Digital Nomad
Brain Dump
Working Remotely | Colivings in Hiriketiya, Southern Part of Sri Lanka
Digital Nomad
Brain Dump
Working Remotely | Colivings in Hiriketiya, Southern Part of Sri Lanka
Digital Nomad
Brain Dump
Working Remotely | Colivings in Hiriketiya, Southern Part of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka has become more and more popular amongst digital nomads and surfers, especially places like Weligama and Ahangama.
But because they were so popular, I tried to avoid them and came across a place called Hiriketiya. Compared to the other surf cities in the south of the island, it has a cute bay surrounded by palms, not just a huge beach stretch. The reviews below are my opinion only, so don’t get scared away form a place. Sometimes owners change and places get better — or worse. And as a little caveat: The prices below were during high season in 2024.
Photo by Sören Funk on Unsplash
What is a Coliving?
Imagine a hostel, but without the backpackers and instead fill it with adults who are working remotely and interested in creating a connection to the place they’re visiting.
Colivings are more or less hotels with a coworking space. So you can explore a place long term, connect with fellow digital nomads and other visitors while having good internet access.
Why Book Colivings?
When you travel as a digital nomad or want to go on a workation, Colivings provide you with a home away from home. You won’t have to browse all listings on Airbnb to find a place that has wifi, a washing machine and a kitchen. Those things often come included in Colivings. And the main reasons to opt for a coliving instead of a hotel is the community. You’ll find family dinners, networking events and game nights.
As a digital nomad, I plan my trips 2–3 months in advance so that I can book a place for my entire stay. However, Sri Lanka was somewhat of a last minute decision and most places were booked. So I decided to book myself into different colivings to test them out and see which one I liked best, so I can pick on for a future visit.
And why Colivings? Because many people warned me about the unstable internet connection, and I was planning to do a bit of work while I was there.
Let me tell you about each of them. Here’s the list of places I stayed at:
Voulez Vouz
Verse Collective
Clics Coliving
Homebase Hiriketiya Coliving (Spoiler)
What’s wrong with the ceilings?
You might notice a red thread in the accommodations below: Most of them have an issue with the ceiling. And you probably heard the phrase “You don’t realise what you have, until you don’t have it” — This also is the case when it comes to ceilings 😅 They might be mouldy, they might have wood termites or they might not even exist. But more on that below.
Wifi speed at Voulez Vouz reception
Voulez Vous
Not usually a fan of starting with the worst, but this was the first place I stayed at and for $65 a night for a private room, I expected the basics: Good internet, a comfortable room, community, access to a kitchen, hot water and as they promised on their website — easy access to the beach.
But let me safe you some time: This place wasn’t worth the money. Don’t go there. So feel free to read about the next option below. However, if you want to know why it wasn’t worth it, here are the details:
I don’t normally like to badmouth a place, but I feel like Voulez Vous needs to come with a warning tag:
Basic reasons why it sucked: There were wood termites, mould, safety hazards (see next point) and it wasn’t clean.
I had 3 plugs in my room, one by the bed, one for the air condition and another one in the bathroom. I got more than just one electric shock from the plug next to my bed, so I charged my phone in the bathroom, which isn’t really the safest option 🫠
And to be able to work with my laptop from the desk (by the way, you have no wifi from the room, only from the coworking area) I had to plug off the air condition to be able to charge my laptop.Regarding electric shocks: a friend of mine got an electric shock when she plugged in her laptop in the coworking space. But not just one that hurts your fingers for a second, she got literally blown away, hit the floor and was there shaking for a bit before recovering. Turns out that not all places in Sri Lanka have the earthing cables — so be vary of that.
The wifi is only available in the coworking space, not in your room. Which sucks when you want to have a private call.
The service was bad. People forgot orders and got confused when you asked for more than one thing. And the funny thing is: one of the receptionist made fun of locals, that you cannot ask to order another coffee AND for the bill at the same time, they’ll forget one or the other. Turns out, the exact same guy, when I asked him for a coffee AND to give me the paypal details to pay for the coliving (they have no card machine) he forgot to do either of that. And I get it, mistakes happen, especially in busy periods, but I was the only person at reception at that time.
One thing I normally try to do when travelling is to support the locals. I’m aware that most coliving places create what I call a “white bubble”- a place where foreigners meet other foreigners and don’t mingle with the locals. But most times, a foreign owned accommodation at least supports locals by providing them with job opportunities. But Voulez Vous had 3 white people at reception, I only saw 1–2 locals working in the kitchen or as cleaning staff.
