Malu Banna Water Sports Centre — Local services in Western Province

Enjoyable HOME Malu Banna Hotel and Watersports is the long established provider of top end water activities and fine seafood dining, situated on the river near the railway bridge and close to the town.

Enjoy stunning views of Bentota River and the famous Bentota Beach.

ABOUT Malu Banna Looking for the ideal place to experience “real” Sri Lanka?

to enjoy your day off

the week end

your vacation

enjoy exhilarating watersports and river safaris

Malu Banna Hotel – Restaurant – Watersports Centre is the ideal location along with delicious dishes of local caught sea food and exciting water sports!

You are in the right place at “Malu Banna” Ideally located midway between Colombo and Galle – an hour from both tourist locations. Located right beside the river and ocean facing the Bentota Lake, Malubanna water sports centre and restaurant is the ideal place for your requirement.

The Seafood Restaurant serves locally caught fish or when you take a deep sea fishing trip we cook your catch and serve it at your table in the restaurant with awesome river and ocean views. The hotel has 3 rooms on the penthouse level – all with balconies overlooking the famous Bentota River with views overlooking the Bentota Peninsular and right to the world renown Bentota Beach. This is indeed the ideal location to watch the Indian Ocean Sunset.

There are more rooms on the second floor – all rooms are en-suite with hot and cold water. Rooms feature both AC and roof fans to cater for your preference. All rooms have four poster beds with integral mosquito nets for your comfort and piece of mind. All furnishings are to a high grade.

Read our story – how we started

In 2010 Chatura returned from working overseas as a diving instructor at 5 star hotels and decided to open Malubanna Watersports Activities Company.

Chatura is a watersports enthusiast as well as an experienced fisherman and qualified ocean dive master. He has held various sports awards in Sri Lanka from body building to waterski championships.

In his younger years, Chatura worked at his uncle Thusala watersports centre when not at school because he loved the water and all sports associated with the sea.

He became a key member of his uncle’s watersport team, working with customers and also winning a host of competitions. His future was decided. He spent a couple of years in the Middle East and on his return was keen to start his own business.

He believed that Bentota had a lot to offer visitors, both through the watersports it is so well known for and other exciting local pursuits. His passion for fishing and eating good seafood made him realise that Bentota needed a natural seafood restaurant with first class food to satisfy local and visitors.

So the vision started to become a reality. From a simple piece of riverfront land on which Chatu’s family home sat, two boats (one of which was the best deep sea fishing boat in the area), one wake board, a friendly dog and so the name – MALUBANNA was born.

Malu Banna means “fisherman” in Sri Lanka and refers to the iconic Sri Lankan stilt fishermen that are so well known along the south coast.

These days history is important and so is realising the vision. Major tour companies bring groups as part of the island tour. Local hotels recommend Malu Banna for the best guest experience. International visitors come after discovering Malu Banna on social media and hotel booking sites.

The old fisherman’s home has now been rebuilt to a four storey hotel with our restaurant, six up-market guest rooms, watersports centre on the ground floor with changing rooms, toilets and showers. On the ground level there are pontoons reaching out in to the river from which the watersports operates by day and transforms to elegant dining locations at night.

The “Juice Bar” is open to the public and is right on the riverside – serving fresh fruits and cocktails to...

Water sports was a good experience, However snorkeling was completely bad experience, wastage of time and money. They changed the plan in the morning saying that the clarity is not good so we need to go to some other area and it will take about an hour by road. The driver had no clue which other sports activity center he had to go, he had come for the first time and couldn,t contact anyone since his phone is not working. Finally, he somehow managed to find the place, but there no one was aware of we coming there. Somehow we started in a small boat to the snorkeling place. We were supposed to go by a speed boat but landed in this really small, dirty, smelly boat... The sea was very rough by the time we reached the actual location ...it was 12noon. We were already sea sick, kids jumped in the water and came back in few mins. My husband and me somehow managed to look around but could hardly see any fishes ...the sea was very sandy and visibility was quite bad as well. We just couldn't mange any .ore and we returned. They asked us to take shower in a nearby restaurants - it was a toilet where we all took a shower and changed Horrible experience, can't trust these guys at all. Will never ever recomend...

They have only limited number of water sports and the staff is ok first is the safety equipments is worn out like the life vests has 4 belts but only 2 that can be locked.second they told me 6000 rubies for 15 minutes on jet ski then i told the guy I found it cheaper in other place, he said ok will give to you for 4000 so I take it and started my stop watch and when it got to 11 minutes they started calling me saying that its already passed 15 minutes I told him that i have my watch on me and I still got 4 more minutes but they refused and asked me to pay extra if I want more time never...