Riff Hikkaduwa

Sri Lanka , Hikkaduwa
HIKKADUWA, 870 Colombo Galle Main Road
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50 reviews shown

10/10

Exceptional

07 Mar 2026

Caitlin

Amazing stay from start to end.

Food was incredible, lots of loungers on the beach and pool. Ocean has some nice waves to play in.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

06 Mar 2026

Kyle

From the moment you walk in the hotel is immaculate and the staff are there for your every need. We were upgraded to a suite and it is the nicest room I have ever stayed in. For reference I have travelled all over the world. The beach area is perfect for lounging in their loungers or taking a dip in the ocean with a perfect sandy bottom. The food is fantastic and the beds are softer than most that I stayed in around Sri Lanka. The hotel is five stars all the way and can’t recommend it enough. Great sunsets as well. Cheers

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

11 Feb 2026

Armands

I had a great holiday at Riff Hikkaduwa. The hotel is good but there is room for improvement. Hotel staff are absolutely charming. Everyone is truly friendly and trying to make your stay as good as possible. Location is absolutely stunning right on the beach but not too close. Free breakfast was plentiful and very tasty. Wifi is patchy and laggy. In my room 209 after about 5pm kitchen fumes were coming in, especially when raining. At some point it was quite bad. My guess is their kitchen uses the same ventilation shaft as guest rooms and the wind blows fumes into rooms. Other than that all was great.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

02 Jan 2026

Emelie

Our little family had an amazing stay at Riff. The beach is beautiful, rooms are good (the cleaning of the rooms is super!), food is delicious!

You can hear the waves from the ocean which is so nice to fall asleep to. You can go see the turtles and Turtle beach (5 minute Tuk Tuk), and snorkling.

The staff is incredible and our 7 month baby Charlie was so well taken care off (they even fixed food for her!). Special thank to Benischa and the gang in the restaurant, Charlie misses you already!

We look forward to visiting again in the future.

Kind regards from Charlie and her parents ;)

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

18 Oct 2025

SOPHIE

This was a stunning end to my stay in Sri Lanka. Staff couldn’t do enough for you and general manager was around and introduced himself during breakfast. Cocktails and food was great. Breakfast was excellent. So many choices and nothing too much trouble.

I can see it may be an issue in high season, but in October there was enough sunloungers at the pool and beach for everyone. Water supplied in room and on the beach/pool areas.

WiFi was fast and reliable. Hotel offered turn down service which was a nice touch.
Tip try the King Colada! Thank you Banisha for being so friendly and welcoming! <3

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

18 Oct 2025

Sahil

This place is absolutely beautiful. Literally right on the beach. Fantastic resort to just relax and unwind. The F&B was excellent. Staff were friendly. Breakfast was good quality.

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

24 Jun 2025

Ziyath

Nice

Friends_and_family Family

2/10

Poor

06 May 2025

William

Property was so bad I didn’t check in

10/10

Exceptional

24 Apr 2025

Verified traveler

Fantastic stay at a gorgeous hotel

We had an amazing time at Riff, nothing bad to say about the place. It was extremely comfortable with great service. A fab pool and direct access to the beach. The food was delicious in both the downstairs restaurant and the rooftop restaurant - especially the grilled seafood (lobster and prawns!) and the a la carte breakfast was fantastic. We loved having drinks on the rooftop at sunset every evening, with great views and live music. Felt very spoilt!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

26 Jan 2025

Ching-Lun

Friendly service and great souvenir

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

06 Jan 2025

maxine

Gorgeous view

Beautiful clean beachfront hotel
Japanese restaurant on top floor is fantastic

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

29 Dec 2024

Julie

Great hotel on the beach.

Enjoyed our one night stay at this beach hotel.
We had a lovely sea facing room with a balcony .
Breakfast was buffet style and had a wide variety of food.
The hotel has a small infinity pool and beach loungers with shade. We appreciated being able to order food and drink from the beach.
The hotel has a gym and spa and friendly staff.
Only slight downside, the hotel is a little out of the main town.
Overall, a great place to relax.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

27 Dec 2024

Joshua

New very nice hotel

New hotel looks and feels great. Nice staff. Gym could be bigger. They make out being sustainable with lots of carboard use but some of the cardboard is pointless and meant a tree was chopped down for nothing. Then inside the cardboard are plastic products in plastic non-recycleable wrapping. Beach front is great and can have a morning walk or jog along the sea

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 Aug 2024

Naiima

Hidden Gem

So happy to have found this boutique hotel for the last day in Srilanka. The sushi restaurant had no digital menu on their IG account and had a very long wait time for orders but presuming that's because it was very quiet not many guests... Aside from that, beautiful experience in Hikkaduwa!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

25 Jul 2024

Tamara

very clean facility, food was excellent

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

12 Jun 2024

YUHUI

Great service and stuff, very good room and view, great restaurant with awesome breakfast and dinner options. Overall, very enjoyable to stay, almost perfect experience.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

15 May 2024

Radhika

Really enjoyed this hotel. Great service and atmosphere!