One of the reasons I book colivings is because of the community. For some reason, despite them organising volley ball matches by the beach and maybe other things, they didn’t communicate it to the visitors. You only find out through other guests.
Overall, for $65/night it’s a rip off. The building feels like it’s falling apart, there’s plastic chairs on the balcony rather than proper ones, there’s wood termites and it’s also crumbling from the ceiling.
It’s right by the beach though, so if that’s important to you, it might be worth checking it out. But even the dorm rooms, I was told, had very uncomfortable mattresses. I had high hopes for this place but I think it needs new management and a big makeover.
Ceiling: Wood termites & mould — The paint falls off onto your bed and any belongings you have.
Wifi speed at Voulez Vouz coworking
Clics Coliving
This place came highly recommended and I can see why. It’s $70/night though for a private room but it was clean, nicely designed, the coworking space was good, the wifi was decent and they had a Whatsapp group for the guests.
If you’re not staying there, you can work from the coliving. It costs about $5 and includes a coffee. But coliving guests get priority, so if you want to work from there, you need to come early.
Private room and dorm room options
If you don’t want to pay that price tag, Clics also has cheaper dorm options. The place comes with a kitchen and a beautiful garden. The staff was very friendly, I had a nice welcome and was shown through the property. Everything was clean.
Compared to other places in Hiriketiya, it was probably the only one where there was no mould. Bonus points: it also had a beautiful clean sturdy ceiling.
Update: I met a girl recently who stayed in the dorms and she mentioned that it was mouldy in the dorm rooms and that some guests got sick and complained about itchy eyes and coughs because of the mould problem.
Would I stay again?
Definitely! But considering it’s Sri Lanka, I still find $70/night a bit much. But they only had availability for 3 nights, and I could compensate for it by the cheaper rooms in Verse Collective.
Verse Collective
Right next to Dickwella Beach and not far from Voulez Vous, you’ll find Verse Collective. If you’re not a guest, using the coworking space costs around $6 per day.
It’s a nice open space coworking area, but there is no air condition. However, there’s a lot of ventilation, so it doesn’t feel as hot and is managable to work from.
I booked a “private” hostel room for $19/night which wasn’t very private. If you normally stay in hostels, this one will feel like a luxury. But I stayed there after a few days in a private room in Clics, so this place felt like a downgrade.
Waking up with the sunrise
When I arrived, they showed me the room which was just big enough to fit a bed and a lockable side cabinet — but not a full ceiling.
The ceiling covers the bed, so you’re protected from the rain, but there’s a big gap which means you wake up with the sunlight.
“Make sure not to leave anything outside or the monkeys will take it” one of the staff members said when he checked me in. I thought he was joking. I soon realised he wasn’t. While I was unpacking, there were 2 curious monkeys watching me.
But don’t worry, monkeys in Sri Lanka are harmless. They’re nothing like the monkeys you see in Bali or Thailand. It was actually quite nice to have them sit on the wall and chill there while unpacking.
But don’t leave any food outside for them or feed them. This will make them dependant on humans for survival and might turn them into crazy monkeys like those in Bali.
Would I stay again?
Overall, I liked staying there, but manage your expectations: It’s a “private” room but because of the partial ceiling, you hear everything and everyone around you. Which means it feels more like a hostel.
The food options there are quite pricey but very tasty. Definitely opt for the chicken wrap.
Ceiling: Non-existent.
Wifi speed from the Coworking — pretty decent 🚀
Verse Collective wifi speed outside in the cafe
Homebase Hiriketiya
This place is new and maybe you shouldn’t read this review because it’s very biased — it’s a coliving I’m opening with a Sri Lankan partner.
I have been digital nomad for a while and fell in love with Hiriketiya very quickly. Hiriketiya, unlike most nomad places, is still very raw and not as convenient, but very charming. And after meeting Lucky, a local surf instructor (the only one with a certificate for teaching in Hiriketiya), we decided to open our own Coliving.
Homebase Hiriketiya has had its soft opening in October 2024. We’re now offering a coworking space, 2 shared kitchens and have 6 rooms in total. There’s also a washing machine you can use free of charge and guess what: We have sturdy ceilings!
Only a 7min walk away from the beach, you’ll have everything you need within walking distance.
