We spent three nights at Sergeant House on Sri Lanka’s south coast over New Year’s Eve 24/25 as a family of five, and it was an unforgettable experience. This was our last place to stay at the end of our amazing tour around Sri Lanka for 12 nights.
This small and beautiful boutique hotel offers a super tranquil and luxury escape away from the hustle and bustle of Unawatuna on Sri Lanka’s south coast. The colonial design of the hotel with just seven rooms to choose from, combines local charm with incredible personal service. Add to that its private beach just across the road from the hotel and you have a stunning hotel we would love to return to. We even saw turtles from the beach.
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Sergeant House in Unawatuna has a really laid-back yet stylish vibe. The staff are incredibly welcoming, and there’s a super homely feeling to the place, When you enter the property from a busy road you can’t believe how quiet the space is and how you feel in the middle of nature.
The swimming pool is perfectly formed for the number of guests and the sunbeds that sit within the pool itself are a lovely touch. There are small jacuzzi style pools around the grounds too. Massages can be booked and both myself and my eldest had massages which were excellent.
Sergeants Bungalow at Sergeant House
We stayed in The Sergeants Bungalow which has has three huge bedrooms (with 4 beds in total) and is rented as a full unit for friends and family groups. It features its own private fountain garden (yes really) a shaded verandah with cushioned chairs, coffee tables and a bookcase. Double doors open directly on the opposite side of the bungalow to reveal an internal courtyard with a granite fountain and small garden. This creates a breezeway effect and good cross ventilation throughout the house.
When you first arrive it feels slightly odd that the downstairs doors to the Sergeant bungalow don’t lock – the individual bedroom doors lock instead, and there is a safe in each of those rooms if you decide to use it. However we quickly realised that you really don’t need to lock the doors, such is the magic of the place. A recent Tripadvisor review reported that “Something about the place works on a very unspoken level of intrinsic trust, and you get cloaked with the same kind understanding the instant you walk through its tall heavy gates, like magic” and I couldn’t agree more.
On the ground floor, the main bedroom (ours) has a king-size four-poster bed with mosquito net, a small writing desk, overhead fan and an air conditioner. There is an ensuite bath/shower room and separate vanity /toilet room. The ensuite bathroom is outside (yet under cover) and has a large two-person bath and separate walk-in shower whilst the vanity room has a hand beaten, polished brass vanity basin and built-in wardrobe.
The ground floor also has a sitting room with large, comfortable sofas and a smart television, DVD player and a large movie collection.
Upstairs there are 2 separate, light and bright, loft bedrooms with shuttered walls which overlook the central area of the ground floor. One up-stairs bedroom is furnished with a queen-size, four-poster bed, a writing desk and a small antique clothes closet. The second bedroom contains two four-poster beds with mosquito netting (a queen size and a super-single size) and a small antique cloths closet. Each upper bedroom has its own ensuite bathroom with walk-in shower and polished terrazzo walls.
All the beds were incredibly comfortable, which made it easy to unwind after a day of, well chilling out on the beach!
Food at Sergeant House
The food at Sergeant House was top-notch. The breakfast spread was fresh, with an array of fruits, pastries, and local dishes. Your waiter came out to ask what style of eggs you’d like and that was freshly prepared. They even had marmite!!
The dinners were also a real highlight—we had ordered a few days in advance – each dish was carefully prepared and very tasy. You could tell the kitchen took pride in using fresh, local ingredients.
New Year’s Eve Celebrations: The hotel organised a special New Year’s Eve event, complete with a huge variety of local cuisine. The atmosphere was fun and intimate, and they even set off a few fireworks. We then ended up on Unawatuna beach for midnight to watch the fireworks from across the bay.
By the time we got to Unawatuna we had had a very busy and amazing tour around Sri Lanka for 12 nights so we didn’t do an awful lot, although we did do an unsuccessful whale sighting trip, but a very successful turtle sighting trip which you can see on Instagram here.
Sergeant House offered a blend of relaxation, luxury, and unforgettable New Year’s memories. It was the perfect spot to unwind, eat well, and enjoy the beauty of Sri Lanka in a peaceful setting. Highly recommend it for anyone looking for a unique and intimate experience.