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Uga Riva might be one of the newest boutique hotels in Negombo, but the property has a long and rich history.
Set one a five-acre former coconut plantation, behind secure gates that lock out the world beyond, every wall seems to have a story to tell.
Uga Riva is the kind of place where you should enjoy a grand entrance – one that makes you feel just as special as the property you’re about to enter.
Unfortunately, we arrived at Uga Riva exhausted, dripping and a little bit worse for wear.
It had been a long day, where an 11-hour journey that started as a scenic train ride turned to driving our tuk tuk in torrential rain – monsoon season was just arriving – long after the sun had set for the day.
Arriving at Uga Riva, we mostly felt relief to have made it there in one piece. To be honest, we could have been anywhere and we would have been ecstatic to be there.
But the warm – and very unique! – welcome we received at Uga Riva really turned the day around, ending our Sri Lanka travels on a high.
We were greeted with a traditional leaf offering and invited to light a candle before being offered a glass of lemongrass tea and a (much-needed) cold towel while we checked in.
And that was just the start…
Uga Riva: At a glance
In a hurry? Here’s a quick guide to the newest boutique hotel in Negombo.
✈️ The hotel is just 30 minutes’ drive from Bandaranaike International Airport. We used it as a base for our final night (and day!) but it would also be a great way to start your trip.
🛌 Check in for two nights. Most guests stay for one night only. However, many – including us – wish they’d stayed for two!
🍽️ Stay on a full board basis to enjoy the indulgent menus. If you decide to book bed and breakfast only, you can still order from a dedicated à la carte menu.
With all the safaris and adventures we had planned, I didn’t expect a boutique hotel in Negombo to be such a highlight of my 10 days in Sri Lanka.
But there could have been no better way to spend the last night and day before our departure.
I – like many other guests, it seems – only wish we could have stayed at Uga Riva longer.
Checking in to Uga Riva, Negombo
For the first time ever in my many years of travelling, Uga Riva showed me the true value of choosing somewhere special to end (or begin!) a trip.
Negombo wasn’t one of my main interests in Sri Lanka. We were there primarily to explore Sri Lanka’s ecotourism, with a heavy focus on safaris and eco lodges.
It would have been easy to choose a hotel that was nothing more than a place to rest our heads before saying goodbye to the island.
But, after spending our final night in Sri Lanka at Uga Riva, I doubt I will ever take that route again.
Despite feeling completely battered and ready to go home when I arrived at Uga Riva, I felt surprisingly rejuvenated and sad to leave after just 24 hours there.
From now on, thanks to Riva, I’d like to end every trip that way.
The Uga Touch
Of all the boutique hotels I’ve stayed at over the years, none has ever been without its faults.
If I’m to find anything to complain about at Uga Riva, though, I really would be nit-picking.
Uga has perfected the art of personalised luxury, pulling it off in such a seamless way that it makes it look like the easiest thing on Earth. And it’s not.
It is exactly as a boutique hotel should be: Nothing is too much trouble, yet you will never feel troubled by anything that feels like too much.
In this way, Uga Riva has perfected the balance between personalisation and privacy, with every part of your stay tailored to your liking.
What that looks like is the possibility to eat dinner whenever and wherever you like, including in the garden, outside your room or by the candlelit pool.
It’s knowing that you can choose to take a rest without being interrupted, yet knowing someone will always be on hand should you need anything at all.
And it’s enjoying a completely luxurious escape in a grandiose manor house that still feels incredibly homely.
It’s the little touches like these that make staying at Uga Riva so special.
Where Uga deserves the most credit is in its perfecting of everything a boutique hotel should be: private, luxurious and inviting all at once.
Location
One of my concerns about staying at Uga Riva was that it was a little out of the way compared to other hotels in Negombo.
Take a look at a map and you’ll notice that most accommodation falls along the seaside strip, with easy access to the area’s famous beaches.
This is certainly where most boutique hotels in Negombo can be found, but Riva sits a little bit back from the coast, on a 5-acre coconut plantation just off the B228 road.
As you pull up through its discreet gate, you can immediately tell that this is a house with stories to tell.
Fun fact: Gandhi once stayed at the manor house on his 1927 tour of Ceylon!
This unassuming location is both loyal to the Uga brand and the subtle luxury it represents, as well as a surprising blessing.
At Riva, you have the best of both worlds: a silent retreat that offers complete privacy and close proximity to the lively town and beaches, which are just a short tuk tuk ride away.
You wake up to the sound of birdsong, with greenery all around, and it’s hard to believe you are only ten minutes from the busy fishing town of Negombo.
Rooms
At the time of opening, Riva had the smallest number of rooms of any Uga property (this will soon be succeeded by Uga Hatton, in the country’s Central Highlands, which opens later this year).
With just seven rooms in total, this manor house can only accommodate a handful of guests at once.
Each guest who stays here, though, will enjoy a generously-sized space to call home no matter which room type they choose.