Other places I worked from but didn’t stay at
If you’re reading this article and got value out of it, you might also like my newsletter. I’m sending it biweekly with a list of places to work from for remote workers and digital nomads and advice for freelancers and remote workers.
You might also be interested in more places you can work from while in Hiriketiya. So here’s a list of places which offer accommodation and have decent wifi, but I can’t review the rooms since I haven’t stayed there.
Salt House
Salt isn’t a coliving place as such, it’s a hotel with a restaurant. If you avoid the busy brunch period after their 7am yoga classes, it is quite a nice place to work from. But it does get hot during the day.
The food options are delicious, prepare for the food envy! There is only one plug next to the bench in the corner. And you might see the one or the other monkey hopping around. But don’t threat, so far they’ve been very friendly to the guests.
Salt Wifi speed
The wifi was okay, the coffee decent and you can hop into the pool to refresh. But it can get quite hot during the day as there is no air condition and only a few fans over some of the tables.
Calma
A little bit further away from the main area in Hiriketiya you’ll find Calma. I worked there a few times after surfing. And you got everything you need — except air condition. But for some reason it wasn’t too hot, unlike other places like Salt.
The wifi was fast and the food was amazing! They have an option where you can create your own breakfast and it was delicious. My friend still talked about their pasta 2 months after our visit. The staff is friendly and the coffee was decent.
There was only one plug though which was occupied by an extention cable which charged 4 laptops at the time. So you won’t be the only nomad working from there, but I understand now why Sri Lanka has an electricity problem.
Calma Wifi speed
Disclaimer: I’m hoping to make some passive income with those posts one day (I’m laughing to myself writing this right now). So far, I’ve generated 24c 🥳 but if you want to support me you can do this by giving me a follow on instagram or by buying me a coffee.
Sri Lanka has become more and more popular amongst digital nomads and surfers, especially places like Weligama and Ahangama.
But because they were so popular, I tried to avoid them and came across a place called Hiriketiya. Compared to the other surf cities in the south of the island, it has a cute bay surrounded by palms, not just a huge beach stretch. The reviews below are my opinion only, so don’t get scared away form a place. Sometimes owners change and places get better — or worse. And as a little caveat: The prices below were during high season in 2024.
Photo by Sören Funk on Unsplash
What is a Coliving?
Imagine a hostel, but without the backpackers and instead fill it with adults who are working remotely and interested in creating a connection to the place they’re visiting.
Colivings are more or less hotels with a coworking space. So you can explore a place long term, connect with fellow digital nomads and other visitors while having good internet access.
Why Book Colivings?
When you travel as a digital nomad or want to go on a workation, Colivings provide you with a home away from home. You won’t have to browse all listings on Airbnb to find a place that has wifi, a washing machine and a kitchen. Those things often come included in Colivings. And the main reasons to opt for a coliving instead of a hotel is the community. You’ll find family dinners, networking events and game nights.
As a digital nomad, I plan my trips 2–3 months in advance so that I can book a place for my entire stay. However, Sri Lanka was somewhat of a last minute decision and most places were booked. So I decided to book myself into different colivings to test them out and see which one I liked best, so I can pick on for a future visit.
And why Colivings? Because many people warned me about the unstable internet connection, and I was planning to do a bit of work while I was there.
Let me tell you about each of them. Here’s the list of places I stayed at:
Voulez Vouz
Verse Collective
Clics Coliving
Homebase Hiriketiya Coliving (Spoiler)
What’s wrong with the ceilings?
You might notice a red thread in the accommodations below: Most of them have an issue with the ceiling. And you probably heard the phrase “You don’t realise what you have, until you don’t have it” — This also is the case when it comes to ceilings 😅 They might be mouldy, they might have wood termites or they might not even exist. But more on that below.
Wifi speed at Voulez Vouz reception
Voulez Vous
Not usually a fan of starting with the worst, but this was the first place I stayed at and for $65 a night for a private room, I expected the basics: Good internet, a comfortable room, community, access to a kitchen, hot water and as they promised on their website — easy access to the beach.
But let me safe you some time: This place wasn’t worth the money. Don’t go there. So feel free to read about the next option below. However, if you want to know why it wasn’t worth it, here are the details:
I don’t normally like to badmouth a place, but I feel like Voulez Vous needs to come with a warning tag:
Basic reasons why it sucked: There were wood termites, mould, safety hazards (see next point) and it wasn’t clean.
