Lions Rest (Weligama, Sri Lanka)

ABOUT THE SURF CAMP

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LOCATION AND SURF CONDITIONS

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We are situated on the southern tip of Sri Lanka,just 2km from Welligama Town. We’re 5km from the lively resort of Mirissa and a 40min tuk-tuk ride from the heritage city of Galle and its old colonial Dutch fort with its charming collection of cafes and craft shops.

Whether surf, yoga or cultural experiences are on your agenda Lion’s Rest is the perfect place to base yourself overlooking Coconut's Surf Break. Day trips can be arranged from the hotel to tea plantations, whale watching and elephant safaris, to name but a few activities.

Our village, Gurubebila, is home to 60 local families, mainly fishermen who can be seen on our unspoilt beach, either sitting on traditional fishing-stilts or casting off the reef.

Lion’s Rest overlooks the village green which rolls gently down to the ocean. The village green, with its scattering of cows and coconut trees, acts as a gathering place for local fishermen comparing their daily catch, or perhaps a sunset cricket match. It’s a wonderful place to immerse yourself in the local culture and meet the friendly villagers. And of course we have a surf break directly in front of us called Coconuts in front of 3 high coconut palms, we have other breaks in a short walking distance one a right hander called Plantations.

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CAMP CHARACTER

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Out And About Around Lion's Rest. Of course when you're on vacation, firstly you will want to relax and Lion's Rest is the place to do that!

But aside from the surfing and yoga here there's plenty to do around and about where we are located,

making the perfect base for your holiday. Be it just hanging out in the village watching the stick fisherman catching sardines, playing beach volleyball with the locals or taking part in a soft ball cricket match out on the green, authentic Sri Lankan culture is all around you in Gurubebila.

Outside of our beachside haven there is plenty do see just a short Tuk Tuk ride or if you want hire a scooter they are also available.

Midigama train station is 1km away and local bus stops just a short walk should you  want to use public transport.

For excursions a little further away for day trips we can arrange a minibus for more comfort.

 

ACCOMMODATION AND CATERING

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ACCOMMODATION TYPES

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We have 8 rooms at Lion's Rest, with 2 on the ground level and 6 on the upper floor. Our rooms are perfect for couples, solo's and family groups. All rooms have en-suite bathrooms and A/C as standard. Our rates change accordingly to the season and a breakdown of our room options is below. All rates are on a bed and breakfast basis and half board and full board can also be added if required.

 

The Superior  Room - 150 USD / night

Maximum Occupancy 2 persons

Situated at the front of Lion’s Rest on the upper level. The room offers A/C and a powerful overhead fan to suit your preference. It has a four-poster king-size bed with a high quality sprung mattresses and crisp linen to ensure a comfy night's sleep.

The en-suite bathroom come equipped with a solar heated rain shower. There is a private balcony which has views over the village green and onto the Indian Ocean. Whether checking out how Coconut’s Surf Break or taking in a spectacular sunset, it’s the perfect spot to enjoy our beautiful location.

 

The Deluxe Rooms - 140 USD / night

Maximum Occupancy 3 adults or 2 adults/2 children

We have three Deluxe Rooms situated on the upper level of Lion’s Rest.

The rooms offer A/C and a powerful overhead fan to suit your preference. One room has twin beds that can be turned into a king-size bed upon request. The beds come with high quality sprung mattresses and crisp linen to ensure a comfy night's sleep.

The Deluxe Rooms have a mezzanine level with another small double bed. The en-suite bathroom's come equipped with a solar heated rain shower. The communal balcony has seating area with views over the pool and grounds, the Indian Ocean and Coconuts Surf Break.

 

The Pool Double - 100 USD/ night

Situated on the ground level at Lion’s Rest, The Pool Double opens onto the pool area. The room offers A/C and a powerful overhead fan to suit your preference. The four-poster double bed comes with a high quality sprung mattresses and crisp linen to ensure a comfy night's sleep. The en-suite bathroom comes equipped with a solar heated rain shower. The seating area outside is just a few steps into the pool.

