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Colombo · Hotel shortlist

Cheap hotels on the beach in Colombo

Daniel Kovac

Daniel Kovac Central Europe

Updated 1 September 2026 · 15 Colombo hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Colombo, out of the 15 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.5 down to 4.

Every one comes in under $130 a night, and the one I would book first is $29.

Garibaldi Hostel & Pub

Highest rated of the five

Garibaldi Hostel & Pub

★★★★★4.5 from 293 reviews

Garibaldi Hostel & Pub comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.5 from 293 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is found under city centre and around $29 a night on the dates we checked.

15 hotels in Colombo qualified for this list and five made it. Bergamota Hostel is the one I would book if the first is full.

Why it works for this trip

  • Spatreatment rooms on site, no booking a taxi for it
  • Bara drink without going back out
  • Parkinga real consideration if you are driving in
  • Dogs allowedno kennel to arrange before you fly

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All five, ranked

  1. Garibaldi Hostel & Pub1

    Garibaldi Hostel & Pub

    ★★★★★4.5 from 293 reviews

    • Spa
    • Bar
    • Parking
    • Pet friendly

    Check rates Read more

  2. Bergamota Hostel2

    Bergamota Hostel

    ★★★★★4.9 from 41 reviews

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    • Hotel Nacional Inn Curitiba Torres3

      Hotel Nacional Inn Curitiba Torres

      ★★★★★4.2 from 3,403 reviews

      • Pool
      • Gym
      • Restaurant
      • Bar
      • Parking
      • Pet friendly

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    • Hotel Brasília4

      Hotel Brasília

      ★★★★★4 from 1,525 reviews

      • Restaurant
      • Kid friendly
      • Air conditioning
      • Airport shuttle

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    • Rede Andrade Braz Hotel5

      Rede Andrade Braz Hotel

      ★★★★★4 from 3,513 reviews

      • Spa
      • Bar
      • Pet friendly
      • Air conditioning

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    How this list was put together

    15 Colombo hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating, then on class, and took the top five.

    Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

    The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

    What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

    Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

    Daniel Kovac

    Daniel Kovac Central Europe

    Takes the same two weeks every August and drives somewhere far with his wife and daughter. Twelve countries, all by road, all in one battered estate car. Plans routes on paper maps.

    Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.