I had 3 plugs in my room, one by the bed, one for the air condition and another one in the bathroom. I got more than just one electric shock from the plug next to my bed, so I charged my phone in the bathroom, which isn’t really the safest option 🫠
And to be able to work with my laptop from the desk (by the way, you have no wifi from the room, only from the coworking area) I had to plug off the air condition to be able to charge my laptop.Regarding electric shocks: a friend of mine got an electric shock when she plugged in her laptop in the coworking space. But not just one that hurts your fingers for a second, she got literally blown away, hit the floor and was there shaking for a bit before recovering. Turns out that not all places in Sri Lanka have the earthing cables — so be vary of that.
The wifi is only available in the coworking space, not in your room. Which sucks when you want to have a private call.
The service was bad. People forgot orders and got confused when you asked for more than one thing. And the funny thing is: one of the receptionist made fun of locals, that you cannot ask to order another coffee AND for the bill at the same time, they’ll forget one or the other. Turns out, the exact same guy, when I asked him for a coffee AND to give me the paypal details to pay for the coliving (they have no card machine) he forgot to do either of that. And I get it, mistakes happen, especially in busy periods, but I was the only person at reception at that time.
One thing I normally try to do when travelling is to support the locals. I’m aware that most coliving places create what I call a “white bubble”- a place where foreigners meet other foreigners and don’t mingle with the locals. But most times, a foreign owned accommodation at least supports locals by providing them with job opportunities. But Voulez Vous had 3 white people at reception, I only saw 1–2 locals working in the kitchen or as cleaning staff.
One of the reasons I book colivings is because of the community. For some reason, despite them organising volley ball matches by the beach and maybe other things, they didn’t communicate it to the visitors. You only find out through other guests.
Overall, for $65/night it’s a rip off. The building feels like it’s falling apart, there’s plastic chairs on the balcony rather than proper ones, there’s wood termites and it’s also crumbling from the ceiling.
It’s right by the beach though, so if that’s important to you, it might be worth checking it out. But even the dorm rooms, I was told, had very uncomfortable mattresses. I had high hopes for this place but I think it needs new management and a big makeover.
Ceiling: Wood termites & mould — The paint falls off onto your bed and any belongings you have.
Wifi speed at Voulez Vouz coworking
Clics Coliving
This place came highly recommended and I can see why. It’s $70/night though for a private room but it was clean, nicely designed, the coworking space was good, the wifi was decent and they had a Whatsapp group for the guests.
If you’re not staying there, you can work from the coliving. It costs about $5 and includes a coffee. But coliving guests get priority, so if you want to work from there, you need to come early.
Private room and dorm room options
If you don’t want to pay that price tag, Clics also has cheaper dorm options. The place comes with a kitchen and a beautiful garden. The staff was very friendly, I had a nice welcome and was shown through the property. Everything was clean.
Compared to other places in Hiriketiya, it was probably the only one where there was no mould. Bonus points: it also had a beautiful clean sturdy ceiling.
Update: I met a girl recently who stayed in the dorms and she mentioned that it was mouldy in the dorm rooms and that some guests got sick and complained about itchy eyes and coughs because of the mould problem.
Would I stay again?
Definitely! But considering it’s Sri Lanka, I still find $70/night a bit much. But they only had availability for 3 nights, and I could compensate for it by the cheaper rooms in Verse Collective.
Verse Collective
Right next to Dickwella Beach and not far from Voulez Vous, you’ll find Verse Collective. If you’re not a guest, using the coworking space costs around $6 per day.
It’s a nice open space coworking area, but there is no air condition. However, there’s a lot of ventilation, so it doesn’t feel as hot and is managable to work from.
I booked a “private” hostel room for $19/night which wasn’t very private. If you normally stay in hostels, this one will feel like a luxury. But I stayed there after a few days in a private room in Clics, so this place felt like a downgrade.
Waking up with the sunrise
When I arrived, they showed me the room which was just big enough to fit a bed and a lockable side cabinet — but not a full ceiling.
The ceiling covers the bed, so you’re protected from the rain, but there’s a big gap which means you wake up with the sunlight.
“Make sure not to leave anything outside or the monkeys will take it” one of the staff members said when he checked me in. I thought he was joking. I soon realised he wasn’t. While I was unpacking, there were 2 curious monkeys watching me.
