Pros

  • Off a quiet dirt road a few minute’s walk to the main Unawatuna tourist strip
  • A wide range of rooms available, from basic and dated economy rooms to big, bright contemporary cabanas
  • Rooms have air-conditioning, mosquito nets and coils, flat-screen TVs, basic toiletries, and minibars
  • Newer-built standalone Cabanas have good natural light, contemporary bathrooms, and front porches
  • Two big, clean pools provide drink service, loungers, and umbrellas
  • Four restaurant dining spaces (with the same menu) feature local specialties and fresh seafood
  • Two restaurant bars and a small poolside bar with a few stools for drinks
  • Pet-friendly property
  • Free Wi-Fi
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Cons

  • Lots of mosquitoes and other bugs
  • Beach is a 10-minute walk away
  • A handful of dogs roam freely
  • Some rooms may not be able to receive Wi-Fi signal
  • Gym is small and hot
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Bottom Line

This mid-range, budget-friendly boutique packs 53 rooms across two property lots, and features four restaurant spaces sharing the same menu, two pools, a jewelry store, and both wild jungle and landscaped grounds. It is about a 10-minute walk to the beach in one direction and the same distance to the town's main road in the other. Mostly filled with families and older couples, the property is characterized by a few stray dogs, lingering employees, a small (and hot) gym, and a great disparity between the lowest and highest of the nine categories of rooms. This is a relaxing, quiet spot that's ideal for anyone on a budget (or with a pet).

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Amenities

  • Cribs
  • Fitness Center
  • Internet
  • Pets Allowed
  • Pool
  • Spa

Oyster Hotel Review

Flower Garden Hotel

Scene

Relaxed, family-oriented vibe with busy pool areas

From the road, Flower Garden Hotel doesn't seem like much; the design of the property has a small driveway leading to a long pathway that snakes up to the hotel -- which looks more like a private home than a resort. However, the property is surprisingly large, accommodating two pools, tons of dining space, two bars, and multiple buildings housing the 53 rooms. There is also a multi-level property right across the road that has its own bar and restaurant area, large fish tank wall, and winding stairs up to the Penthouse rooms. As a newer building, this section of Flower Garden feels a tad smarter, is visibly less dated, and has a much more contemporary vibe. Back at the main property, Western hits from yesteryears play from an English-language radio station throughout the day and evening. The staff's English may not be as good as the DJs on the radio, but they work hard to accommodate guests.

Since this property isn’t on the beach, most of the guests spend their time next to or in one of the pools, which can be a rare offering in hotels of this level in Unawatuna. The newer Elephant Pool attracts most of the kids who stay here. While there is much covering the property lot, unlike at some other boutique hotels, the space can feel cramped here, mostly during the day, and there is little privacy outside of staying inside your room. (Even the front desk is essentially in the restaurant.) However, no one seems to mind. Oddly, the sociability of the hotel remains fairly low, at least between adults, and everyone is usually left to do their own thing. That said, it's not only a great budget option for families and couples, but also for older solo travelers who don't want to spend a fortune to stay in a property that doesn't have a hostel-like vibe.

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Location

On a quiet dirt road a 10 minutes' walk from the beach

Flower Garden Hotel is located on a side road off the main strip of the touristy beach town of Unawatuna. While the road right outside is relatively quiet with not much traffic, just a few minutes' walk to the main strip is where you’ll find bikes, cars, pedestrians, shops, restaurants, and other hotels galore. The beach is about a 10- to 15-minute walk from the hotel (which provides free beach towels), though there is almost always a tuk-tuk outside waiting for fares for those who would rather hitch a ride. 

Guests who fancy day trips can reach the bustling city of Galle in under 20 minutes, beautiful Hikkaduwa Beach in 40 minutes, relaxing riverbanks of Bentota in just over an hour, and Udawalawe National Park in two hours and 40 minutes, or find seasonal whale watching in Mirissa in 45 minutes by car. Colombo Airport (actually in Negombo) is nearly a three-hour drive north. 

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Rooms

Great variance in rooms, from dim and dated to bright and contemporary

All 53 rooms at Flower Garden Hotel have flat-screen TVs; cable with lots of English channels; ceiling fans; minibars stocked with soda, water, and beer; (usually four-poster) beds draped in mosquito nets; personal or private outdoor space; and coffee and tea facilities. With the green jungle grounds comes bugs, and the rooms here all come prepared with mosquito coils and nets, but it’s hard to keep the bugs -- mostly mosquitoes, gnats, and some roly polys -- out of the rooms completely.

