Why House, Galle – A Boutique and Family-Friendly Hotel in Sri Lanka

On her 6-month career break travelling around Asia, we sent Contributor Alanna Gibson to discover the unique charm of Why House, a family-friendly luxury boutique hotel situated on the South Coast of Sri Lanka.  

Hidden just 20 minutes from Galle on the South Coast of Sri Lanka, you’ll find the boutique gem of Why House. This stunning hotel of just 10 individually designed rooms offers guest a chic and tranquil escape within a beautiful three-acre walled garden. Get ready to discover a wonderfully relaxed and family-friendly retreat near to the ever-popular colonial city of Galle.

First Impressions

We travelled to Why House from further down the South Coast and after being ushered through the gate and unfolding ourselves from the back of our Tuk Tuk, I was immediately struck by how green everything was. Emerging from a path between the trees, we were warmly greeted by Dilu, one of the lovely members of staff who looked after us during our stay. We also met Letty, the adorable resident Sausage Dog of Why House, who led us to the central dining and relaxation area. Here we were offered a welcome drink of homemade ginger, lime & soda – very refreshing. We were then taken for a tour of the grounds and facilities, before being led to our room. 

The hotel is made up of 10 double en-suite rooms with private terraces or pool views, but the way they are individually designed and spread across the property means that it felt like you had the whole place to yourself.  One of my favourite things about Why House is the atmosphere they have created. There is this unique balance of feeling like you are in a luxury hotel, whilst also feeling as if you’re the beloved guest of a family member. The lovely staff at Why House truly do want you to have the best possible experience.

We were invited to download the Why House app which gave us all the information we needed including timings for meals, day trip information and a list of all the staff. I love how the app displayed a lovely little bio about each staff member, so it really felt like we got to know each of them individually.

The Rooms

All 10 rooms at Why House are individually designed – and ours felt truly special. We were assigned to Garden Villa 4, which we entered from a private terrace overlooking the gardens. I was immediately struck by the beautiful smell from the fresh flowers placed there before our arrival. The bedroom itself was spacious with incredibly high ceilings, a comfortable sedan for lounging on and a beautiful four poster bed (complete with a Dachshund plushie inspired by Letty). The bathroom was stunning with lots of natural light, the same high ceilings and a beautiful feature shower. We also had a walk in wardrobe which felt like the height of luxury after months of travelling and living out of our backpacks.

The layout of the rooms and the way the garden was structured meant we had complete privacy. The room was so quiet and comfortable that we slept the best we had in weeks. With such a spacious set up, silent air conditioning and fast Wi-Fi, it was the perfect oasis to relax and refresh after time by the pool or out on a day trip to the beach. 

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The Grounds

The visual centrepiece of the grounds is the stunning pool. The backdrop of the tropical plants and green underwater tiling combine to make it feel like a natural pool you might stumble across in the jungle in a Kipling novel. With several clusters of sun loungers around the pool, there was plenty of space to stretch out and enjoy the sun. For those who want to stay active, there is even a small gym hidden down underneath the main pool area where you can build up a sweat before cooling down in the water.

Just back from the pool is the central dining and lounge area where all the meals are served. This space felt very inviting with areas to play board games or enjoy a drink from the bar. Here you could also enjoy a la carte dining and afternoon tea. The white wooden structure, strung with lights and covered in plants, blended in perfectly amongst the botanical garden foliage that surrounded it.

The Food

We had some fantastic food whilst travelling across Sri Lanka, but I have to say that the food served at the Why House was outstanding. For breakfast we were given incredible fruit platters with homemade granola and curd, local bread and pastries and a huge pot of tea or coffee. We were also able to choose from a wide range of options like french toast, avocado on toast and even a full Sri Lankan breakfast with dhal, string or egg hoppers, vegetable curry and sambal. We tried it all – and loved it!

Throughout the day a wide range of dishes were available including fish and chips, pastas, mezze plates, salads and sandwiches. From 2pm guests are invited to enjoy a complimentary afternoon tea with another huge pot of tea and some freshly baked cakes. This was a lovely and unexpected touch to our stay at Why House.

In the evenings we treated ourselves to a couple of the hotel’s lovingly crafted cocktails – I highly recommend the Arrack Sour, a unique twist on a whiskey sour with egg white, bitters, fresh lime juice and a local spirit. 

Why House has also taken a different approach to dinner, which we loved. Rather than asking you to choose from a generic a la carte menu, they select a meal experience from a series of menus they have devised using fresh local ingredients. This was discussed with us each morning and if we didn’t like the sound of the meal we could opt for something from the all day menu. However, we were very glad to let the chefs take the lead.  

