Luxury Lake Villa with Pool near beach & Hikkaduwa

Southern Soul Villas lies on the beautiful Rathgama Lake in the fishing village of Dodanduwa near Hikkaduwa and beaches. It is spacious and serenely private on a peninsula of land with fruit and nut bearing trees indigenous to Sri Lanka. The villa, the gardens and the swimming pool is entirely yours for the duration of your stay. Thushara, your host and house keeper will show you the property and surroundings and will be happy to answer any queries. The space Welcome to Southern Soul Villas We hope your stay will be relaxed, enjoyable and full of discovery. Southern Soul Villas has 4 en-suite rooms accommodating up to 8 people comfortably. There is also a driver’s quarters. The Personal Touch Thushara, our House Keeper will personally look after you if and when needed during your stay. Consider him to be an advisor and he will help you in any way. Thushara manages a small staff team including Nilante the gardener, Sampath the pool attendant and Romesh the night security guard. If anything is not working, however small, please tell Thushara so we can fix it as soon as possible. Thushara can arrange local tuk-tuks (three wheelers), a car or small van as required. He can also buy provisions and with advance notice, can cook meals if needed at an extra charge. However, there are numerous restaurants, beach bars and hotel dining experiences on Galle Road or the main beach strip in Hikkaduwa. Luxury boutique hotels, Aditya, Amaroo and Riff hotels are short walks away. They are used to villa guests dropping by for food and drinks. Sri Lanka is rich in history and culture, please respect the environment and local traditions. Guest access ADAPTORS Various electricity sockets are available around the villas. There are global adaptors available if needed. AYURVEDIC There are many Ayurvedic centres and hospitals in the area. They vary enormously in price and style. Try the Littoral Ayurvedic Health Centre in Hikkaduwa for an inexpensive authentic experience. BOOKS Please leave any books you have enjoyed to help us build a small library for future guests. CHECK IN & CHECK OUT Check-In time is 2pm and Check-Out time is 11am. If you wish to check in or check out earlier or later than the scheduled time, we will make every effort to accommodate your request, upon availability. COTS Cots and Baby Chairs are available on request. DIRECTIONS Suramedura Soul Villas on Maps. Our Address – Soul Villas, 65/50 Dhamesara Mawatha, Dodanduwa, Sri Lanka. Leaving Hikkaduwa’s main road, you will reach the fishing village of Dodunduwa. Proceed over the water bridge towards Galle, go past pedestrian crossing and it’s the first left small road, Rohana College Road. Locals call it ‘School Road’. Turn left and carry on this road for about one mile – go over train tracks, go past school on right, small shop on left and buddha statue. Continue on til almost a dead end. You will see Villa Arailya on black gate in front and Soul Villa sign to the left on the wall. Southern Soul Villas is on hard left directly on the lagoon with entrance through wooden gates. DRINKING WATER For your convenience, filtered water is available in the kitchen area from the water dispenser. ELECTRICITY The local electric current in your room is 220v / 50Hz. Periodically there are outages locally but they never last long. However, candles are on standby in the inner kitchen. FIRST AID First Aid Kit in the inner kitchen for minor ailments. FLOORS Polished concrete floors with titanium is very fashionable in Sri Lanka. Spots of water can make them very slippery so please take care when coming out of the pool or in wet weather. Bare feet indoors recommended. FOOD If you like to eat local, Ravis Restaurant is on the right as you walk down the lane towards the railway line. Turn right onto the Galle Road and you’ll find Nala and Noras, a fisherman’s café that sells rotis and rice and curry. Further into Hikkaduwa, there’s endless choices, most of the beach front restaurants sell local and international dishes. If you’d like something European you could try Spaghetti & Co which has a beautiful room and authentic pasta and pizza. Salty Swami’s for a hipster vibe and excellent breakfast and lunch. Hello Burger opposite Amaroo Hotel is good for burgers The Bodhi Café opposite the Main Point surf break, is vegan. FOREIGN EXCHANGE There are several money changing facilities and local banks in Hikkaduwa who will cash foreign currency. There are several banks with ATMs near Hikkaduwa Bus Station and an ATM outside the Sandagiri Supermarket. HAMMOCKS There are two hammocks in the grounds to relax in. They are sturdy but you may need a friend to offer a steady hand. INTERNET SLT Fast Fibre Optic Wireless internet connection is available throughout the villas. Provider – Sri Lanka Mobitel Fibre Password – 19800701 KITCHEN Communal kitchen has most of the essential cooking facilities – cooker with oven, two fridge freezers, kettle, toaster etc. Feel free to cook anytime, however, we request that all utensils to be washed up and left as you found them. LAUNDRY SERVICE There is a good laundry, Nelu Laundry opposite Amaroo Hotel in Hikkaduwa that gives a half day or 24 hour service. There is a washing machine for your use in the villa. MEDICAL There are several hospitals nearby. The nearest 24 hour hospital is: IMC MED HOSPITAL. Opposite AVENRA Hotel on Galle Road, Hikkaduwa. The