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

25 Apr 2024

Janette

We loved it and went back.

This was our second stay on our trip in Sri Lanka as we enjoyed the hotel so much the first time.
Lovely comfortable rooms. The hotel staff are extremely friendly and welcoming. We dined in both restaurants and the food was excellent in each one. The rooftop bar has a really nice vibe to enjoy the stunning sunsets/cocktails.
Would totally recommend if in this area.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Apr 2024

douglas

Really lovely property in the quieter and more upmarket end of Hikkaduwa.
Fantastically friendly staff, a beautiful pool and modern, well maintained rooms.
Dining options were top notch and surprisingly affordable for a 5 star hotel. Would definitely recommend.

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

09 Apr 2024

Janette

Wonderful!!!

Just wonderful! We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here. Beautifully designed hotel, rooms were so stylish. We kindly got upgraded with our hotels.com points and the room was stunning.
The staff were all so friendly and made you feel very welcome. Food was good. Rooftop bar is a little gem to enjoy with live music while we ate from the Japanese restaurant menu.
A lot of love and thought has gone in to this hotel and wish we could have stayed longer but it was fully booked.
100% recommend if in this area.
Only improvement would be to have more parasols for the sun loungers as the sun is so strong.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

08 Apr 2024

Khalid

Great property and staff! Highly recommended

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

25 Mar 2024

Angela

The Riff is fabulous as are facilities and particularly the staff were all excellent. Raymond runs a tight ship. When you are in the hotel you could be in any fabulous beach location however once you step outside the door you remember you are in a third world country.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Jan 2024

Waruna

Beautiful and clean hotel, Design suites are beautiful. Overall stay was excellent, look forward to returning.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

17 Feb 2020

Jennifer

one of our favorites!

Beautiful hotel on the quiet side of Hikkaduwa. Great place to enjoy the beach without the packed in feeling of the center of Hikkaduwa. Gorgeous pool and rooftop and the food is fantastic. Staff is friendly and helpful. Only negative was construction going on right next door. Our room was just on the other side of the wall from it so it was loud at times. Never at night however. All in all, an excellent choice for Hikkaduwa beach!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Jan 2020

Gareth

Incredible place to stay.

Incredible hospitality and beautiful place to stay. Very relaxing and lovely decor. Very friendly and helpful staff.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

17 Dec 2019

Verified traveler

We had an amazing stay. Great food, hotel and beach!

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

07 Nov 2019

Kristy

A must in Hikkaduwa

Highly recommend this place. Comfortable, stylish and peaceful with great service!

Self

8/10

Excellent

25 Oct 2019

Verified traveler

Centrally located, the Riff is a great place for a short getaway. Beautiful rooms with a gorgeous view of the beach and extremely friendly and helpful staff is what you can look forward to. What stood out for us was their amazing fresh breakfast.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Oct 2019

eshwar

Simply Beautiful

Nice boutique hotel with amazing rooms and service. The staff was really nice and made our stay wonderful. I will surely come back.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

01 Oct 2019

Kieran

Best hotel of the honeymoon

This hotel was the best of our honeymoon. The staff were brilliant, the hotel was immaculate and it was the one place that actually does some of the small things to be that little bit more eco-friendly - e.g. glass bottles of filtered water versus 8 plastic bottles a day. The food was also the best we experienced on our trip, especially the seafood/sushi.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

30 Sep 2019

Taylor

The food was amazing. Service great, room wonderful

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 Sep 2019

Verified traveler

The property is super nice looking, designed in a minimalistic decoration, staff is amazing - gentle and super attentive with great service. The pool was nice overlooking the ocean. The rooms were big and nice overlooking the pool and the ocean. I had a wonderful time

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

15 Aug 2019

Verified traveler

I’m not sure where to start. AMAZING! Pure bliss. The staff were amazing, location is right on the beach. FOOD (omg!), proper 5 start quality. The ingredients are locally sourced, the chef has worked at some of the top restaurants in London. Presentation was amazing. We could not fault the service, it’s obvious the staff have been trained professionally. The owner is such a sweetheart and really looked after us. This place is somewhere you can really unwind. The view from the rooms was breathtaking. The sunset from the rooftop was perfect. Perfect in every way.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

Great location - the beach is very relaxing. Staff is extremely friendly.

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

25 Jun 2019

Verified traveler

Beautiful, minimalist, eco friendly. The Riff absolutely exceeded all our expectations. Absolute wow factor from entrance to foyer, room and view, pool, food and the amazing staff....everything about our stay was incredible. We didn’t want to leave but we’ll be back for sure!

