Only lightweight outfits, T-shirts, shirts, shorts, cotton pants, linen ...
A hat, cap, 2 pairs of sunglasses, because the sun strikes from 11 am to 3 pm. Flip flops, tennis canvas shoes, but you will be almost all the time barefoot !
Do not forget the high protection sunscreen cream and your finest swimwear.
For surfing, we provide rash vests for guests taking classes at Vanina Surf School (not sunscreen ;-) but you can buy one from Surf School if needed
Meddawatta is a sandy bottom beach, but if you want to go on a surf trip around with Axel our instructor, plan booties for reef breaks.
All our surf school boards are new, from good brand, and suitable for beginners or intermediate surfers.
We also provide bodyboards, Stand Up Paddle and surfboards (longboards, shortboards) rental.
If you bring your board, we can store it to prevent you from sleeping with it in your Villa.

Regarding COVID 19 Safety Measures, please check our Special FAQ
Ask your doctor if necessary, but generally in Sri Lanka you will not have any strong health problems.
However, Tetanus, Diphtheria, Hepatitis A and Rage are recommended especially if you are moving in sensitive and humid areas in the backpacker mode before to come to Vanina Villas.
Get a Travel Insurance for adults & children in case of accident or Health care and repatriation, also in case of Covid-19
There are private Hospitals in Matara, Galle with quality care (UK & Australia Certifications).
The most feared animal is mosquito (malaria is eradicated in Sri Lanka, but Dengue exists in wetlands). You will find Soffel, the only effective protective lotion (no need to buy expensive products at home).
Avoid contact with stray dogs on the beach, their temperament can sometimes lead them to bad reactions.
No gastric problems - please observe the usual precautions.
At Vanina Villas, vegetables are peeled, washed, food products selected for their freshness and quality. Do not drink tap water (can wash your teeths, no problem)

Airport transfer
We can organize and put you in touch with a Professional transferist for your journey from/to the airport or organize your excursions program.
Vanina Villas is 2H30 from airport, coming through Highway
Airport Transfer : From 90€ for Car. Large Van or Minibus please contacxt us. Please advise us at reservation if you have surfboards (Not allowed to have surfboards on car roof on Highway, only inside Minibus or Van)

Vanina Villas is located at the exit of Matara in the direction of Tangalle at 3 km from the port of Dondra.
On the main road to Tangalle Road, after the crossing of Beach Road (Eliyakanda Junction), 50 meters on the right turn onto Araliya Beach Road (Araliya Muhudu Mawatha), a small road that crosses the village and will take you to Vanina Villas in seafront location.

Car rental, scooters
Please consult us

Tuk Tuk
The essential local Taxi ! Cheap and available in front of the Hotel, at any time. We recommend you to discuss the rate before with driver. Vanina Villas provide fixed rates from our local tuktuk drivers.

Electricity & Water
220v in Sri Lanka. Sockets are international model, a mix of 3 pin round sockets and 3 pin square, UK-type, sockets. You won’t need adaptors, coming from most european countries like France, Germany, Sweden, Holland or Australia & NZ.
We have a Power Generator in the Hotel, in case of power cut (frequent in Sri Lanka)
Please spare water, Sri Lanka is an island and Water reserves are not endless.

Phone
Nearly all European/International networks work in Sri Lanka but will be expensive. Buying a SIM is a good cheap option and International call and datas charges are relatively cheap. Just make sure your devices are not locked to your overseas networks. We recommend Dialog network which have the best coverage over the island with several datas and phone packages. There’s a shop inside Colombo airport at arrival or in Matara town.

Wifi
There is free wifi available everywhere at the hotel. Wifi code will be provided on arrival. Hotspots are arranged in the garden for better transmission in Villas.

The cost of living in Sri Lanka is low cause LKR Rupee has devaluated a lot, so even with higher prices, tourists will pay less..Inflation is incredibly high for the local people since economic currency crisis in May 2022.
You can change your currency when arriving at airport or in Matara without any problems. Shops, restaurants mostly accept cash in LKR, $ or €. Only few credit cards.
Our Restaurant & Bar Rates are in $. We offer you the possibility to sign your Bar and Restaurant notes and to indicate your name and that of your Villa after each meal. You will be able to pay your global bill on the day of your departure.
IMPORTANT NOTICE : Due to fluctuation of LKR Roupie, all payments from any foreign currency will be quoted regarding daily exchange rates from CBSL (Central Bank of Sri lanka ).
3,5% surcharge for all credit card payments ( fees charged by Srilankan banks)

You will never get bored at Vanina Villas !
If the main activity remains Farniente, we suggest you to discover our special Backgamon game table, learn how to play Carom (billiards in Sri Lanka), share a Molky game (Finnish skittles) or participate in our french Petanque (iron balls game) tournaments on our official playground, at the Apéritif time…

Surf
We propose surf lessons every day from November to April, the best season for surfing.
Individual or group lessons.
We also provide surfboards ((shortboards, longboards), Bodyboard and Stand Up Paddle rental.

