Saffron and Blue Villa

10/10

We booked this hotel for a mini second honeymoon having married 19 years ago at another hotel on the same beach, which has sadly now closed down. The Saffron & Blue is truly a fantastic place to stay and was a perfect choice. I booked what I thought was a small boutique hotel, which it is, but essentially it is a privately owned villa that is rented by the room (all very private and separate from one another) when the owner is not in residence. You are treated as if you are guests of the owner, a very personal service by his staff, Kumudu, Shantha, Rajeewa & Rosaline, who couldn’t be more helpful. We arrived very early and expected to sit in the lounge and then by the pool until we could check in, but as there was a room available Kumudu gave us the room to sleep until we moved to the room we had requested, this was unexpected and we were very grateful. We stayed in the Green Room which has a Jacuzzi bath outside. Spacious A/C room with a large comfortable bed and lovely bathroom with large walk in shower. This villa is a holiday home and you feel the “house” layout, there is a lounge with comfortable chairs and TV and a huge open plan living area/ground floor, which is open to the garden along the front side. There is a dining room with large table and chairs, however, we chose to eat our breakfasts outside on the terrace. The main chef went off for a few days so half way through the first day Shantha who is a chef in another Jetwing property, looked after us. Both chefs were excellent. We had a European breakfast on the first day but then asked for a Sri Lankan breakfast on the other days, which was so special, having your very own chef make up a breakfast of (Sri Lankan) champions personally for you! Kumudu booked a tuktuk for us to go into Bentota, Upul the driver was equally great, really helpful. We booked him on the final day to help us find a local couple who lived near the hotel we married in, we found them and it was very emotional, he then took us to Galle, a long trip in a tuktuk but it was much better than a taxi or the bus, we got to see so much more and it was breezy! For the first night we asked for a Sri Lankan dinner and Shanthe cooked up a feast of vegetarian dishes! The second night we had the villa to ourselves and we were treated to an anniversary to remember, a romantic table was laid by the pool and again we had a Sri Lankan feast of vegetarian and prawn dishes, Kumudu and the team looked after us like we were the owner’s best friends! They also treated us to anniversary cake! Brigitte from Jetwing visited during the stay and was very helpful. Our safe had locked and had an error code and within an hour or two, a guy came along to fix it. Great service. I've read a few reviews and I can honestly say the hotel and room were spotless, the staff were constantly cleaning up. We had a truly amazing trip in Kosgoda retracing ours steps and staying at the villa was the best place we could have stayed, it was so personal and special. We visited the Triton hotel, now the Heritance, as we did 19 years ago and we were so happy we chose to stay in the Saffron & Blue, as the Heritance was just so busy with so many tourists. The villa was peaceful and personal, perfect. If you stay here, I would highly recommend asking the chef to cook Sri Lankan dishes, they were perfect and he will make them to your choice, we like them spicy but he will equally make them milder, the vegetables are fantastic in Sri Lanka as are the prawns! We’re now in Galle but miss the villa and Kumudu, Shantha, Rajeewa and Rosaline. We definitely plan to return again.

10/10

This place is superb for a quick weekend getaway, given that the drive is not too long. The villa is beautifully built with lots of open spaces and areas to just lounge. Big garden, and a big pool makes experience quite interesting. The Champagne room and the green room has a jacuzzi built into the balcony which is a superb way to spend a sunset. The room is quite cozy as well. The food however was on another level. The chef turned out some delectable dishes, and allowed us to order whatever we wanted, even if it was not on the menu. All in all, a great experience and would recommend booking the whole place with a bunch of friends.

10/10

My husband & I stayed overnight at this holiday bungalow along with 2 close friends and were pleasantly surprised by the value for money we received. The bungalow is built in a manner that is just perfect for kicking back with a cold beer and a good book. There are lots of open spaces and one does not get a feeling of being cramped, despite it just being a 4 roomed villa. We stayed in the champagne room & the green room both of which were beautifully decorated and very comfortable. The outdoor jacuzzis were a real plus especially in the green room which allows a nice view of the beach. The food was superb and the chef (Sampath) went out of his way to keep us happy, even suggesting various alternative dishes that were not on the menu. This is an ideal spot for a quick getaway with some friends, or a chilled out vacation with the family especially as it allows one an escape from the overcrowded pools and heavy buffets of a typical hotel stay.