The Cabanas were built in late 2014, and while a Penthouse may sound nicer, these Cabanas are the best rooms in the house. All Cabanas are standalone units with personal porches facing a landscaped garden; they come with slightly more privacy, more contemporary furniture, lots of natural light, high ceilings, cool tile floors, king-size netted beds, and concrete and tile bathrooms -- and the Super Deluxe Cabanas have whirlpool bathtubs. However, if you just like the way a Penthouses sounds, you can pay a bit extra for these units, which do come with their own private (and fairly deep) outdoor patio plunge pools and are located in the building across the street. Just note that the Penthouses are actually two double rooms -- both with cramped bathrooms (though there are whirlpool tubs) and smaller-than-expected balconies -- making them most ideal for couples or families traveling together.

The standard Deluxe Rooms are the smallest; they often have low light and appear dated. Bathrooms are small and cramped with old-school showerheads, though a glimmer of modernity exists thanks to flat-screen TVs. These rooms also have personal patio areas consisting of Caribbean-style patio furniture just outside the front windows and doors, along the outdoor hall space. 

If you want Wi-Fi, you'll have to grab a room close to reception for a reliable signal.

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Features

Four dining areas, two bars, and two lively pools

Two of the Flower Garden's most unique and valuable features are its pools, the raised-deck Main Pool and the 2014-built Elephant Pool. The Elephant Pool has a good amount of loungers tucked in the grassy area surrounding the pool, while the Main Pool fights for space with the hotel’s entrance, restaurant, and pool bar, resulting in a smaller deck. Be sure to bring an extra towel down to the pool as the wooden loungers are topped with black vinyl cushions that can get surprisingly hot. 

Off the main pool, you'll find a small covered pool bar with a few office desk-turned-bar-stools and a set of covered tables and chairs. The hotel's second bar is attached to a dining area next to the Elephant Pool. This dining area is only one of four; three outdoor, covered spaces with individual decor wrap around the "old wing" main building, while an Asian-Western styled bar and restaurant can be found in the "new wing" section across the street. Both restaurants have the same tasty menu with Sri Lankan, Italian, and international dishes, though during the week one will host special dinners like barbecues while the other remains a la carte. While each restaurant has a bar area, they're both mostly for quick drink service and less for hanging out and socializing.

The hotel also has a small, non-air-conditioned gym by the Elephant Pool where you are more likely to get a workout swatting mosquitoes than running on the treadmill, using the all-in-one weight machine, or hitting the exercise bike. Flower Garden also runs tours to various sights, both near and slightly far. 

Though this is not a beach hotel, the hotel provides beach towels for anyone looking to spend a day by the sea. The walk takes about 10 minutes or you can grab a tuk-tuk from the hotel’s entrance.

Freebies include Wi-Fi (strongest closest to reception) and a welcome drink. 

See More Features

Oyster Hotel Review

Flower Garden Hotel

Scene

Relaxed, family-oriented vibe with busy pool areas

From the road, Flower Garden Hotel doesn't seem like much; the design of the property has a small driveway leading to a long pathway that snakes up to the hotel -- which looks more like a private home than a resort. However, the property is surprisingly large, accommodating two pools, tons of dining space, two bars, and multiple buildings housing the 53 rooms. There is also a multi-level property right across the road that has its own bar and restaurant area, large fish tank wall, and winding stairs up to the Penthouse rooms. As a newer building, this section of Flower Garden feels a tad smarter, is visibly less dated, and has a much more contemporary vibe. Back at the main property, Western hits from yesteryears play from an English-language radio station throughout the day and evening. The staff's English may not be as good as the DJs on the radio, but they work hard to accommodate guests.

Since this property isn’t on the beach, most of the guests spend their time next to or in one of the pools, which can be a rare offering in hotels of this level in Unawatuna. The newer Elephant Pool attracts most of the kids who stay here. While there is much covering the property lot, unlike at some other boutique hotels, the space can feel cramped here, mostly during the day, and there is little privacy outside of staying inside your room. (Even the front desk is essentially in the restaurant.) However, no one seems to mind. Oddly, the sociability of the hotel remains fairly low, at least between adults, and everyone is usually left to do their own thing. That said, it's not only a great budget option for families and couples, but also for older solo travelers who don't want to spend a fortune to stay in a property that doesn't have a hostel-like vibe.

See More Scene

Location

On a quiet dirt road a 10 minutes' walk from the beach

Flower Garden Hotel is located on a side road off the main strip of the touristy beach town of Unawatuna. While the road right outside is relatively quiet with not much traffic, just a few minutes' walk to the main strip is where you’ll find bikes, cars, pedestrians, shops, restaurants, and other hotels galore. The beach is about a 10- to 15-minute walk from the hotel (which provides free beach towels), though there is almost always a tuk-tuk outside waiting for fares for those who would rather hitch a ride. 

