I recently spent two weeks in Sri Lanka and was fortunate enough to stay in some amazing luxury hotels across the island. One of these was the Anantara Peace Haven Resort, By far the best luxury hotel in Tangalle.
I had wanted to stay at an Anantara hotel for a while, but it often hadn’t worked with our itinerary and budget. However, during our recent trip to Sri Lanka, staying at the incredible Anantara Peace Haven Resort made complete sense. We fortunately had time to spend a relaxing few days in Tangalle, before venturing on to Yala National Park.
The Anantara in Tangalle, Sri Lanka did not disappoint. For my first experience of an Anantara hotel, it was utterly fabulous and lived up to my high expectations. From the landscaped grounds to our beautiful room, it was a magical stay. The food was also some of the very best we experienced in Sri Lanka. So without much further ado, here’s my review of the Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort. And of course why it is, in my opinion, one of the best luxury hotels in Sri Lanka.
The Best Luxury Hotel in Tangalle, Sri Lanka – the Anantara
Location of the Anantara Resort Tangalle
There are two Anantara resorts in Sri Lanka. One is much closer to Colombo and the international airport, at Kalutara, and the other located much further down the coast at Tangalle.
Whilst the drive is far longer to Tangalle at around 4 hours, visitors are rewarded with some of Sri Lanka’s best beaches and untouched landscapes.
The Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort is one of just a couple of luxury hotels in this southern part of Sri Lanka. It is easily the best luxury hotel in Tangalle.
The resort is adjacent to the scenic paradise that is Goyambokka beach. This is just 20 minutes drive from the commercial heart of Tangalle. You can see the location of the Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort on Google Maps here.
The Rooms
I love luxury hotel rooms, and for me it’s one of the most exciting things about checking into hotels. Sometimes, I prefer to stay in luxury hotels where there isn’t too much sightseeing to do, purely so that I can spend a good amount of time enjoying the hotel room.
This was no exception at the Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort. I was almost relieved to see some cloudy and at times, rainy weather, so that I could spend more time in the room.
The room was spacious, with one of the most comfortable beds I’ve experienced in a long time. The stunning bathroom had a partition glass wall, with a black out pull down blind. The room was also equipped with a huge smart TV, Bose bluetooth sound system, a Nespresso coffee machine, as well as a kettle and a small fridge.
I loved the contemporary, classy room decor and the soft furnishings too. It was so simple and so wonderfully relaxing to spend time in. As I said, I barely wanted to leave it!
My favourite part of our room was the balcony with a huge daybed overlooking the beachfront, as well as a big table and chairs where we spent hours playing card games. The hotel has wisely ensured every room is sea-facing, so no matter where you are, you’re guaranteed to have the most stunning view over the azure Indian Ocean.
The Food
For me, the second most important part of a hotel stay is the food on offer. Anantara Peace Haven Resort has three main restaurants, one which offers both Sri Lankan and International cuisines, another serving up Italian fine-dining, and finally, a stunning Asian restaurant specialising in Japanese teppanyaki.
Breakfast at the Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort was one of the best we experienced in Sri Lanka. The range at the buffet was possibly the most extensive I have ever seen for a hotel and I somehow lost more than an hour in there everyday. I really dislike hotels that offer machine coffees, rather than freshly made cappuccinos and lattes, but the coffees served up at the Anantara were fantastic.
They also had a fresh juice counter, where the staff would whizz up any from a menu of health juices for you, and the Sri Lankan hoppers counter is fantastic. The breakfast is served up at the Journeys restaurant, overlooking the swimming pool where you may meet many of the friendly resident squirrels and lizards as you dine!
Fine Dining at the Anantara
We enjoyed a few room service meals and a few poolside dishes, mostly out of pure laziness. However, on our final night, we donned smarter clothes and headed to Il Mare, the hotel’s fine dining Italian restaurant.
WOW! What a meal. Although we were not overly hungry and had planned just to have a main course each and a dessert, we received several complimentary extras. First, we were surprised to receive a pretty brilliant bread board. On this there were cooked whole garlics – something I have never seen or heard of before. But they were so soft and completely melted in your mouth. Really unexpectedly delicious and the most perfect start to the meal. We also enjoyed a small prawn starter, before our main meals came out.