Massages
Carry relaxation, positive energy and the awakening of consciousness and body...
On request. Ravi our srilankan masseur will take care about that and can propose different types of Ayurvedic massages to refocus your energies :
Relax, Tonic, Medical, Back and Neck, Full or Half Body.
Vata, Pitta, Kapha massages (according to your biological mood : Water, Fire, Air) with essential oils, powders plants.
Massages can be done on the terrace of your Villa or under our Ambalana located in front of the swimming pool.

Yoga
Yoga classes are on request, on the beach facing the ocean in early morning sun or under our Ambalana near the pool. Also special dates for classes sessions.

Outside visitors
For the safety of Vanina Villas residents, we ask you to inform us of any outside visitor who is willing to come to visit you at the Hotel.
Visitors should be FULLY VACCINATED in order to respect other guests in Hotel.
These visits are only allowed from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM. The management reserves the right to refuse entry to certain visitors.
Out of respect for the other residents, we ask you to avoid any nuisance after 10:00 PM, especially in the area of Villas and Pool.

Religious, Public HoliDays
Numerous Buddhist, Tamil, Christian or Muslim festivals take place on the island all year round. This is an opportunity to discover the traditions of Sri Lanka, but also to know that many shops are closed and restaurants do not serve alcohol (notably Poya Day, full moon day) Farewell your cold beer that day …

At Vanina Villas, we prepare to welcome you back, with open arms and heartfelt smiles. They say the strength of a person is best judged by the manner in which they face adversities; and all our team at our Property in Sri Lanka, is empowered to roll out a safe and memorable holiday for you, family and friends.
Myriam & Jean-Hervé Cristol the french Owners and Managers are closely monitoring the situation at the Hotel and as foreigners will seriously handle and daily check that all procedures are ok.
Vanina Villas have introduced a set of safety measures at our place in order to safeguard our valuable guests and staff.
Stay safe measures have been compiled to ensure adherence to the guidelines set out by The World Health Organisation (WHO) as well as Local Health bureau, Tourism authorities and industry associations.
We have put together a list of guidelines that cover all guest areas as well as our back of house operation, food preparation, housekeeping and our supply chain.
We will review and update these guidelines regularly to ensure your safety during your stay.
We value the trust and loyalty you have placed with us and we assure you, your comfort will not be compromised during your stay.
Looking forward to welcoming you back at Vanina Villas !

Myriam & Jean-Hervé Cristol and all Staff

- Fully Vaccinated travellers are exempted from pre-departure & on-arrival COVID-19 PCR/ Rapid Antigen tests. (  Any vaccination type accepted by the country of origin )
- No restrictive quarantine required.
- No PCR test on arrival for children. They will be allowed to travel with their parents.
- Not required to submit a Health Declaration Form.
- Not-Vaccinated & Not-fully vaccinated Travellers are released from On-arrival PCR test & Quarantine period.

PRIOR BOARDING :
- Have a valid Tourist Visa. All visas must be applied online. Visit www.eta.gov.lk or https://www.srilankaevisaservices.com/
- Original Full vaccination certificate / Card ( together with certified copy of english language translation if certificate is not in english or if relevant datas are not indicated in english )
-  Fully vaccinated travellers are exempted from obtaining mandatory Covid -19 local insurrance cover.
However travellers should ensure that they have a comprehensive travel insurrance that will cover health and other expenses related to COVID -19 should there be a need as Government of Sri Lanka will not bear any costs resulting.
-  Fully vaccinated travellers if accompanied by not-vaccinated/not-fully vaccinated children (all ages group ) ensures that travel Insurance is extended to cover the children.

AT COLOMBO AIRPORT :
- Original vaccination certificate / Card ( together with a certified copy of English language translation if the certificate / Card is not in english or if relevant datas are not indicated in english )
- No on arrival PCR test for non vaccinated children up to 12 years/old, and they will be allowed to travel with their parents.
- Airport transfers : To avoid any problems, we recommend you arrange all airport transfers through Vanina Villas as we have selected a service provider who operate Safe & Secure protocols. All vehicles and drivers are cleared for Sri Lanka health & safety standards.