The Garden Room - 120 USD / night

The garden room is situated on the ground level at Lion’s Rest and opens onto the garden and pool area. The room has a four-poster king-size bed and a single bed with high quality sprung mattresses and crisp linen to ensure a comfy night's sleep. The room offers A/C and a powerful overhead fan to suit your preference.

The en-suite bathroom comes equipped with a solar heated rain shower. Outside the room there is a private patio area with two plantation chairs and a dining table where our team will be happy to serve you.

Family Room 6 - 160 USD / night

Maximum Occupancy 6 persons

Situated on the upper level of Lion’s Rest boasting two king-size four-poster bedswith high quality sprung mattresses and crisp linen to ensure a comfy night's sleep. With a mezzanine level above with another double and a single mattress, there isplenty of space for a large group or family . The room offers A/C and a powerful overhead fans to suit your preference. The en-suite bathroom is equipped with a solar heated rain shower. There is a communal balcony outside. There is also access to the sun deck hammock-area with views over the pool, grounds and the Indian Ocean.

The Family Room 7 - 160 USD / night

The family room on the upper level of Lion’s Rest boasts two king-size four-poster beds and a single bed with high quality sprung mattresses and crisp linen to ensure a comfy night's sleep. The room offers A/C and a powerful overhead fans to suit your preference. The en-suite bathroom comes equipped with a solar heated rain shower. Plenty of storage space is provided. The balcony outside has seating and there is easy access to the sun deck hammock-area which has views over the pool, grounds and the Indian Ocean.

 

SURF COURSE AND ACTIVITIES

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SURF COURSE DETAILS

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If surfing is on your agenda Lion’s Rest is ideally located. We’re right on a beach, halfway between the cities of Galle and Matara This 40km stretch of coastline has an array of surf breaks for all levels, offering excellent reef-breaks and beach-breaks.

Lion’s Rest has one of the best performing reef-breaks, ”Coconuts”, directly in front of the hotel, with another great wave, “Plantation Point”, just 100m walk along the beach. Many nearby surf spots are only a short tuk-tuk ride away including “Lazy Left”, “Rams” and “Weligama Bay Beach Break”. Although Weligama is not a favoured place to stay anymore because of the crowds, we have found some quieter spots to surf on the bay. We have two tuk-tuks at Lion’s Rest to take you around and mopeds with board-racks are also available to rent. There are some sweet secret surf-spots around that we can show you, but we like to keep these quiet of course!

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OTHER ACTIVITIES

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Galle Fort

A great half-day trip is to take in the Old Colonial Dutch Fort in the city of Galle. It's a 40 minute Tuk journey from Lion's Rest or should you want to experience a train journey it's only 30 minutes by train. With its array of boutiques and restaurants and old colonial cafes it's also a great place to eat and shop.

 

Koggala Lake

Just 20 miuntes from Lion's Rest is Koggala lake. It's alive with birdlife and dotted with islands, one of which features a Buddhist temple that attracts many visitors on poya (full moon) days, another that contains an interesting cinnamon plantation and also a herb-garden island. You can take a 90-minute boat tour of the lake and islands. Feeding the monkeys from the boat when arriving at the islands is always a highlight with the kids.

 

Safari Parks

Both Yala and Udawalawe National Park are good to do as a day trip from Lion's Rest. Both national parks are just under 2 hours drive away. We can arrange the day trip for you, it's an early start to get the sunrise jeep safari but is really worth the effort because it's the best time to see the wildlife including the wild elephants and the leopards if you're lucky! Udawalawe is the favourite of ours as it gets less busy than Yala

 

Tea Plantation

Another half-day trip is the Handunugoda Tea Estate, just 30 minutes drive inland. It is a real treat as you're taken through the whole process from the cultivation of the tea, picking and watching 100-year-old machines still doing their job drying and sorting the leaves. And of course you get a chance to try it before you buy. There are many types to choose from including the famous Ceylon White Tea.

