The Canoe

When you land in a new country, you have two things on your mind: how to get to the hotel, and how to get some drinking water. Well, if you stay at the Canoe, the owner will be happy to pick you up at the airport, and on arrival, a 1 L water bottel is waiting for you in your room. Both boxes checked, completely hassle free! It's a small hotel or guesthouse, with five rooms only. The owner is friendly and attentive, and very accommodating. Let him know what time you will be arriving as the hotel is not always manned. He replies to WhatsApp almost instantly. If you agree on an airport pickup, he will be waiting in front of the airport post office (exit customs, then exit the terminal building, walk straight on for some 40 metres and turn left where you see a row of small shops, one of them is the post office). The transfer is 10 USD and takes, depending on traffic, some 15-20 minutes. The hotel room would easily qualify as a three star hotel room in Europe. It is not cramped at all and comes with a comfotrable bed with fresh pillows. There is a universal socket by the bed, so it's easy to charge your devices and you don't even need an adapter. There is a luggage rack, a sofa, a desk and chair but no safe, fridge or tv. The A/C is effective. The lock was a bit difficult to operate but I learned to manage it in the end. Wifi was free and unlimited, but a bit slow. Basic browsing worked fine, but teleconferencing probably would not. The sun rises at 6 am, bring an eyemask if you plan to sleep later than that as the curtains do little to keep the room dark. The bathroom comes with a shower with adequate water pressure and ample hot water. Shampoo and conditioner are provided in refillable containers, and soap as a single-use bar. There are no further amenities, the restaurant is closed but breakfast is still offered in the morning, included in the room rate. I got a hot plate with some eggs, sausage and toast as well as a fruit platter. There are no set times, I was simply asked the night before at what time I would like to eat, which is great service especially as you might be jetlagged after long flights and get up at strange times. The location in central Negombo is great. There is a large supermarket right across the street open from 8:30 am to 10 pm every day. You can walk to Hamilton Canal and the churches, and even the fish market is only a 20 minute walk away. The hotel is attractively priced, I paid 32 USD/night, which was a very fair price for what I got. You can pay cash in USD or LKR. I would warmly recommend to start your journey to Sri Lanka by spending a night or two here to explore Negombo before setting of to other parts of the country.