We spent two weeks in Weligama, during which time we had our Weligama accommodation at WeereVilla via Airbnb. It was better than we were expecting and we had a pretty good time while we were there. We arrived in the late afternoon via the train and got a tuk-tuk to take us to our place for 200 LR (~$1.30).

Weligama Accommodation – Sri Lanka

Upon Arrival

The home was situated back in a quiet street on the peninsula where the river makes a large S-bend before emptying into the bay. Here we could see the quiet life of the locals, and the many friendly yet stray dogs – and even puppies.

Our host Gihan told me that there was a superstition amongst the people that if you take care of animals, you will die – which is why there are so many strays in Sri Lanka, no one wants to die. He told me that while he doesn’t believe it at all and has tried on occasion to take care of the animals, the older generation holds firmly to this belief (we did not encounter this in Colombo).

Living Spaces

The house and property itself was quite spacious, with numerous fruit trees in the yard including banana and avocado. The house was divided into three spaces: the family side, the upstairs, and the renters side. The renter’s side, which is where we were, had a fridge, a sitting area, and two bedrooms. The upstairs could be rented by room or entirely as well and contained a kitchen, although it wasn’t really prepared so we couldn’t use it.

Food For Thought

Gihan also provided us every morning with a breakfast. It was quite nice to have breakfast provided for us, although it was much too big and heavy for us, as we’re not big eaters in the morning (though Briana is more so). In the end after discussing how it was too much for us, it just turned into banana and tea which we were perfectly fine with.

It was certainly difficult not being able to cook. The local food was cheap, but it didn’t sit quite right with us usually. Gihan would order for us what we wanted off a standard menu and it would come about 30 minutes later. We were provided with a bowl and knife to cut fruit though, which helped when we wanted a midnight snack. Sadly, our very weird and poor diet led to some health problems.

Beating the Heat

The property was not air conditioned, and it did get a little hot at times. There is little air conditioning in the country, so it’s not something to get particularly upset at. We had a fan provided so we made do. The much-needed mosquito net kept us protected at night.

Luckily, we also had internet for our work. We were worried at first because of data limits, but he had 60 GB of data to use for the month, and we realized that by being careful, we wouldn’t get close to hitting that mark.

The shower was cold, but considering how hot we were, we (or at least I) could adjust rather quickly to the temperature and enjoy the cooling affect. Briana was disturbed one time when fresh concrete suddenly came through the open-air window. This was the result of the owners doing repairs.

The Little Things

We also did not have access to a washer/dryer, but did have a tub to hand wash our clothes in. The biggest issue was attempting to dry the clothes. Because it rained so often and was so humid, it could take up to two days to properly dry in the sun. But again, it really wasn’t that big of a deal.

A Little Adventure

Gihan also lent us his motorbike on two occasions, one time to Yala National Park and another to Galle – despite us getting into an accident on our first outing, which was nice of him.

The place could get a little buggy, which was annoying. But we’d started to come to accept that is just the way of life in Sri Lanka.

Talking with Gihan was nice. He actually got officially engaged on our last night in Weligama and had his family in town to celebrate. They had a BBQ, and I got to try some of their local fish (Mullet) which was delicious. He was attending, and finishing up University in Business and Hospitality at the time. The AirBNB / WeereVilla was his business venture, and I think he was doing quite well with his offers. At this moment, the residence up for sale, as he intends to move having now finished with school.