On our first night we enjoyed a watermelon gazpacho, followed by a family style meal of several Sri Lankan dishes including different dhals, curries, chutneys, flavoured coconut sambal and rice, headlined by the spiced lime chicken. The second night blew us away. The starter was a beautiful tuna sashimi and the main was a huge seafood platter of seared tuna, mahi-mahi, and prawns which had all been fresh caught that morning.  You really can’t get better than that.

Every meal we had at the hotel was so flavourful and really showcased local Sri Lankan ingredients. At Why House you can expect to enjoy food that is both of exceptional quality and good for the soul.

Exploring the Wider Area

Dalawella Beach

Just a 3 minute drive away is Dalawella Beach. The hotel offers a complementary Tuk Tuk to help you get there easily, so each evening before dinner we headed down to enjoy a cold beer and watch the beautiful Sri Lankan sunsets over the ocean.  

The beach itself has clean water and a sheltered coral lagoon where you can swim in the ocean but the swell was a little heavy for that when we were there so we saved our swimming for the pool. The beach is also visited regularly by Sea Turtles with high numbers between November and April, but because this is a well knows fact lots of tourists appear before sun set to swim with them. We chose to head a little around the corner for a bit more peace and quiet for the sunset view.  

In either direction along the coast there are larger and quieter beaches, so if you have a little more time be sure to explore further. One of the things we really appreciated about Sri Lanka was how clear the water was. This was a massive contrast to the beaches we visited recently in Goa, Kerala, and even Bali & Malaysia as there was zero litter on the sand or in the water. 

Galle

The popular Portugese colonial town of Galle is a 20 minute drive away down the coast, so is situated perfectly for a day trip from Why House. A visit to Galle Fort is a must – this colonial era section of Galle is remarkably well preserved. Here you can walk walk the length of the wall around the fort which overlooks the town and cricket pitch to one side and the port and open ocean to the other. Galle is a popular tourist destination in itself with tonnes of cafes, shops and restaurants filling the winding streets.

There is a lighthouse still protecting the headland and several colonial churches, schools and libraries that are still in use and have an interesting history to discover. I’d recommend going in the morning to avoid the hottest part of the day so you can explore properly before retreating to the Why House for afternoon tea and cooling down by the pool. 

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Plan and book the best tours and things to do in Galle.

To Conclude

Why House was the perfect place for us to end our time in Sri Lanka. It has so much personality and felt so welcoming, whilst also allowing us to relax and enjoy our last few days of holiday. Whilst the hotel is definitely a family-family retreat (we saw guests with young children and others with teenagers) it was also super relaxing and enjoyable as a couple. 

We’ve stayed at a lot of amazing places over the last few months, but this was honestly one of our favourites. The room and grounds were so beautiful and relaxing and the staff were so friendly and helpful. Combined with the amazing food and easy access to the beach, we couldn’t imagine a better way to end our trip. If you’re looking for a slice of authentic Sri Lankan luxury to create special memories within, I can 100% recommend. 

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Whilst in Sri Lanka, Alanna also stayed at Eraeliya Villas and Gardens in Weligama.

Read her review of Eraeliya Gardens and Villas.

Alanna’s take on Sri Lanka after 6 Months of Travel

After over half a year of travelling, Sri Lanka marked the final stop of my trip around Asia with my fiancé Jonnie. Having already spent time exploring Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan and India, our final country had a lot to live up to. I was honestly blown away by Sri Lanka and it quickly became one of my favourite countries I have ever visited.  It is an incredibly diverse country, with delicious food and friendly locals. We felt incredibly safe while travelling here and it was much easier to get around than neighbouring India, where we had just been. I was surprised to find Sri Lanka was the cheapest country we travelled in too, so it is a great option if you are looking for good bang for your buck on accommodation, food and experiences

We spent three weeks in Sri Lanka, splitting our time across the cultural triangle with its awe-inspiring ancient temple complexes, travelling on the world’s most scenic railway through verdant tea country, coming face to face with elephants on safari, and soaking up the rays and surfing on the South Coast. Whatever your interests, there is something in Sri Lanka for you, and even just a week spent on the South Coast enjoying the beautiful beaches would be well worth the trip. The weather was incredible for our whole trip, and because Sri Lanka has several different seasons across the country you can find warmth and sunshine at almost any point in the year. We visited in December which locals told us was the beginning of their busy season, but it did not seem overcrowded at all. This was a stark contrast to other places we had been on our trip, such as Indonesia, which can feel over-burdened with tourists during peak season.