About this hotel
General information
Cape Weligama, a Relais & Châteaux resort, occupies a rocky headland above Weligama Bay on Sri Lanka’s south coast. Its thirty-nine suites and villas sit among palms and emerald gardens beneath terracotta-tiled roofs, laid out like a traditional Sri Lankan village: quiet lanes wind between dry-stone walls, honey-coloured walls glow against the greenery and shaded verandahs appear between the trees. Interiors take their cue from the island’s maritime heritage.
Space and views are the point here: large verandahs made for dining outdoors, pools above the Indian Ocean, three cliff-edge lookouts named after whales — Lookout Blue, Minke and Fin — and the resort’s own Cove Beach below. The kitchen builds on fresh seafood and seasonal local produce, and every guest is looked after by a butler. Stays can be booked on bed and breakfast, half board, full board or fully inclusive terms. The resort is open all year and hosts weddings, honeymoons and family celebrations.
Location
The resort stands on a headland above Weligama Bay on Sri Lanka’s south coast, close to the coastal towns of Ahangama and Midigama. Galle is 26 km away (about 46 minutes), Colombo 147 km (about 2 hours 30 minutes) and Colombo’s international airport 174 km (about 2 hours 45 minutes by road); Wild Coast Tented Lodge by Yala National Park is 153 km away. Resplendent Ceylon arranges private road transfers in air-conditioned vans (up to 6 guests) or SUVs (up to 3 guests), as well as flights of around 30 minutes. Guests’ drivers are given complimentary accommodation less than 2 km from the resort.
Spa
The Sanctuary Spa offers massages, facials, manicures and other rituals, either in its own treatment spaces or in the privacy of a villa or suite. Signature therapies include warm herbal compresses, Ceylon tea leaf exfoliations and self-heating lava shell massages, with oils and scrubs based on Ceylon tea and Ceylon cinnamon and drawing on the island’s long traditions of care. Every suite and villa also has its own steam room.
Sports & leisure
The fitness centre sits beneath the Moon Pool, equipped by Cybex with treadmills, upright and recumbent bikes, cross trainers and a multi-gym, plus space for yoga. Cove Beach has courts for beach tennis and pétanque, and the calm waters of Weligama Bay suit both first-time and seasoned surfers. Late November to early April is the best time for diving and snorkelling.
The resort arranges private whale-watching trips with a Cape Weligama naturalist, evening walks through UNESCO-listed Galle Fort, bike rides along the back roads of an inland village, safaris in Udawalawe National Park to watch wild Asian elephants, and visits to a 10-hectare cinnamon estate. There are also cooking sessions with the chefs, a market tour for vegetables and seafood, a cooking class inside Galle Fort, cocktail masterclasses at The Society, the craft of wooden mask carving, sunset kayaking through the mangroves of Rekawa Lagoon and sunset cruises on Weligama Bay.
For children
The Forest School kids’ club is built around nature: tree climbing, sand play and gardening, raft building and bug hotels, nature sketching, storytelling, star navigation and a forest obstacle course. Complimentary activities run every day in morning and afternoon sessions for four age groups — 2–5, 6–8, 9–12 and 13–15 years — led by trained hosts, with 90-minute pottery, carpentry and forest robotics workshops at an extra charge. Junior Chef offers cooking experiences for children, the five-day Cape Forest Camp runs in summer, and babysitting can be arranged with at least two days’ notice before arrival. The Cove Pool has a separate children’s pool.
Restaurants & bars
The resort’s cooking brings together the day’s catch, seasonal produce and Sri Lankan flavours, with menus that change constantly:
- The Atlas — the main ocean-view restaurant: breakfasts of local and familiar dishes, lunches built on the day’s catch and dinners by torch and candlelight; no reservation needed
- Tableau — a cliff-edge chef’s table with a menu that changes daily, where the chef introduces the island’s heirloom ingredients; advance booking only
- The Cove — the beach club on Cove Beach (11:00–18:00), with cocktails, wood-fired bites and relaxed plates by the sea
- The Society — a daily Dilmah tea service with an extensive tea list, scones, home-made jams and pastries, then classic and signature cocktails over the coastline
- Moon Bar — a bar beside the Moon Pool serving light daytime dishes, cocktails and fresh-pressed juices
- In-Villa Dining — meals in a villa or suite, from floating breakfasts in the pool to dinners on the verandah
A degustation dinner can also be served at Lookout Blue, right on the edge of the cliff.
