Sri Lanka Surf & Yoga Retreat at Soul & Surf Cove

Soul & Surf Cove has nine sea-facing rooms, all simple but stylishly done, plus an on-site cafe, bar and restaurant called Canteen, also facing the water. The hotel sits directly on the shoreline of a small, hidden cove in Ahangama, about two and a half hours by road from Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo. It's tucked away from the road, so instead of traffic noise you get palm trees, a lagoon with the occasional turtle, and a rolling wave out front that's shared with only a few other surfers.

The surf programme is built around the conditions and your level. There are several breaks within minutes for different abilities, plus the hotel's own reef break past the lagoon. Lessons leave at 7am, and there's a soul surfing workshop at 11am followed by video analysis at 11:45 — an actual look at your surfing rather than vague feedback. Conditions change with the season, so the team adjusts which breaks you go to and when. Beginners get the sheltered beaches in the wetter months; more experienced surfers get the reefs and points that hold the swell.

Yoga runs daily, usually at 12:30, and there are one-to-one sessions available in the afternoon. Beyond that, the week includes meditation and massage if you want them. The schedule is a template, not a rule: the day's events shift depending on the season, the surf, your energy levels and the day of the week. You can spend a day moving from yoga to surf to massage, or spend it in the ocean-view garden with a drink — both are fine.

What separates this from a standard surf camp is the property itself. Being hidden from the coast road is rare on this part of the south coast, and it means the cove out front is genuinely yours to swim in. There's a Head of Vibes on the team, which tells you something about how seriously the place takes the atmosphere and how little it takes itself. The hotel is family-friendly, with extra beds and cots available in rooms and local childcare that can be arranged directly with village mums (the hotel can't offer it as a service for insurance reasons, but will make introductions).

The team behind Soul & Surf have run surf and yoga retreats since 2015 and also operate in Portugal and India. The current cove location was a deliberate move after the original Sri Lanka property had to be left during Covid — the team used the time to rework what they offer and settle on a surf-and-yoga-focused spot with its own bar and cafe.

What's included

- 7 nights accommodation in a sea-facing room - Daily surf lessons with video analysis - Soul surfing workshops - Daily yoga classes - One-to-one yoga and massage sessions available - Breakfast and lunch at Canteen (per package) - Use of the ocean-view garden, cafe, bar and restaurant - Airport transfer assistance and taxi arrangement - Insider guide to South Sri Lanka

What's not included

- International flights - Travel insurance - Alcohol and some drinks - Some meals depending on package - Massages - Optional extra activities - Personal expenses - Childcare