Guests who fancy day trips can reach the bustling city of Galle in under 20 minutes, beautiful Hikkaduwa Beach in 40 minutes, relaxing riverbanks of Bentota in just over an hour, and Udawalawe National Park in two hours and 40 minutes, or find seasonal whale watching in Mirissa in 45 minutes by car. Colombo Airport (actually in Negombo) is nearly a three-hour drive north. 

See More Location

Rooms

Great variance in rooms, from dim and dated to bright and contemporary

All 53 rooms at Flower Garden Hotel have flat-screen TVs; cable with lots of English channels; ceiling fans; minibars stocked with soda, water, and beer; (usually four-poster) beds draped in mosquito nets; personal or private outdoor space; and coffee and tea facilities. With the green jungle grounds comes bugs, and the rooms here all come prepared with mosquito coils and nets, but it’s hard to keep the bugs -- mostly mosquitoes, gnats, and some roly polys -- out of the rooms completely.

The Cabanas were built in late 2014, and while a Penthouse may sound nicer, these Cabanas are the best rooms in the house. All Cabanas are standalone units with personal porches facing a landscaped garden; they come with slightly more privacy, more contemporary furniture, lots of natural light, high ceilings, cool tile floors, king-size netted beds, and concrete and tile bathrooms -- and the Super Deluxe Cabanas have whirlpool bathtubs. However, if you just like the way a Penthouses sounds, you can pay a bit extra for these units, which do come with their own private (and fairly deep) outdoor patio plunge pools and are located in the building across the street. Just note that the Penthouses are actually two double rooms -- both with cramped bathrooms (though there are whirlpool tubs) and smaller-than-expected balconies -- making them most ideal for couples or families traveling together.

The standard Deluxe Rooms are the smallest; they often have low light and appear dated. Bathrooms are small and cramped with old-school showerheads, though a glimmer of modernity exists thanks to flat-screen TVs. These rooms also have personal patio areas consisting of Caribbean-style patio furniture just outside the front windows and doors, along the outdoor hall space. 

If you want Wi-Fi, you'll have to grab a room close to reception for a reliable signal.

See More Rooms

Features

Four dining areas, two bars, and two lively pools

Two of the Flower Garden's most unique and valuable features are its pools, the raised-deck Main Pool and the 2014-built Elephant Pool. The Elephant Pool has a good amount of loungers tucked in the grassy area surrounding the pool, while the Main Pool fights for space with the hotel’s entrance, restaurant, and pool bar, resulting in a smaller deck. Be sure to bring an extra towel down to the pool as the wooden loungers are topped with black vinyl cushions that can get surprisingly hot. 

Off the main pool, you'll find a small covered pool bar with a few office desk-turned-bar-stools and a set of covered tables and chairs. The hotel's second bar is attached to a dining area next to the Elephant Pool. This dining area is only one of four; three outdoor, covered spaces with individual decor wrap around the "old wing" main building, while an Asian-Western styled bar and restaurant can be found in the "new wing" section across the street. Both restaurants have the same tasty menu with Sri Lankan, Italian, and international dishes, though during the week one will host special dinners like barbecues while the other remains a la carte. While each restaurant has a bar area, they're both mostly for quick drink service and less for hanging out and socializing.

The hotel also has a small, non-air-conditioned gym by the Elephant Pool where you are more likely to get a workout swatting mosquitoes than running on the treadmill, using the all-in-one weight machine, or hitting the exercise bike. Flower Garden also runs tours to various sights, both near and slightly far. 

Though this is not a beach hotel, the hotel provides beach towels for anyone looking to spend a day by the sea. The walk takes about 10 minutes or you can grab a tuk-tuk from the hotel’s entrance.

Freebies include Wi-Fi (strongest closest to reception) and a welcome drink. 

See More Features

Best Rates

Amenities

  • Balcony / Terrace / Patio

  • Basic Television

  • Cable

  • Cribs

  • Fitness Center

  • Internet

  • Kids Allowed

  • Laundry

  • Mini Bar (with liquor)

  • Pets Allowed

  • Pool

  • Poolside Drink Service

  • Room Service

  • Separate Bedroom / Living Room Space

  • Spa

  • Supervised Kids Activities

Disclaimer: This content was accurate at the time the hotel was reviewed. Please check our partner sites when booking to verify that details are still correct.