| Saman Villas | |
| Location: | Aturuwella, Bentota, Sri Lanka |
| Pushpin Map: | Sri Lanka |
| Coordinates: | 6.3955°N 80.0046°W |
| Opening Date: | 25 December 1995 |
| Developer: | Daya Ratnayake |
| Architect: | Geevaka De Soyza |
| Operator: | Saman Villas Limited |
| Owner: | Jetwing Hotels |
| Number Of Restaurants: | 1 |
| Number Of Suites: | 27 |
| Website: | https://www.jetwinghotels.com/jetwingsamanvillas/#gref |
Saman Villas is located in the fishing village of Aturuwella, near the south west coastal town of Bentota, Sri Lanka. Saman Villas opened its doors on Christmas Day in 1995.[1] It is Sri Lanka's first boutique hotel.[2] [3]
The hotel consists of 27 suites for guest accommodation set out in two-storey villas, some equipped with private pools,[2] a restaurant, bar, sunset lounge, an infinity pool, library, snooker table, a jewellery shop, gym, sauna, hot tub, spa[4] and boardroom facilities that can house up to 12 people.
Saman Villas was originally designed to be a 72-room, 4-star hotel. However, in the early 1990s the new concept of boutique hotels was slowly evolving and taking root in some Asian countries and islands in the Pacific Ocean. This led the developer, Daya Ratnayake[5] (the owner of the Mermaid Hotel in Kalutara), after viewing examples in Koh Samui, Thailand and Bali, Indonesia, together with the appointed architect, Geevaka De Soyza,[6] to develop the first boutique hotel in Sri Lanka. The property that was opened for business on 25 December 1995 was introduced to the local market on 13 February 1996.[1] The hotel's name is derived from a native jasmine, saman pichcha, a fragrant flower used in floral offerings and garlands in Buddhist temples.[5]