But don’t worry, monkeys in Sri Lanka are harmless. They’re nothing like the monkeys you see in Bali or Thailand. It was actually quite nice to have them sit on the wall and chill there while unpacking.
But don’t leave any food outside for them or feed them. This will make them dependant on humans for survival and might turn them into crazy monkeys like those in Bali.
Would I stay again?
Overall, I liked staying there, but manage your expectations: It’s a “private” room but because of the partial ceiling, you hear everything and everyone around you. Which means it feels more like a hostel.
The food options there are quite pricey but very tasty. Definitely opt for the chicken wrap.
Ceiling: Non-existent.
Wifi speed from the Coworking — pretty decent 🚀
Verse Collective wifi speed outside in the cafe
Homebase Hiriketiya
This place is new and maybe you shouldn’t read this review because it’s very biased — it’s a coliving I’m opening with a Sri Lankan partner.
I have been digital nomad for a while and fell in love with Hiriketiya very quickly. Hiriketiya, unlike most nomad places, is still very raw and not as convenient, but very charming. And after meeting Lucky, a local surf instructor (the only one with a certificate for teaching in Hiriketiya), we decided to open our own Coliving.
Homebase Hiriketiya has had its soft opening in October 2024. We’re now offering a coworking space, 2 shared kitchens and have 6 rooms in total. There’s also a washing machine you can use free of charge and guess what: We have sturdy ceilings!
Only a 7min walk away from the beach, you’ll have everything you need within walking distance.
Other places I worked from but didn’t stay at
If you’re reading this article and got value out of it, you might also like my newsletter. I’m sending it biweekly with a list of places to work from for remote workers and digital nomads and advice for freelancers and remote workers.
You might also be interested in more places you can work from while in Hiriketiya. So here’s a list of places which offer accommodation and have decent wifi, but I can’t review the rooms since I haven’t stayed there.
Salt House
Salt isn’t a coliving place as such, it’s a hotel with a restaurant. If you avoid the busy brunch period after their 7am yoga classes, it is quite a nice place to work from. But it does get hot during the day.
The food options are delicious, prepare for the food envy! There is only one plug next to the bench in the corner. And you might see the one or the other monkey hopping around. But don’t threat, so far they’ve been very friendly to the guests.
Salt Wifi speed
The wifi was okay, the coffee decent and you can hop into the pool to refresh. But it can get quite hot during the day as there is no air condition and only a few fans over some of the tables.
Calma
A little bit further away from the main area in Hiriketiya you’ll find Calma. I worked there a few times after surfing. And you got everything you need — except air condition. But for some reason it wasn’t too hot, unlike other places like Salt.
The wifi was fast and the food was amazing! They have an option where you can create your own breakfast and it was delicious. My friend still talked about their pasta 2 months after our visit. The staff is friendly and the coffee was decent.
There was only one plug though which was occupied by an extention cable which charged 4 laptops at the time. So you won’t be the only nomad working from there, but I understand now why Sri Lanka has an electricity problem.
Calma Wifi speed
Disclaimer: I’m hoping to make some passive income with those posts one day (I’m laughing to myself writing this right now). So far, I’ve generated 24c 🥳 but if you want to support me you can do this by giving me a follow on instagram or by buying me a coffee.
Sri Lanka has become more and more popular amongst digital nomads and surfers, especially places like Weligama and Ahangama.
But because they were so popular, I tried to avoid them and came across a place called Hiriketiya. Compared to the other surf cities in the south of the island, it has a cute bay surrounded by palms, not just a huge beach stretch. The reviews below are my opinion only, so don’t get scared away form a place. Sometimes owners change and places get better — or worse. And as a little caveat: The prices below were during high season in 2024.
Photo by Sören Funk on Unsplash
What is a Coliving?
Imagine a hostel, but without the backpackers and instead fill it with adults who are working remotely and interested in creating a connection to the place they’re visiting.
Colivings are more or less hotels with a coworking space. So you can explore a place long term, connect with fellow digital nomads and other visitors while having good internet access.
Why Book Colivings?
When you travel as a digital nomad or want to go on a workation, Colivings provide you with a home away from home. You won’t have to browse all listings on Airbnb to find a place that has wifi, a washing machine and a kitchen. Those things often come included in Colivings. And the main reasons to opt for a coliving instead of a hotel is the community. You’ll find family dinners, networking events and game nights.
