Talalla Freedom Resort

It was difficult for the PickMe tuc tuc driver (from Matara Railway Station) to find despite his best efforts, but we got there in the end. I stayed in the standard triple room 5. The best feature of this place is the restaurant, perched on top of a hill, with stunning views of the beach area far below. The food is good in terms of quality and is very slightly lower than local prices. Beer is also available at the standard local price of R950+10%. The very well maintained medium sized swimming pool is also a plus. My chalet was adequate: it had an enormous double bed (complete with mosquito net) and single bed, an en-suite with a rather weak shower (with hot water), a toilet and hand basin. There was a very good A/C unit (essential here in December), a kettle (on request), a clothes hanging facility and a large lockable cupboard. There was a very pleasant little outside terrace (shared with the adjacent chalet) with a small table and two chairs. There was an adequate number of electrical sockets (of the square pinned UK type). A fridge was eventually supplied and was housed in a small adjoining storage room. The room itself is locked with a padlock, making it possible to use your own padlock if you wish: I used my digital padlock. Cold water is available at a cost (R200 for 1.5 L). The whole place was kept very clean- a real tribute to the hard-working, conscientious staff. Rooms are cleaned on request, which I much prefer because I don’t like the hassle of daily ‘housekeeping’. The rather somnolent Talalla Beach area is accessed via a very narrow, lengthy, very steep stairway. This would not be suitable for those with mobility issues. There is another, more accessible route but this takes very much longer. The family owners and staff were all nice: kind, helpful and hard-working. I enjoyed my very quiet time here and would recommend it to like-minded souls as a very happy, peaceful retreat from the more frenetic areas of the country.