Heavenly Stay at Uga Jungle Beach
We stayed for an overnight stay at Uga Jungle Beach and the experience we had was amazing.
We as a couple have been to plenty of hotels all around Sri Lanka for holiday staycations. But recently we had a staycation which we enjoyed to the maximum and the best stay we had so far. So I thought to write the article about it. There are plenty of articles that are yet to be written which are related to our past holidays. But thought to bring this and stay on top of all those because this is the best!!
Due to the covid pandemic situation and the economic situation in Sri Lanka, the number of tourists coming to Sri Lanka has declined over the past years. So lots of hotels and resorts in Sri Lanka are having promotions going on for discounted rates. Uga Escapes is a luxury hotel chain that has a couple of hotels operating in Sri Lanka. They have the following hotels.
When we were looking for hotels we skipped Uga Hotels a couple of times keeping it for later. But this time we thought to give it a try. So there was a promotional rate going on for a couple of Uga hotels. We needed to decide where to go. We went through the photos that are available on the website, booking.com, and other sources to see what is the best. Also, we read the reviews the others have given for their stays. We preferred something close to the beach. So Uga Ulagalla was out of the selections. Then the Uga Chena Huts were quite expensive for us. It could be worth the money because it is an all-inclusive package they are giving including Yala Safari as well. But we didn't require those so that was out too. So we had to decide on either Uga Bay or Uga Jungle Beach. Finally, we decided to go to Uga Jungle Beach as our next destination. Also, we booked a full-board stay. To be honest they didn't disappoint us too about our selection of Jungle Beach for our stay.
Booking.comWe were planning to go there on a Saturday. We left Colombo on Friday after office work and we headed to Kurunegala. We stayed there in a small hotel booked through Booking.com. Then the next day(Saturday) we started our journey from Kurunegala to Trincomalee. The hotel was located a bit away from Trincomalee town. It was located in the Kuchchaveli area which is located a bit north of Trincomalee. While traveling towards Kuchchaveli you will be passing Nilaveli as well. So we also stopped in a couple of places to take photos and to have breakfast. The day before the stay some officer from the front desk called me and got the reservation confirmed. Also, they asked what time we will be arriving and what meal we are starting from. Since we were planning to arrive at the hotel around 12 PM and we wanted to leave the next day also around 12 PM since we had other plans for the next day we decided to start with lunch and we informed it. On the day of the stay, we were able to arrive at the hotel around 12PM which is a bit early considering the checking time of 2 PM.
Uga Jungle Beach has villas and they do have three different types of villas for the stays.
- Lagoon Cabin - Facing the Lagoon
- Jungle Cabin - In between Lagoon Cabins and Beach Cabins in the jungle (Apart from the main jungle cabins, there are three cluster cabins available with a private pool as well)
- Beach Cabin - Facing the beach
What we selected was a Beach Cabin. On the day of the stay, some officer(Can't remember his name :( ) called me around 10 AM and informed me that the management had decided to give us a room upgrade since we indicated that we are traveling for our anniversary. So they gave us two options whether to go with the room upgrade or to stay with what we booked. The room upgrade was for the highest room category they have. When he informed me about the upgraded room I didn't know even there is a room category like that in the hotel since it was not there when we were doing the booking. Room upgrade means an upgrade right, So without hesitation, we said yes to the room upgrade. So around 12 PM, we were able to arrive at the hotel. There was a name board on the main road and anyone can easily identify the location.
First, the security person welcomed us and wrote down some vehicle information in his book, and then he showed us the way to go. It was like we were entering a forest. As the name implies it really is a jungle beach. They preserved the environment as it is while building the place. After that, we arrived at the reception area and unloaded our bags, and handed them over to a bellboy over there. There was a lady officer from the front desk (too bad I do not remember the names :( ) and she gave us a warm welcome and handed a Beatle and a small white flower and asked my wife to place it in the small pond with a wish. She said that it is a ritual there. So the wife did place the flower there and god knows what she wished for :D.
After that, we were escorted to the lobby area. From the first view of the place, we started to love the place so much. The restaurant was located on the ground floor and the lobby was on the first floor. The main swimming pool was right beside the restaurant and the main bar was close to the pool. The ambiance and everything were perfect. Then while waiting in the lobby we got our welcome drinks as well. It was raw mango juice. It was so tasty.
