Best place to stay in Galle, Sri Lanka: Villa White Queen

The perfect place to get down and relax!

Sometimes you discover the most beautiful places by chance or spontaneously. So it was with the Villa White Queen near Galle. Originally, we had not planned a stay there at all but landed there very spontaneously.

Actually, we had planned to travel from Mount Lavinia, near Colombo in the west of Sri Lanka, first a bit further south (about 30 minutes drive) over the weekend to the Surf Deck Resort. I had received an offer via Instagram that we could stay there for free for one night including half board. In return, we should just take some photos of our stay there. And since we love to take pictures anyway, the offer sounded very good. Also the pictures of the resort on Instagram, Booking as well as Facebook looked very inviting. A resort right on the beach with an ocean view pool, charming tables and chairs as well as loungers and an invitingly designed outdoor area. Perfect for a weekend getaway, or was it?

The Surf Deck Resort — no thanks!

With our bags packed and full of anticipation for a relaxing weekend by the sea, we made our way to the Surf Deck Resort around noon. There we wanted to stay from Friday to Sunday and travel on Sunday to the south of Sri Lanka, to Galle. There we had already booked an AirBnB. With the cab we went then in a half-hour drive to the resort. Already on the way there, we had the feeling that everything in the area is very abandoned and run down. Which is understandable because of the pandemic and the lack of tourists.

Arrived at the Surf Deck Resort, we first had to ask ourselves whether we are at all right and whether it is actually open. The area looked already from the outside very lonely, abandoned and unkempt. But since we were then also received by employees, it seems to be open after all. Our suitcases were carried up a very rickety metal staircase into a small, narrow container. This then turned out to be our accommodation. At first we thought “okay, that’s fine!”. On closer inspection, however, we unfortunately had to realize that this is not a place where you want to stay.

The container itself was already very dirty. Smudged windows, stains on the walls and floor and generally very loveless designed. There is a double bed as well as a single bed in the tiny room and the bedspreads, bedding and generally all the furnishings were very stained and dirty. There were countless yellowish stains on the white sheets and you wouldn’t even want to know where they came from.

The bathroom is entered through a plastic sliding door. There is only one light bulb hanging from the ceiling. There is no toilet paper and the shower just hangs from the ceiling. The hammer for me were the holes in the floor under the shower and behind the sink, which serve as drains. The mirror was also anything but clean. Just like the pool. This is just green and does not invite you to go swimming in it. It is at least cleaned of leaves and branches when we are there, but this does not help much.

The outdoor area is also not usable. There are some tables there, but there are no chairs and the beach itself with the sunbeds etc., which could be seen on the photos, does not exist. It is quickly clear to us: we definitely do not want to stay here. Also not for free!

The Villa White Queen

Spontaneously we booked a room at the Villa White Queen near Galle on booking.com for two nights. Since we want to travel to Galle on Sunday anyway, it makes sense to book accommodation there. No sooner said than done. A few minutes later we are again sitting in the cab with our luggage and drive to Galle. Two hours later — in the meantime it is dark — we arrive at the Villa White Queen. With the spontaneous booking we had only looked at the rooms and had not otherwise informed ourselves further about this accommodation.

We were very positively surprised! Directly we were greeted by the manager and two employees who brought our luggage inside. Even in the dark and from the outside, the Villa White Queen is very impressive. Large white columns decorate the open entrance area. In the center of the lobby is a pond with fish, which is framed by 4 more white columns. The ceilings are high, there are various sofas and seating options and everything looks very inviting.

Our room is also very nice. We learn that there are a total of 6 rooms and we are currently the only guests. In addition to a large bed, there is also a small couch and a wardrobe, a chest of drawers with TV and a small table in our room. The bathroom is more than impressive and the shower is almost as big as our bed. It is definitely possible to stay here!

There is also a garden with various local plants, also seating and a large, inviting pool with accompanying sun loungers. The villa is excellently equipped. As a welcome we receive a tray with tea, milk and some water.

A day at the Villa White Queen

If you want, you can add breakfast for the equivalent of just under 3€/person. We decided to do this. Among other things, because it is currently difficult to find something to eat, pretty much all restaurants are closed but also because 3€ is really not much. And I must say, you get very much for the little money offered. We were asked what time we wanted breakfast and if an English Breakfast would be okay. I still noted that I would like to take the whole in vegetarian, which was no problem.

In the morning we went to the garden, where then at a small cozy table also the breakfast was served fresh. There was coffee, tea or milk, plus a freshly squeezed smoothie, fresh fruit and yogurt with honey. Every morning you can choose how you want your egg prepared. From boiled egg to scrambled egg to omelet, everything is there. In addition, there are two or three slices of toast, baked beans and a sausage — in the vegetarian version we had fresh fried potatoes. Also butter and jam. And everything super tasty! More than worth the money!

After the extensive breakfast, we changed directly and first made a few photos in the villa and in the garden. Afterwards nothing like purely in the bathing suit and off into the pool! We also took a few photos with our camera and the GoPro. The staff immediately brought us out fresh towels for the loungers and once again emphasized that we can always ask if we still need something.

The pool has the perfect temperature — not too warm and not too cold. It is also big enough to swim a few laps and at the same time not too deep to just relax. Afterwards, we sunbathed on the loungers before heading back to our room. There we took a shower under the big rain shower and cooled down a bit under the air conditioning.

In the afternoon we made a trip to Galle Fort. There is a separate article about this. Again, the staff of the villa was very accommodating. They called us a tuktuk and gave us another tip where to go in Galle Fort. In the evening, we ordered something to eat via the “SriDelivery” app. We ate at the large dining table in the lobby, which was lovingly set for us. Back in our room, we relaxed and let the day end.

The next morning we had another great breakfast, a short pool session and then we went on to the AirBnB in Galle.

If you are ever in Galle, you should definitely make a detour to Villa White Queen! The staff is super friendly, accommodating and helpful. The entire resort is just so inviting to relax and it’s the perfect place to unwind!
In addition, it is not far from there to various attractions such as Galle Fotz (5 minutes), the beach (5 minutes), Unawatuna (10–15 minutes) and many more!

Stay here, it is magical!