I opted for the pumpkin risotto with gorgonzola cheese and black truffle, which was wonderfully rich and as always, surprisingly filling.
Following this, we decided to go all out and order the tiramisu to share. Never have I had the head chef come out and prepare a dessert in front of me, but that’s just what he did. Layer by layer, he talked us through the ingredients and gave us a few choices to make the tiramisu exactly as we wanted. It was also delicious and made for a very special meal!
The Facilities
The Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort has beautifully kept, extensive grounds. There are so many quiet corners and locations with just a couple of sun loungers, meaning you can have a really discreet and calming stay.
If you’re not winding down in your room, you could spend the day on of the sun loungers around the main infinity pool with waiter service. All you have to do is pull up your little green flag, and a waiter will pop by! You’re also provided with a small tray, complete with sunscreen, fruit and water.
Alternatively, there is the beautiful beach and although the sea here isn’t safe to swim in most of the year, it does make for a scenic and relaxing spot to spend a few hours.
The hotel has some brilliant facilities for those who want to keep active on holiday, with a fully equipped gym, as well as an awesome tennis court and badminton court nearby. We played tennis for hours here, with my funny tennis sounds giving the staff tending the gardens nearby plenty of reason to laugh.
Sustainability
One of the best things about the Anantara Peace Haven Resort is its commitment to its local environment and community. Although the hotel was built on what was once a coconut plantation, Anantara have built huge vegetable gardens and their own paddy fields too!
There’s also lots of wildlife and farm animals just roaming around. Soit’s definitely worthwhile exploring the grounds. In fact, the hotel’s naturalist gives daily guided walks in the morning to talk you through the plants and the wildlife. The naturalist can share with you how Sri Lankans use plants in their herbal remedies, often known as Ayuverdic treatment.
Service
After a 20 minute drive from the hip surf town of Hiriketiya, we were really for a slice of luxury. As we walked into the grand entrance, we were greeted with a traditional welcome song, including drumming.
Although the Anantara is essentially a large hotel, with 152 rooms, it still manages to never feel busy or packed out. The service is highly personal, as each room has their own host for the duration of the stay. The host is on hand to attend to any request you have, and often do this through WhatsApp Messenger, if this works for you. They can make reservations for you, arrange day tours, provide advice or answer any queries you have about the property or your room. The host, whether you are in a villa or room, walks you to your accommodation, and guides you through everything.
Extra Tips
The beach in front of the hotel is beautiful, and you’re able to walk around (past the security guard) to the adjacent Goyambokka beach. Here, you can find beach shacks serving up affordable beach food, should you an alternative to the restaurants onsite.
However, if you want to continue exploring to neighbouring beaches, unfortunately, going by foot over the rocks is not really possible. You’d need to leave the resort and access by the road.
The prices at the Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort for food and drink are somewhat similar to London prices. It really is a wonderful stay but factor in the cost for this, as it is much steeper than the rest of Sri Lanka.
The Best Luxury Hotel in Tangalle?
Definitely. And as one of the best hotels in Sri Lanka, and that’s an impressive feat considering how many there are across the island.
We had a fantastic few days stay at the Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort. Although we were in an Premier Ocean View room in the main hotel, and not one of the exquisite villas, we couldn’t have been more happy with our room. Our stay here was so relaxing and rejuvenating, we’re glad we didn’t leave for any sightseeing.
We were visiting Tangalle as a stop during two week itinerary, so the drive wasn’t too long. Many other guests visited Tangalle for several nights from further afield, such as Colombo. I would say this longer drive is definitely worth it for a stay at this beautiful hotel.
Check out the latest prices and availability at the Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort here
I do hope my guide to staying at the beautiful Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort in Sri Lanka been useful. Feel free to ask any further questions below if there’s something I haven’t covered. I’d love if you shared this post on any of the below links!
If you are planning a longer trip around this stunning island, you might find my guide to the best beaches on the South Coast of Sri Lanka useful. I’ve also written guides to Ella in the Hill Country, and staying at Chena Huts in Yala National Park, another unmissable luxury hotel in Sri Lanka.
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Disclaimer: This stay at the Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort was entirely paid for by myself. There was no involvement from the hotel. This is an independent guide
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