Swimming
The centrepiece is the cliff-edge Moon Pool with ocean views, reserved for guests aged 12 and over. The family Cove Pool near the suites has a separate children’s pool, while 15-metre infinity pools are set among the villas, each shared by two or three of them; the Pool Pavilion and Cape Residence have private 15-metre pools of their own. Below the cliff lies the secluded Cove Beach, with direct access to a calm bay for swimming and surfing and The Cove beach club.
Rooms
Thirty-nine suites and villas: the suites are grouped around the Cove Pool, the villas sit in secluded gardens closer to the Moon Pool and share pools between a few of them. Each has a large verandah for lounging and dining, and guests are looked after by a butler.
Walk-in wardrobe, desk, bathroom with twin marble vanities, walk-in rain shower with steam room and stone bathtub, handmade bath amenities, pillow menu, minibar, a selection of Dilmah teas, Illy espresso machine, 46-inch TV with international channels and films, Ruark speakers, Wi-Fi, individually controlled air conditioning, universal sockets and USB charging, phone and safe.
Junior Suite
A suite with direct access to the Cove Pool, set up with one super king bed or two queen beds, a walk-in wardrobe, a bathroom with stone tub and steam room and a verandah over the gardens. It can connect to a Master Suite; sleeps 4 adults or 2 adults and 2 children.
Master Suite
A large bedroom with a super king bed, a generous bathroom with stone tub and steam room and a verandah overlooking the Cove Pool and tropical gardens, with direct pool access. Sleeps 3 adults or 2 adults and 1 child.
Two Bedroom Family Suite
A Master Suite and a Junior Suite joined together: two bedrooms (one with a super king bed, the other with a super king or two queen beds), each with its own entrance, bathroom and verandah. Direct access to the Cove Pool; booked as a single unit for a family or group.
Luxury Villa
A garden villa with a super king bedroom, a walk-in wardrobe and a bathroom where the stone tub sits in its own alcove opening onto the garden. A verandah for lounging and dining and a 15-metre infinity pool shared with one or two other villas; sleeps 3 adults or 2 adults and 1 child.
Premier Villa
A villa with an entrance lobby, a super king bedroom, a large bathroom with steam room and stone tub and a spacious verandah over the gardens. A 15-metre infinity pool is shared with one or two other villas; sleeps 3 adults or 2 adults and 1 child.
Prestige Villa
A villa with a super king bedroom, a separate living room with a bar counter and a broad verandah looking over the Indian Ocean and gardens. A 15-metre infinity pool shared with one or two other villas; sleeps 3 adults and 1 child or 2 adults and 2 children.
Grand Villa
The villa with the resort’s largest verandah, facing the ocean and tropical gardens, a super king bedroom and a separate living room with its own bar. A 15-metre infinity pool shared with one or two other villas; sleeps 3 adults and 1 child or 2 adults and 2 children.
Pool Pavilion
An upper-floor retreat at the highest point of the resort: a super king bedroom, a bathroom with stone tub and steam room and a timber deck with a private 15-metre infinity pool looking out over the Indian Ocean. For 2 adults.
Cape Residence
A two-storey villa joining a Prestige Villa on the ground floor to a Pool Pavilion above by an internal staircase: two super king bedrooms with their own bathrooms, a living room with a bar counter and a very large verandah. Upstairs is a private 15-metre infinity pool with panoramic ocean views, and a garden pool is shared with neighbouring villas; sleeps 4 adults and 1 child or 2 adults and 2 children.
Photos are for illustrative purposes only. Actual room layout, furnishings, décor, views and amenities may differ from those shown and may vary between rooms of the same category. Hotel and room descriptions are based on information provided by the property and are believed to be accurate at the time of publication, but are not guaranteed. The hotel may renovate or change its rooms, facilities, restaurants and services at any time without notice. The final details of your stay are confirmed at the time of booking. See our Terms of Use.