Definitely, a corner of paradise! Out of the touristic beaten track, but at the same time, not too far away (you can get to the beach of Bentota by a complementary 5 min boat ride). It is located on the riverside, with a large swimming pool and a beautiful garden on the premises. The hotel has only 6 spacious and well furnished rooms, which makes it very cosy! What you get as well is an exclusive personalised treatment by the staff, who are all very friendly local people that are really well trained. We stayed in the Waterside 3 nights, starting on New Year’s Eve and we have to say that every single detail was perfect from the start to the end!

We ate at the restaurant several times and the food was excellent (and very reasonably priced if you compare with other restaurants in the Bentota area). A special mention has to be made to the hearty breakfast (which is included in the nights’ price)!

The one hour free boat ride down the Bentota river with the very knowledgeable Chami, was one of the highlights of our stay.

Finally, we would like to thank Kamal, Amila, Lucky and all of the Waterside team for making our stay sooooo memorable!

If you're looking for a tranquil setting away from the beaches, then the Waterside Bentota is certainly worth considering.
Located on the Bentota River, the Waterside offers just six rooms - providing plenty of privacy and peace & quiet - and great sunsets too!. There's a nice pool (although a little cold for my liking) and a free boat service to take you to the beaches and the Ayurvedic massage centre. They also give you a free one hour tour of the river - much recommended.
The rooms are lovely and the service is very attentive. We really enjoyed it here - although we paid much more for our stay here than in other places in Galle and Unawatuna so we were expecting it to be good.
The only downside was the food. Breakfast is good but avoid the Western dishes at dinner. We had steak and the steak & mushroom - both were very poor and required a lot of chewing! They did however replace the steak with prawns, which were good. The other complaint was the cost of food and drink - much more expensive than in other parts of Sri Lanka. And due to the remote location, it is difficult to go to other restarants or cafes.

I came to the Waterside on recommendation of a friend (who holidayed in Bentota from Dubai) after a flight from Australia well after midnight. In the morning I found that the place was simply wonderful and exactly what I like!
A six room villa on banks of Bentota river, a five minutes (free) boat ride from the river mouth and beaches, with a pool. Very peaceful, spotless, with most friendly staff making me feel almost an owner of the place.
I wish I could stay longer than two days and three nights and I hope to come back soon.

This was our third visit to the Waterside and the first with a group of friends. Our previous visits have been with family. It always a risk recommending a hotel especially for New Years eve to a group of friends but our experiences of having stayed before along with the positive feedback of other people who have visited made us confident we would have a good time. Once again the Waterside delivered on all fronts. The location, staff and service is outstanding. Despite the somewhat luke warm review from 'coincidence" we found everything was just how we wanted it. Maybe we like staying in our "English grandmothers house" however this is like no other Gran's I have ever stayed in! Our friends loved the laid back style and really enjoyed the Sri Lankan food. Yes, the international menu could be described as safe but rather that than fussy nouveau cuisine that the chef isn't really up to cooking.
I can't see how rooms being too clean can be a drwaback to a hotel but hey ho whatever floats your boat. For us the Waterside provides the perfect getaway and we will be back again soon.