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Room types
The seven rooms at Uga Riva are divided into three categories: three deluxe rooms, three superior rooms and one premier suite.
They offer 420 squared feet, 464 squared feet and a massive 934 squared feet, respectively.
Apart from the size, the main difference between the deluxe and superior rooms is the bed size (queen vs king) and the locations.
Superior rooms – the type we stayed in – enjoy closer proximity to the pool, with an outdoor terrace area that doubles up as a private dining area if you wish to eat there.
Deluxe rooms are a little more tucked away at the front of the property.
Deluxe rooms have no terrace area of their own; however, the manager told me that guests staying in deluxe rooms are offered the possibility to dine on the superior rooms’ terraces when they are unoccupied.
All of the air-conditioned rooms come equipped with absolutely everything you could need, including powerful rain showers, toiletries, tea and coffee facilities, desks, a sofa and plenty of closet space.
Featuring artwork by local artists, the design of each blends modern comfort with local references, all while honouring the heritage house’s 180-year history.
Comfort
If there’s anything about the rooms I didn’t love, it might be the lack of natural light due to the all-in-one shutter windows.
While it would have been nice to open them, it’s simply impossible because of the wave of humidity that invades the room if you do.
Maybe that’s a personal grievance – especially for photography! – but it also means you can completely shut out the outside world (literally) when the windows are closed.
That said, the rooms are large enough that it’s hardly noticeable, even for a natural light-lover like me.
More importantly, the bed is absolutely divine – the kind you simply sink into – and the room has everything you could need to completely unwind, including air conditioning.
Facilities
Uga Riva has everything you need to completely unwind – and not much more. The focus here is almost entirely on two things: eating and relaxing.
Fortunately, for what it does offer, it does it almost perfectly.
From the carefully considered selection of food to the games thoughtfully placed in the communal areas, Riga really is is a curated work of art.
The attention of detail is unmissable, and the result is that you truly feel like you’re in your own little sanctuary while you’re here.
If, like us, you will be arriving with your own vehicle, there is free private parking in the gated grounds too.
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Dining at Uga Riva
When staying at a boutique hotel, the food can make or break the experience.
At Uga Riva, it was certainly the former because we enjoyed some of our best meals in Sri Lanka!
They were so good that I may have forced myself to eat more than I could comfortably manage at times…
Large food portions were a theme across Sri Lanka, and Uga Riva was no different. Arrive hungry.
The breakfast menu is particularly indulgent and comes with a selection of breads, including croissants and local kimbula buns, as well as fresh fruit, nuts and a choice of coffee or tea.
In addition to that, you can choose eggs in a style of your choice, followed by either pancakes or french toast with several accompaniments.
If you order in advance, it’s also possible to enjoy a full Sri Lankan style affair with traditional breakfast curries.
Dinner is a 4-course affair (if you wish). As well as an entree and dessert, you can choose up to two (!) main courses.
I struggled to finish a single main course because the portions were so large, but everything I had was cooked to perfection.
When I visited in May 2024, the hotel was still serving a temporary opening menu.
Therefore, I won’t share the menu because it’ll be changing soon – and apparently be even better – but even this menu was well-rounded with plentiful options and interesting combinations.
If the “real” menu is going to be even better, future guests are in for a real treat.
On my final night in Sri Lanka, a local Negombo soup followed by traditional curries ended my experience of Sri Lankan food on high.
And enjoying them by the pool added an extra special touch and was a dreamy way to end an unforgettable trip. With the sunset turning the sky pink above us, it couldn’t have been more idyllic.
Pool & Spa
Whether you check-in for a pre-flight rest or a post-flight recuperation, your main activity at Uga Riva is likely relaxation. Pure, indulgent relaxation.
If that’s what you’re looking for, you’re in the right place.
The pool sits at the heart of the property, with the tranquil garden for a backdrop. With a depth of 4.5 feet, it’s perfect for a cooling dip when the Negombo heat hits hard.
Spend a little time on the sun lounger or at the poolside bar and you may spot some of the garden’s shy residents, including squirrels, birds and butterflies.
Of course, nothing is as relaxing as a trip to the spa and, in the next few months, an on-site spa will be available for guests.
While the hotel feels complete without it, I’m sure it will be a successful addition.
Sustainability
One thing that really sets Uga Riva apart from other boutique hotels in Negombo city (and elsewhere) is the group’s commitment to sustainability.
A focus on responsible tourism and community lies at the heart of every hotel in the Uga portfolio and Riva is no different.
This includes sourcing local ingredients and offering free filtered water on request. Mineral water and sparkling water are served in glass bottles, and there was not a single piece of plastic in site.
Even the free toiletries (in paper packaging) and tea bags (individually packaged in card boxes) provided are completely plastic-free.
Perhaps most notably, Uga employs female workers – something I noticed a complete lack of throughout Sri Lanka.
These extra efforts, coupled with the meticulous focus on detail, make Uga Riva the secluded sanctuary you want it to be.
Click here to check prices and availability for your trip.