As a digital nomad, I plan my trips 2–3 months in advance so that I can book a place for my entire stay. However, Sri Lanka was somewhat of a last minute decision and most places were booked. So I decided to book myself into different colivings to test them out and see which one I liked best, so I can pick on for a future visit.
And why Colivings? Because many people warned me about the unstable internet connection, and I was planning to do a bit of work while I was there.
Let me tell you about each of them. Here’s the list of places I stayed at:
Voulez Vouz
Verse Collective
Clics Coliving
Homebase Hiriketiya Coliving (Spoiler)
What’s wrong with the ceilings?
You might notice a red thread in the accommodations below: Most of them have an issue with the ceiling. And you probably heard the phrase “You don’t realise what you have, until you don’t have it” — This also is the case when it comes to ceilings 😅 They might be mouldy, they might have wood termites or they might not even exist. But more on that below.
Wifi speed at Voulez Vouz reception
Voulez Vous
Not usually a fan of starting with the worst, but this was the first place I stayed at and for $65 a night for a private room, I expected the basics: Good internet, a comfortable room, community, access to a kitchen, hot water and as they promised on their website — easy access to the beach.
But let me safe you some time: This place wasn’t worth the money. Don’t go there. So feel free to read about the next option below. However, if you want to know why it wasn’t worth it, here are the details:
I don’t normally like to badmouth a place, but I feel like Voulez Vous needs to come with a warning tag:
Basic reasons why it sucked: There were wood termites, mould, safety hazards (see next point) and it wasn’t clean.
I had 3 plugs in my room, one by the bed, one for the air condition and another one in the bathroom. I got more than just one electric shock from the plug next to my bed, so I charged my phone in the bathroom, which isn’t really the safest option 🫠
And to be able to work with my laptop from the desk (by the way, you have no wifi from the room, only from the coworking area) I had to plug off the air condition to be able to charge my laptop.Regarding electric shocks: a friend of mine got an electric shock when she plugged in her laptop in the coworking space. But not just one that hurts your fingers for a second, she got literally blown away, hit the floor and was there shaking for a bit before recovering. Turns out that not all places in Sri Lanka have the earthing cables — so be vary of that.
The wifi is only available in the coworking space, not in your room. Which sucks when you want to have a private call.
The service was bad. People forgot orders and got confused when you asked for more than one thing. And the funny thing is: one of the receptionist made fun of locals, that you cannot ask to order another coffee AND for the bill at the same time, they’ll forget one or the other. Turns out, the exact same guy, when I asked him for a coffee AND to give me the paypal details to pay for the coliving (they have no card machine) he forgot to do either of that. And I get it, mistakes happen, especially in busy periods, but I was the only person at reception at that time.
One thing I normally try to do when travelling is to support the locals. I’m aware that most coliving places create what I call a “white bubble”- a place where foreigners meet other foreigners and don’t mingle with the locals. But most times, a foreign owned accommodation at least supports locals by providing them with job opportunities. But Voulez Vous had 3 white people at reception, I only saw 1–2 locals working in the kitchen or as cleaning staff.
One of the reasons I book colivings is because of the community. For some reason, despite them organising volley ball matches by the beach and maybe other things, they didn’t communicate it to the visitors. You only find out through other guests.
Overall, for $65/night it’s a rip off. The building feels like it’s falling apart, there’s plastic chairs on the balcony rather than proper ones, there’s wood termites and it’s also crumbling from the ceiling.
It’s right by the beach though, so if that’s important to you, it might be worth checking it out. But even the dorm rooms, I was told, had very uncomfortable mattresses. I had high hopes for this place but I think it needs new management and a big makeover.
Ceiling: Wood termites & mould — The paint falls off onto your bed and any belongings you have.
Wifi speed at Voulez Vouz coworking
Clics Coliving
This place came highly recommended and I can see why. It’s $70/night though for a private room but it was clean, nicely designed, the coworking space was good, the wifi was decent and they had a Whatsapp group for the guests.
If you’re not staying there, you can work from the coliving. It costs about $5 and includes a coffee. But coliving guests get priority, so if you want to work from there, you need to come early.
Private room and dorm room options
If you don’t want to pay that price tag, Clics also has cheaper dorm options. The place comes with a kitchen and a beautiful garden. The staff was very friendly, I had a nice welcome and was shown through the property. Everything was clean.
Compared to other places in Hiriketiya, it was probably the only one where there was no mould. Bonus points: it also had a beautiful clean sturdy ceiling.