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

22 Apr 2019

Vivien Shui Hing

Amazing hotel in Hikkaduwa

The hotel was amazing, whether it was the rooms, service, or just the pool, everything was very well cared for. We were staying during the explosions in Colombo, and although we were technically checked out, the hotel staff let us stay at the hotel and still made us feel like guests by offering their facilities and services to us until our flight later on that night. I would most definitely stay at this property again!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Mar 2019

Verified traveler

Wonderful set up on a great beach. Staff very helpful and courteous.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

23 Feb 2019

Verified traveler

Good place for relaxing. Staffs are willing to help. the only inconvenience is the location. There is 30 mins walking distance to get the train station and stores.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

19 Feb 2019

Debra

Extraordinary

This was my favorite hotel experience in Sri Lanka. The beach is amazing, and that us not all. The rooms are lovely with modern yet warm feel. The balcony and spectacular oceanview is worth the extra cost. Service was top notch. Food was delicious. The best location and beach in southern Shri Kanja and worth the added price. If I were to do this trip again, I would stay in this hotel longer.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 Feb 2019

Verified traveler

Staff service and food quality were excellent. Dylan, Salomon, Kashulya and the head chef were excellent in terms of dealing with guests and made us feel at home. Definitely value for money.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

02 Jan 2019

Paul

Stunning location, shame about the service

Well, our stay at the Riff Hikkaduwa ended as it started, with disappointment.
We arrived at the airport and looked for our pre-booked transfer, we couldn’t see it. We then had to go and buy a local SIM card to call the hotel to ask where our driver was, only to be told that we hadn’t booked, we were then told they would get back to us ASAP - by this time (hot, sweaty and nearly an hour after landing), we just said could they sort a ride for us. We then had to go back through all our emails to find our booking and the hotel confirmation of said booking (the hotel should have done this). They then agreed that it was their error and covered the cost of the transfer. Didn’t really deal with the fact that instead of arriving calm and cool we were hot and sweaty and fed up after a three hour journey in a basic van.
We finally arrived at the hotel and the location is perfect with beautiful views to the ocean. We then had a lovely lunch and all was good.
However, there was more disappointment to come.the service was mediocre when meals ordered only certain items turned up, the food was inconsistent. We had a seafood platter that was practically inedible. Our final disappointment was on our final day, we needed to get to breakfast at 7am (the same time it is every day) to be ready for transport to the airport at 7.30. We were then told we couldn’t eat until 7.30. Hikkaduwa beach is stunning but unless the service is uplifted to 5 star standard I wouldn’t recommend this hotel.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

02 Jan 2019

It was an amazing surprise for a hotel that only opened 3 months ago. Gorgeous setting, well designed and impeccably styled. From the moment I walked in to leaving the every amenity was thought about. The food was incredibly good, especially the Sri Lankan curries. Oh and the Tea, delicious. Loved the special touch for the new year and departure gift. Really special. Excellent I will come back again and refer to friends for sure.

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jan 2019

Chetna

Thoroughly recommended

We have an amazing stay at Riff. The rooms are fabulous and have everything you needed. They are cleaned once a day and have a turn down service. The breakfast is great and Al a carte and we had dinner in the hotel twice - try the sushi platter and the tempura seafood platter. The hotel is on a quiet stretch of the beach, and you can walk about 5/10 mins on the beach to get to numerous beach restaurants and bars.

Overall I would thoroughly recommend this hotel, 5/5!

Partner

8/10

Excellent

28 Dec 2018

Verified traveler

Beautiful new hotel just outside Hikkaduwa and away from the madness!
The staff are so friendly and can’t do enough to help you. There are a couple of training issues but this is minor. If you’re going to Hikkaduwa then it’s the place to stay.

10/10

Exceptional

26 Dec 2018

mufajel

Great small scale beach resort with an air of quality design. Food choice limited but good quality.

10/10

Exceptional

10 Dec 2018

Verified traveler

Its one of the most amazing boutique 5 star hotel in Hikkaduwa.
Rooms and the view from the room is amazing.
Breakfast simple and good
you should visit their lounge bar on the roof of the hotel, perfect place for drinks / cocktails specially at sunset.
Location is so near to the restaurants bars.

10/10

Exceptional

03 Mar 2026

Peter

Väldigt fint hotell och supergod mat.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Feb 2026

Daniel

Ett helt da

10/10

Exceptional

21 Feb 2026

Stefan

Absolutely marvelous 5 star hotel right on a very nice beach in a more quiet area. Really nice, clean hotel rooms with a lovely beach view. Friendly and helpful staff, and special appreciation to the chefs for excellent food, well done!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Feb 2026

Pamela

Allt var utmärkt, rent och snyggt. All personal var jätte trevliga och vi fick ett otroligt bemötande. Maten var super god.

Friends_and_family Family