What is shared accommodation ?
The Salty Pelican Surf & Yoga Retreat offers affordable luxury accommodation for yogis travelling on a refined budget. Shared accommodation is in deluxe shared rooms and every shared room has two ensuite bathrooms. Each bed has a personal electronically locked wardrobe including room for your bag and hanging space for your clothes. There is also privacy curtains for each bed, a personal reading light each, personal niche and shelves including personal USB charging points both bedside and within your lockable wardrobe.
Luxury shared accommodation is a great social experience to meet other yogi's whilst you have a good time listening and sharing your travel stories with each other. Usually we attract 95% of our guests being solo travelling women aged between 20 - 55yrs of age, all here for a relaxing week of yoga, meditation and some surfing. Shared accommodation at The Salty Pelican is part of the reason why The Salty Pelican experience is so great. The hardest part about your stay will be having to leave us ;-) If you have any doubts, please read our reviews on TripAdvisor and Im certain they will ease your fears.
What do i need to check-in ?
You must have an ID-card or passport. No other proof of identity will be accepted.
When is check-in / check-out ?
Check-in: You can check in from 14:00pm and if you’re arriving earlier, we will do our best to have a bed ready for you as soon as we can. We have a restaurant and plenty of space to relax, if you arrive early.
Please note: Reception closes at 22:00pm without prior notice. Check-ins after this time are only accepted by appointment via email or phone call before this time has expired.
Check-out: Anytime in the morning up until the latest of 11:00am. You also have the option to relax in our open lounges or by the pool if you have a late departing flight on your check-out day.
When is breakfast served? Is it included ?
Breakfast is served at our poolside restaurant between 7:30am and 10:00am. Breakfast is included in the price for all-inclusive booked packages and you have a diverse choice between a range of healthy smoothie bowls, energising toasts, grilled options including vegatarian, fruit platters, fresh juice, local coffee and herbal detox teas.
Non-package bookings (just accommodation) made via our webiste or www.booking.com or www.hostelworld.com, breakfast is not included in the rate and will be charged at additional rates if requested.
Should i bring my own linen or towel ?
Beds are premade with fresh clean linen before your arrival. Don’t forget to bring a towel for the beach. We have fresh bathroom towels available for rent from the reception at additional charge (€3 per towel) but bathroom towels are provided in the private double rooms free of charge. As we are an eco-friendly retreat, linen in the rooms will only be changed every 3 days. Pool towels (not beach) are available with a deposit from the reception.
Do you have lockers or a safe in the rooms ?
Yes we do... Every bed in the shared rooms has a personal electronic locakable wardrobe with space to store your luggage, unpack your clothes, hang on a coat hanger and charge your electronics safely within your locker. The private double rooms have an XL electronic lockable safe to store all your valuables including mulitple large devices. Upon check-in, you will be given a waterproof wrist band which will give you access to our property, your bedroom locker wardrobe or safe for 24hrs a day.
What can i do with all my bags after check-out ?
You can store your luggage in our day storage for free after checking out. We are only allowed to hold your luggage till the end of that day only.
How do I arrive from Colombo Airport ?
Please find the directions to The Salty pelican below...
Most travelers to Hiriketiya arrive from either Colombo's international Airport or from Colombo centre.... There are several ways to get to Hiriketiya from there...
PRIVATE TRANSFER FROM COLOMBO AIRPORT
We can book you a very comfortable and direct air conditioned car/van transfer from the airport straight to The Salty Pelican. The driver will be waiting at the arrivals gate with your name on a sign. All road tolls and toilet breaks are included in the journey. Please send us an email with your flight details including flight number, so we can confirm your transfer.
Journey time: 3 Hrs *
One Way price: €90 1-4 person sharing
Return price: €180 1-4 person sharing
FROM COLOMBO AIRPORT VIA...TAXI, TRAIN, TUK TUK
PRIVATE TRANSFER FROM COLOMBO AIRPORT
A scenic delight… The journey is mostly along the coast, with open sea views for the majority of the way. There will be a few sellers selling water, fruit and delicious snacks on the way but the Colombo to Matara train will most probably be full. You may find it a very uncomfortable 3.5 hour journey standing on a crowded train after a long flight.
On the Colombo - Galle - Matara train route, virtually all seats are unreserved so pre-booking is neither necessary nor possible, which means you cannot book a seat unfortunately. Tickets are only sold on the day at the ticket office. Tickets cannot sell out though.
- Start your journey from either Colombo Fort Railway Station or from Maradana Railway Station.… It’s where the train from Colombo to Galle starts. You are much more likely to get a seat boarding at Maradona Station (although it’s still not guaranteed).
Airport - Colombo/Maradana Taxi Journey time: 40 minutes
Taxi price: Approximately 2800 rupees ( €13 )
Colombo - Matara Train Journey time: 3.5 Hrs
Ticket price: 130 - 420 rupees ( €2 )
Matara - Salty Pelican Tuk Tuk Journey time: 35 min
Tuk Tuk price: Approximately 1000 rupees ( €5 )
Useful Links:
Train Schedules and fares:
http://slr.malindaprasad.com
Overview of Trains:
www.seat61.com/SriLanka
Do you sell alcohol, food or drinks ?