We will update as soon as we get infos. Please note that rules and regulations are susceptible to change.
Please check your Country Embassy, airlines and SLTDA ( Sri Lanka Tourism Association ) website before travelling. https://www.srilanka.travel/helloagain/

- Once you have made a reservation with us we will get in touch with you in order to share by email our safety precautions and guidelines we have set in place. Our aim would be for you to feel safe even before you step into our Villas.
- You would be required to fill in a Guest Registration Form and send across to us 48 hours prior to your arrival.
- We would also require scanned/photographed images of the passports of each guest to be sent along with the Guest Registration Form. NOTE : This is mandatory as the hotel will not be handling any Passports on arrival for scanning.
- You would be required to disclose any other Hotel stay within Sri Lanka prior to your arrival at our hotel.
- Given the additional time that would be taken at Check in with all safety measures, we kindly request you to inform us by email or WhatsApp of your exact time of arrival flights (if you are on a Tour in Sri Lanka, please advice us 6 hours before).
- We will handover a bottle of sanitizer at check in. However you may bring your own as well.
- We recommend you to wear a face mask on check in.

Our welcome will be a traditional welcome with hands clasped ! No handshakes will take place at the Hotel.
- Your temperature will be checked and recorded upon arrival and the frequency may depend on your movement in and out your Villa (excursions.)…
- You will be required to sanitize your hands upon arrival and each time you move in and out of the property.
- Our staff would take your luggage to the room. However, you may wish to carry your own as well.

- In public spaces and high touch areas/surfaces within our property, these areas will be cleaned frequently using disinfectants, following a rigorous cleaning protocol.
- Hand sanitizer dispensers will be available in all public areas and will be available to be purchased if you wish to do so as well.
- When engaging in excursions we strongly recommend you to select operators who are given a Safe & Secure approval license by relevant authorities.
- We will assist you in selecting these authorised operators to ensure your safety.
- You would be required to follow our safety protocols upon your return after every excursion.

- A notice with safety precautions will be displayed inside the Villa for your benefit.
- Your room will be thoroughly disinfected prior to your arrival.
- Housekeeping service for rooms will be restricted to once a day, that too will be at your request. This will include disinfecting the floor areas as well as the bathroom due to the high sensitivity.

- We request all guests to pre-confirm your presence at the restaurant to make necessary table arrangements for the nos of guests having meals.
- Dining tables will be placed adhering to the distance stipulated by Health Authorities.
- Restaurants and Bar will undergo deep cleaning daily for your safety.
- Sanitisers are made available at entry/exit for all guests All cutlery and crockery, tables will be sanitised following international guidelines.
- The Kitchen Chef on duty will ensure that the staff is uniformed with face masks (gloves if needed) and also fully conversant with the required hygiene standards and conditions, aligned with Company’s food safety policy for our Restaurant and Bar.
- We do not allow meals to be taken inside the rooms to ensure your safety as well as that of our staff.
- We will allow outside guests in our restaurant only while following all safety protocols. (masks, hand sanitising ).
- Food and Beverage cards will be available only through QR codes displayed on Bar & Restaurant tables and available to consult from your smartphone. (Except selections of the Day will be displayed on our Blackboard )
- If you wish, our Food & beverages cards can be emailed to you prior to arrival or sent via Whatsapp for ease of reference.

- Our Hotel has been certified COVID-19 by Health Department and SLTDA ( Sri Lanka Tourism Department ).
- All Vanina Villas Staff are well trained in health & safety measures required against the virus including social distancing, hand hygiene & respiratory etiquette.
- Their temperature will be checked upon entry and recorded.
- Our cleaning team will wear disposable masks and gloves when cleaning rooms or public areas.

We understand your desire to enjoy your stay and we would ensure that all facilities / activities are safe for your use / experience.
- SWIMMING POOL within the hotel is chlorinated and daily cleaned as per the stipulated guidelines in order to ensure the highest level of hygiene standards.
- SURFING Lessons will have to be with maximum number of six surfers (6) and booking has to be done prior arrival or one day before, for organisation.
- All SURFING material ( rashguards, leashes ) will be sanitised after session
- YOGA lessons will provide a minimum number of persons and respect distance between everyone.
- YOGA mats will be sanitised after every session

- Our Hotel has been COVID-19 certified by Health Authorities & SLTDA ( Sri Lanka Tourism Department ) to follow their emergency protocol.
- Our Teams have been trained on this emergency protocol in case of guests or associate showing symptoms of COVID-19.
- If a guest shows temperature above 37.6 oC, in order to minimise the risk of contaminating other guests or members of the staff, the infected guest will be transferred out of the hotel premises to local healthcare Center (Public or Private) as required instructions from the local Health authorities.
- Necessary test will be carried out on the other guests to ensure they have not been affected as well.
- We would also take necessary measures to contact Health authorities which will manage to inform all other checked out guests who have come into contact with the infected guest or staff.

Assistance for Tourists while in SL - Call 1912
World Health Organisation (WHO) - For a global update
Sri Lanka Health Promotion Bureau - For update on Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka Tourism Dev. Authority - Covid Information in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka Travel - Arrival and Travel Information for tourists
Civil Aviation Authority - For update on flights to Sri Lanka