After that, another front desk officer informed us that even though we opted for the room upgrade they had kept both ready for us to have a look at and select one. Since we also didn't have much idea of what was new with the room upgrade we decided to go and see both rooms. So we were escorted to the Beach Cabin first. As the name implies it was a beach cabin because it was located facing the beach and there was a private beach access road. Then we were taken to the Cluster cabin. It's kind of a jungle cabin. We felt like we were in paradise. The view & the vibe there was so natural & spectacular. It had a private pool for the cluster of 3 rooms. With the private pool & the iconic view, we felt so good about the cluster cabin. So without any doubt, we opted for Cluster cabin. Since they had some final touchup to do in the room we were then again escorted to the restaurant to have lunch.
One thing we felt after arriving at the hotel was everyone was having a smile on their face and they greet everyone. At the restaurant, we were given an a la carte menu and my wife selected different items from it so that we could share the food to taste everything. First came the Bread and butter, then the salad, the soup, the main and finally the dessert.
The food was so tasty plus it had a good presentation as well. It was very well done. After lunch we were full. Since the room was ready we collected the room key and headed to the room. One officer from the front desk came with us to the room and gave a room briefing as well about the amenities that they offer safety precautions and everything. The room was very much spacious. It was facing the swimming pool. The bathroom had both an indoor shower as well an outdoor shower as well. The room had so many amenities including a coffee maker. In most hotels, we have to call reception and ask for different items ex: dental kits, electric iron, etc. But here everything was given.
After changing ourselves we directly got into the pool. The environment the colors the ambiance and everything was so right there. The environment made us feel like we are in a pond in a jungle itself. We spent a couple of hours enjoying the spectacular view & the cold water in the pool.
Then after that, we decided to go to the beach. To go to the beach we have to go through the small jungle area. The beach was perfect. It was the best beach & sea experience we ever had. It was a long stretching beach & Beautiful calm sea. One important thing is even though the beach is well-cleaned it is colored light black. That's because of the mineral in that area. Ilmenite is plenty in the Kuchchaveli area. So that's is the reason for the beach to appear in a light black color. The sand there is so soft it's like powdered. When we were in the lobby we asked whether is it safe to have a bath in the sea. They said it was okay and a lifeguard was on duty but to check for the flags and indications always.
So we had a small walk on the beach and then directly got into the sea. we could walk into the sea until the sea level is up to our neck level. It was myself and my wife only on the sea. No one in the hotel came to the beach other than 2,3 guests. By the beach, they have a restaurant and a bar as well. The view of everything from there was stunning.
After enjoying the sea for about two hours, we headed back to our cabin. In the three rooms cluster, one room was vacant. Only our room and another room had guests. There was a foreign family in the other room. Then again we had a good time in the pool and then started getting to go to the beach restaurant to enjoy the view & the sunset.
Around 6 PM we headed to the beach restaurant. We were not hungry at that time and since we were taking dinner around 7 or 7.30 we decided not to order anything to eat. But ordered a pina colada to drink. The view from there was amazing. The sunset colors were so lovely. While having the drink we took a bunch of photos as well.
After that around 7.30, we headed to the main restaurant to have dinner. Dinner was no second to lunch. It was so filling and so tasty. Hat's off to the chefs and everyone.
After dinner, we headed again back to the room and called it a day since we were tired due to traveling. The next morning I was planning to go and see the sunrise. Because if you are on the east coast it's a chance that you get. But unfortunately, I forgot to keep an alarm :(.
We woke up around 7 AM and then we headed to the beach. We had a walk there and after spending around an hour we went to have breakfast. Omg, the breakfast was no second to either lunch or dinner. it came on a platter and had too much to eat :D . Breakfast was the most filling meal that we had there. It was so tasty plus so delicious and had plenty of options as well. Even though it's not a buffet it was no problem at all.
After spending some time in the room we deiced to go to the beach. Beach was our favorite place. Luckily it was a gloomy day. So we could stay in the sea for another two hours until 11.30 a.m. & head to the pool again. likewise, we spent the morning session at Uga Jungle beach and we requested late checkout as well. They gave us a late checkout until 12 PM (Normal checkout time is 11 AM). So around 12 PM, we started to pack our bags and were able to check out around 12 PM.
Unfortunately, it was the day for us to leave Uga Jungle Beach. We both felt sad for not booking a stay of two days there. The place has plenty of things to offer food, attractions, a beach, and everything. After all the people there were so welcoming and helpful. The hospitality is top-class. Uga Jungle beach made our stay so special as well we enjoyed it the most. With the experience we had at Uga Jungle Beach we highly recommend the place and it is a 10 out of 10.
Booking.comSince this is our first time of a stay at a Uga hotel it gave us a good impression of the other Uga hotels too. So we are looking forward to another stay at Uga Bay around Christmas.
Thank You Uga Jungle Beach for making our stay a wonderful one. Hope to be back there soon!!
Booking.com