We have our own poolside restaurant with a fully stocked bar with all your favourites, including a large selection of local beers, local wines, healthy smoothies, alcoholic cocktails and coconut water. Also we have an all day menu providing a diverse breakfast menu, snack menu and a delicious choice of locally sourced food and seafood for dinner. We also have free unilimited drinking water throughout our property.
Is there a curfew or lockout ?
No... we trust you but in return we do ask that you respect the other guests and be quiet when you return to The Salty Pelican. Our front gate remains locked after 22:00, which you can easily enter with your electronic wristband when returning late at night.
Can i be in a room with my friends ?
We try our best to allocate beds in the same room for friends travelling together. However, this is not always possible. Please contact us directly for any special requests, including accommodation in the same room.
Can I bring children ?
We do not recommend that young children stay at our retreat, as the atmosphere tends to be rather peaceful and mature. However, under special request we may be able to accommodate children depending on the season and retreats capacity. Children under 16 may only sleep in the same room as the parent and can only be in private room accommodation.
Can i bring visitors into the surf & yoga retreat ?
You are welcome to bring friends into the garden and restaurant area of our retreat but visitors are not allowed in the shared guest rooms at any time. This is for the security of all our guests who expect us to be able to identify everyone in the building and to provide a secure environment. Please understand that there are no exceptions to this rule.
Do you have wifi or internet access?
We have free wifi everywhere within the retreat.. even in your rooms.
What is your cancellation policy ?
1) ALL BOOKINGS secured with a 50% deposit charged/authorised to the submitted "valid" credit card details.
2) FREE REBOOKING & CANCELLATION up to 1 day prior to your arrival date, for all bookings with travel dates between 01.04.2021 – 31.04.2022.
3) Rebooking needs to be done 1 day prior to arrival. Customer can rebook to any of our retreats in Portugal or Sri Lanka, with the new arrival date to be within 12 months of the original arrival date.
3) Valid for travel up to 12 months from date of purchase
4) Remaining balance paid on check-in date
5) In the event of a “No-Show“ your reservation will be cancelled automatically and the full booking amount charged to the supplied credit card
Do you have laundry facilities ?
Yes we do.. we can arrange to wash your clothes and dry them for you at additional rates. Please ask at reception.
Can i smoke in the yoga retreat ?
Our yoga retreat is a non smoking building. Anyone who breaks this rule will be asked to leave without any refund. We do however, provide the exclusive use of our outside pool, restaurant area, multi-level garden and balcony’s from every room for smoking. Is is not permitted to smoke in the open space lounge room and dining room though.
Do you have a guest kitchen ?
We have a fully functioning poolside restaurant and no guest kitchen facilities.
Do you have female only accommodation ?
Usually 95% of our guests are solo travelling women between the ages of 20 - 55yrs of age... all here for week of relaxing yoga & meditation. We have four deluxe all-female shared rooms with en suite bathrooms to book.
Reception hours ?
The reception is open for check-ins between 7:30am - 22:00pm. We can only accept arrivals later than 22:00 when requested beforehand via email or phone call only. If you have an early flight and need to leave before 7:30am, please arrange check-out and balance payments the day/night before departure.
Where can we park our car or scooter ?
Theres plenty of space to park your car in the street outside The Salty Pelican for free.
I don’t have a credit card. How can i book ?
You can book using the booking widget found on our website and pay via PayPal or send us an e-mail containing your booking request and your contact details. We will get back to you as soon as possible with the information required to make your booking.
Do you accept group bookings ?
Yes we do, for booking for more then 10 persons only. Please send us an email. Unfortunatley we do not accept retreat organisers looking to host their own retreats.
Can i pay in another currency or with a credit card ?
We usually accept all booking payments in advance before your arrival with online payments. You can also pay with credit cards at the reception but please note that a service charge of 3% will apply for all card payments. We accept cash payments during your retreat in Sri Lankan rupees only.
When to visit ?
Sri Lanka has a surprisingly complex tropical climate, with distinct wet and dry seasons. Its equatorial position means that temperatures are fairly constant throughout the year, an average of around 26-30°C (78 -86°F) and is often much higher than this around midday.
In general the best time to visit is from mid November to April, as this is the dry season. April and September are the best to see the whole country, while the inter-monsoonal season in October and November sees fine weather for most of the time interspersed with sudden thunderstorms. So If you’re prepared for sudden bursts of rain, it’s still a good time of year to travel and to enjoy the beaches. Low season is May to August when the Yala Monsoon hits… which doesn’t mean heavy tropical rain all day long on the south coast, just a few showers here and there broken up at times with a bit of sunshine. During these months, the surf is very consistent and also the beaches are less crowded ;-)
I have never surfed in my life. Is this retreat for me ?
No problem ;-) Usually 95% of our guests are either complete beginners or have only surf once or twice before. You re going to fit right in here and our surf instructors will make sure you learn the proper techniques and have loads of fun also.
Can I arrive before check-in time ?
Of course that wouldn't be a problem and you are more than welcome to relax aoround our lounges, pool area or restaurant until your room is ready. We can also store your luggae securely.