MORE INFO, HOW TO GET THERE & FAQ

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SURF CONDITIONS

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Sri Lanka’s South Coast Surf Season  
The traditional surf season on the southern coast is early November through to the end of April. From May through to October is described as the low season, mainly because onshore winds mean the surf is a lot less predictable. But there are still waves to be had and, because of the lack of surfers during the low season, it’s actually a good time to visit as a beginner..   The shoulder seasons (October/November and April/May, just before and after the monsoons) have, in recent years, been the best combination of swell and good wind direction, producing some excellent surf with far fewer surfers around. The Magic Seaweed App is always a good reference for the swell forecast.    

Surf Breaks  
Here are a few local breaks. Of course we don’t want to describe our secret local spots but we'll put you in the know when you arrive!      

Coconuts   
Our home break works in 2 sections: a left-hander and an A frame in the mid section that produce long right and left rides. It works on both high and low tide, depending on swell size, and is deep enough on the peak to not worry about touching the bottom.        

Plantations   
A right-hand reef-break that gets more crowded than Coconuts and is popular with intermediate surfers.        

Rams Right   
A shallow, fast reef-break with a little barrel section. This wave is a difficult wave to navigate and often quiet due to it’s difficulty in big swell . Lazy Left: A long left that gets busy in peak season as it seems to be favoured by surfers progressing from the beach-breaks to a reef. There is also a right-hander, “Lazy Right”. It's a further paddle out to the right so it tends to be less busy.        

Weligama Beach Break   
A Mecca for beginners with surf schools spread along its wide beach. Easy waves with not too much power breaking on a sandy bottom make this an easy wave to begin on. When the swells are bigger the sand bars create some fine long rides. Away from all the hotels in the centre of the beach there are some quieter spots.        

Mirissa Point   
A pretty location on the headland on the right side of Mirissa Bay. Good for Intermediate surfers. If there are strong cross-winds it can still work well, as it’s sheltered by the headland. The only downside is that there are sea urchins on the inside reef, so care and booties are needed on the way in and out. Kabalana: A good beginners beach-break with plenty of white water that can dump sometimes, with big swells on lower tides.        

The Rock   
At the west end of Kabalana beach is an A-frame known as “The Rock”. Good power, lefts and rights, and rides of up to 300m means that when it’s on, it’s crowded.

PACKAGES & PRICES

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SURF LESSONS - from 25$ Person

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This package includes:

Group surf lessons (90 minutes) $25 USD (5 Lesson Package $100)

One-on-one surf lesson (90 minutes) $40 USD (5 Lesson Package $160 USD)

All prices include all equipment and transport.

Lessons can be booked as extras at the time of booking your stay online with us.

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Surf Tuition & Guiding - For our current prices and a non-binding offer, please contact us via the contact form on this website.

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This package includes:

At Lion’s Rest we have our ISA (International Surfing Association) certified coach Lucky who is a prominent face around Lion's Rest, Lucky is a village local and one of only a handful of Sri Lankan's who are ISA certified. Lucky's local knowledge is invaluable when it comes to finding a secret spot for some 1 on 1 guiding and his group lessons and 1 on 1 lessons will be a great introduction to the great sport of surfing and intermediates who are looking to progress their surfing onto the reef breaks his coaching will do that in not too many sessions.

Our group beginner/intermediate lessons take place in the mornings and late afternoons when the wind is at its best. In a small intimate group of no more than 4 persons our coach will take you to a suitable break and give you 90 minutes of tuition with sand instruction and of course safety. They will take you into the water with the confidence and knowledge to progress in this addictively great sport.

One-on-one lessons are also offered should you wish to progress your surfing and move up to the reefs, where you will learn more, including wave selection and turns.

For those of you and can surf and are just wanting some guidance & advice on the local breaks and depending on the conditions where to surf on any specific day Lucky is always at hand to pass on his expert knowledge of the area. He is also happy to show you around the breaks and advise you where to paddle in and out etc.