Update: I met a girl recently who stayed in the dorms and she mentioned that it was mouldy in the dorm rooms and that some guests got sick and complained about itchy eyes and coughs because of the mould problem.
Would I stay again?
Definitely! But considering it’s Sri Lanka, I still find $70/night a bit much. But they only had availability for 3 nights, and I could compensate for it by the cheaper rooms in Verse Collective.
Verse Collective
Right next to Dickwella Beach and not far from Voulez Vous, you’ll find Verse Collective. If you’re not a guest, using the coworking space costs around $6 per day.
It’s a nice open space coworking area, but there is no air condition. However, there’s a lot of ventilation, so it doesn’t feel as hot and is managable to work from.
I booked a “private” hostel room for $19/night which wasn’t very private. If you normally stay in hostels, this one will feel like a luxury. But I stayed there after a few days in a private room in Clics, so this place felt like a downgrade.
Waking up with the sunrise
When I arrived, they showed me the room which was just big enough to fit a bed and a lockable side cabinet — but not a full ceiling.
The ceiling covers the bed, so you’re protected from the rain, but there’s a big gap which means you wake up with the sunlight.
“Make sure not to leave anything outside or the monkeys will take it” one of the staff members said when he checked me in. I thought he was joking. I soon realised he wasn’t. While I was unpacking, there were 2 curious monkeys watching me.
But don’t worry, monkeys in Sri Lanka are harmless. They’re nothing like the monkeys you see in Bali or Thailand. It was actually quite nice to have them sit on the wall and chill there while unpacking.
But don’t leave any food outside for them or feed them. This will make them dependant on humans for survival and might turn them into crazy monkeys like those in Bali.
Would I stay again?
Overall, I liked staying there, but manage your expectations: It’s a “private” room but because of the partial ceiling, you hear everything and everyone around you. Which means it feels more like a hostel.
The food options there are quite pricey but very tasty. Definitely opt for the chicken wrap.
Ceiling: Non-existent.
Wifi speed from the Coworking — pretty decent 🚀
Verse Collective wifi speed outside in the cafe
Homebase Hiriketiya
This place is new and maybe you shouldn’t read this review because it’s very biased — it’s a coliving I’m opening with a Sri Lankan partner.
I have been digital nomad for a while and fell in love with Hiriketiya very quickly. Hiriketiya, unlike most nomad places, is still very raw and not as convenient, but very charming. And after meeting Lucky, a local surf instructor (the only one with a certificate for teaching in Hiriketiya), we decided to open our own Coliving.
Homebase Hiriketiya has had its soft opening in October 2024. We’re now offering a coworking space, 2 shared kitchens and have 6 rooms in total. There’s also a washing machine you can use free of charge and guess what: We have sturdy ceilings!
Only a 7min walk away from the beach, you’ll have everything you need within walking distance.
Other places I worked from but didn’t stay at
If you’re reading this article and got value out of it, you might also like my newsletter. I’m sending it biweekly with a list of places to work from for remote workers and digital nomads and advice for freelancers and remote workers.
You might also be interested in more places you can work from while in Hiriketiya. So here’s a list of places which offer accommodation and have decent wifi, but I can’t review the rooms since I haven’t stayed there.
Salt House
Salt isn’t a coliving place as such, it’s a hotel with a restaurant. If you avoid the busy brunch period after their 7am yoga classes, it is quite a nice place to work from. But it does get hot during the day.
The food options are delicious, prepare for the food envy! There is only one plug next to the bench in the corner. And you might see the one or the other monkey hopping around. But don’t threat, so far they’ve been very friendly to the guests.
Salt Wifi speed
The wifi was okay, the coffee decent and you can hop into the pool to refresh. But it can get quite hot during the day as there is no air condition and only a few fans over some of the tables.
Calma
A little bit further away from the main area in Hiriketiya you’ll find Calma. I worked there a few times after surfing. And you got everything you need — except air condition. But for some reason it wasn’t too hot, unlike other places like Salt.
The wifi was fast and the food was amazing! They have an option where you can create your own breakfast and it was delicious. My friend still talked about their pasta 2 months after our visit. The staff is friendly and the coffee was decent.
There was only one plug though which was occupied by an extention cable which charged 4 laptops at the time. So you won’t be the only nomad working from there, but I understand now why Sri Lanka has an electricity problem.
Calma Wifi speed
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