect via the bathroom and this room sleeps three. Note that the main house, garden house, or the entire property can be booked out on an exclusive basis, a great option for larger families or groups travelling together.
Thank you yet again for another meticulously organised and executed holiday (our 5th with you). Every aspect worked perfectly.
Please could you pass on our sincere thanks to your agent in Sri Lanka; Lakshita, our driver and guide, absolutely made the trip for us - he was so keen for us to have the best experience possible. He was organised, kind, interested, punctual, the car was always spotless, and he was an excellent driver. His extensive knowledge was really appreciated by us and was exactly what we had hoped for in a guide. I think the highlight for us was our day in Anuradhapura (7 hours of absorbing history and culture), but there was so much to learn and absorb every day. He also made several suggestions for things that he thought we might like that weren't in our itinerary, and then booked them for us. These included an ayurvedic massage after climbing Sigiriya, a cultural show (an hour of touristy fun!), reef snorkelling with turtles (a real highlight for me - I wish we could have stayed all day), a lagoon boat trip and visit to a cinnamon island, a turtle sanctuary visit, and a gemstone factory visit. He also managed to get us a private tour of Lunanguga, which Peter thoroughly enjoyed. We also really enjoyed the tea factory tour.
Our guide for the hike was also really excellent, and he and Lakshita made sure that our day was perfectly tailored to our (my) ability.
All our accommodation was also perfectly selected. Our favourite was the Ceylon tea trails bungalow (just perfect!), but The Villa Bentota came a close second as a perfect way to relax at the end of the trip. Our villa and the grounds at Uga at Ulagalla were also beautiful.
(Our only slightly disappointing day was the whale watching - no whales wanted to be seen on that particular day, plus I was very sea-sick despite taking meds! The tour organisers offered us a repeat day the following day, which we declined! Having said that, being out on the water was still enjoyable, up to a point...).
I'm sure I've missed out something - we basically loved it all and felt that the balance of the itinerary was perfect for us (we used the 'rest' day in Galle to do the snorkelling, lagoon, and turtles)
Thank you very, very much.
fiona g
reviewing Sri Lanka Highlights - Classic
on 27 March 2026
I just wanted to reach out and let you know what a truly outstanding trip we had.
The itinerary was perfect, the country, the people, the food.....wow, take me back!!!
Each of my family members made so many magnificent memories.
I cant thank you enough for all your help.
Maren B
reviewing Vietnam Northern Highlights and Tropical Beach
on 16 February 2026
We just wanted to thank you for an absolutely amazing holiday. Everything went exactly to plan and we were blown away with the quality of the guides, transport and accommodation. The itinerary was perfect for our family with a great mix of guided and free days and the different destinations complemented each other well. We will definitely be using Tourdust again for our next trip! Particular highlights were the Ha Long Bay cruise, Hanoi, and the morning cycle tour in Siam Reap
Jane P
reviewing Complete Vietnam For Families
on 14 May 2025