main accident and emergency is Karapitiya but if it’s not an absolute emergency you can choose one of the private hospitals. They will require proof of health or holiday insurance. MOSQUITOS Malaria has been ‘defeated’ in Sri Lanka, all thanks to the Bill Gates Foundation. However, there are low risks of infection associated with Dengue fever. Mosquitos are common in the lagoon area when in season and most active in early evening. Rooms have plug-in repellents and all bedrooms are fitted with mosquito nets. OUTDOOR DINING The premises are full of beautiful and distinct locations where you can sit out for breakfast or memorable dining or drinks. Choice is yours! PETS Pets are not allowed in the villas. We have 3 monitors (Marvin, Tammi and Otis) who roam our gardens. They are harmless and dislike humans so we recommend you to stay away from them. RECYCLING There are 2 bins in the kitchen for recycling and rubbish. SECURITY The villa is surrounded on three sides by the lagoon, Lake Rathgama so the building is quiet and naturally protected. A security guard is on duty 6pm to 6am daily. We advise you to close your room and lock up and keep valuables safe if there are no staff on duty. SHOPS There are some good Fruit and Veg shops in the Shopping Square at Dodanduwa and fish for sale at the harbour. You’ll find fruit and veg and fish markets in Hikkaduwa. There is a great Sunday Morning Market – make sure you get there early before it gets too hot. There are several supermarkets in Hikkaduwa – Sandagiri is well stocked and orientated to tourists. It has a liquor & wine store store attached. Cargill’s Food City is more local (in prices too!). SMOKING Smoking in public areas is prohibited by law. Please refrain from smoking inside the villas. Outdoor sitting area is provided with an ash tray. Kindly dispose cigarette butts in a responsible manner. SWIMMING POOL The pool is unsupervised with no in-house lifeguard. Please note that users swim at their own risk. Kindly take particular care with young children who should not swim unattended. The pool is cleaned every morning by our visiting pool attendant. There is an outdoor shower by the pool tree and there are a few pool accessories for children or the young-at-heart. TRANSPORT Thushara can arrange local tuk-tuks (three wheelers), a car or small van as required. However, if you want to be independent, walk to the main road to get tuk tuks or best recommendation is our next door neighbour, Ranil who is a reliable tuk tuk driver. Ranil's mobile number is available from Thushara. Tuk tuk / three wheeler prices vary all the time and most tuk tuk drivers in Hikkaduwa do not have a working meter so please make sure you ask for the price of the fare before you get into the vehicle. UBER UBER cars and taxis work in the local area. Your UBER account will work seamlessly. Registered Pick Up point is Villa Arailya next door. TREES Southern Soul Villas is built around a protected Mango Tree, which is in full vision as you enter. Our house Mango Tree is currently being treated by a Tree Doctor for a common fungus. It is illegal for architects or builders to knock down listed trees so many new villas have to creatively accommodate protected trees. The gardens have numerous trees indigenous to Sri Lanka including coconut, cinnamon and banana trees – we are in the process of name tagging them. VISITORS In the interest of villa security and guest privacy, non-resident guests should be discouraged from frequenting guest rooms. WATER Water is the most precious element in the dry zone. Hot and cold water are readily available throughout the day. For drinking, there is a water dispenser in the open-plan kitchen area. Sometimes water is turned off by the local authorities for a range of reasons. There is an emergency tank but water is rarely off for long. Please help us conserve water. WILD LIFE Inevitably in our hot tropical climate by the lagoon you will encounter flies, ants, mosquitos and fireflies. There are insect repellents in the inner-kitchen. Frogs and garden snakes are not uncommon either, you will see numerous birds including the Sri Lankan pheasant and peacocks with early morning wake-up calls plus a local monkey who sometimes appears on the premises. YOGA There are several yoga centres nearby. Ask Thushura for details. We have also provided a few yoga mats by the pool if you are self-motivated. YOUR SAFETY In case of Fire / Earthquake / Landslide, please evacuate the building straight away and proceed to the assembly point by the front gate. Since the Tsunami of Boxing Day 2004 which devastated parts of the local area, there is now a national Tsunami warning system in place. ZZZ Arrange blinds, air conditioning or fans and mosquito nets to suit your perfect night’s sleep and most of all - enjoy your stay! Other things to note DIRECTIONS Suramedura Soul Villas on G..gle Maps. Our Address – Soul Villas, 65/50 Dhamesara Mawatha, Dodanduwa, Sri Lanka. Leaving Hikkaduwa’s main road, you will reach the fishing village of Dodunduwa. Proceed over the water bridge towards Galle, go past pedestrian crossing and it’s the first left small road with Heritage Hotel sign. Turn left and carry on this road for about one mile – go over train tracks, go past school on right, small shop on left and buddha statue. Continue on til almost a dead end. Soul Villas is on hard left directly on the lagoon with entrance through wooden gates.