Hotel Name: Zak Residences Studio Apartments
Address: Colombo – Sri Lanka.
[Edit: This apartment is no longer available. Search for hotels in Colombo.]
I stayed at the Zak Residences Studio Apartments in Colombo, Sri Lanka. I booked it via Airbnb after being frustrated with the lack of decent budget accommodation in the hotels department.
I was only going to be staying in Colombo for two nights so I wanted to stay as close to the historic Fort area as possible. Zak Residences turned out to be a good option as it is walking distance to both the Fort (historic area with colonial buildings) and Galle Face Green (a big city park by the sea).
My main concern with booking on Airbnb is the key handover, but fortunately the key in this instance was kept in the travel agent office at the same building.
I booked a single room and the room was clean and tidy, though some of the furniture was a bit old and tired looking. I ended up with this studio room with two big beds. The bed was soft and comfortable.
The bathroom looked reasonably new with good hot water service.
There was a basic kitchen – not that I ever use them.
One thing I was worried about was arriving in Sri Lanka direct from the airport without a power adapter for Sri Lanka. Fortunately the apartment had a power board adaptable to all plugs, so I was able to recharge my devices until I found a store that sold adapters. Wifi was ok, though it dropped out once requiring a reset.
If you prefer a hotel check out the list of hotels in Colombo at Agoda.
Thanks, James. My husband and I have just booked an organised tour out of Colombo, but as I am paying extra for the airfare, I thought I would take advantage of Airbnb to have more time in Colombo, and perhaps head in a different direction from that the tour takes. My tour stops are Pinnawala, Sigiriya, Matale, Kandy, Hatton, Yala, and Galle. Any suggestions?
Hi Ali,
sounds similar to what I did. I went inland and then made my way to the southern coast. You could either have more beach time, or head north, depending on how much extra time you have.
Thanks, James. I ran the itinerary past a Sri Lankan friend. She added a couple of places and suggested going north. She is going to email me some other spots to do with early Buddhism.