Barefoot Backpackers Hostel, Hiriketiya Beach

Didn’t enjoy anything.

Volunteers were friendly and helpful, but the hostel is tiny. The 4-bed dorm was cramped, overpriced, and had no space for bags. Only one table for everyone to hang out. Reception was unfriendly. Hostelworld says € accepted, but they refused it. When I showed the listing, staff acted clueless. After checkout, they canceled my booking to block reviews. Feels dishonest. Better, cheaper options nearby would not stay again.

12 bed dorm, no curtains, no hot water, and only TWO showers for both dorm rooms. Expect to be bothered constantly by volunteers trying to sell you the icebath (1000 rupees+), expensive family meals in restaurants the hostel gets a commission for taking you to, and other social events. Even though the owner lives in the Netherlands, he saw on the groupchat that we were planning on watching the sunset somewhere else, and he made the volunteers bring us back to hostel so we would buy beers ther

Overall my stay at barefoot was fine, but definitely not worth the money I paid for it. Furthermore, the vibe in the hostel was just off (unwelcoming).

Honestly, completely overrated. It’s this kind of instagram wanna be hostel. The stuff is friendly, more in a polite way than actually for real. If you don’t wanna party, people are confused, make some comments and you get this “uncool stamp” - you should socialise and be a part of every single event. So if your me time is valuable to yourself or you wanna relax or have other experiences than just getting wasted, dont go. In the bathroom is mold, shower so bad and it’s actually quite e...

The aircon in the main 12 bed dorm wasn’t working (or was very poor) and so it was absolutely boiling inside the dorm and impossible to sleep at night

Quite disappointed with this hostel, the worst I stayed in, in Sri Lanka. I found the staff super unwelcoming and unhelpful. The room we had was tiny that I could even open my case fully. The location isn’t awful but quite a bit out from the main beach. Had a nice wee rock beach at the hostel and I liked the outdoor showers. Out of the 4 people we met there they agreed and didn’t like the hostel. I wouldn’t recommend it

The dorm is really nice but I do think the price is a bit steep for the size of the dorm & the fact that the showers are on the other side of the property. Also the kitchen is completely off bounds to guests with all the cupboards & fridge locked and staff only signs on everything which is weird the staff barely even use it.

Amazing hostel to meet new people. Beautiful outside area&very friendly & helpful staff. Pretty alcohol-oriented (sunset drinks everyday) Minus points: way too expensive for what you get, in my opinion. 4-Dorm was small, not much space for luggage and stuff. Upper bed was horrible as the stair is very steep, luckily I was allowed to change to bottom bed after two nights. Shower has veeery low water pressure and there's very little space to hang up wet towels. So these things could be improved

Barefoot was good. The location was nice - close to Dikwella Beach and not far from the main bit of Hiriketiya. I found the rooms quite small - there was very little space around the beds, but there was a locker. The bed was comfortable enough. Social hosts were really nice and nice table outdoors to relax

Had an amazing stay at Barefoot Backpackers Hostel! 🌴 The atmosphere was super friendly and welcoming, and there was always something fun going on every evening. From social activities to great nights out together. It really made the experience special and easy to meet people. A special thank you to Fiona, Nadiia, and Will! They were absolutely incredible and made our stay unforgettable with their kindness, energy, and help whenever we needed anything. Would come back!!

Nadiia, Fiona and Will were amazing social hosts making me come back to this hostel twice. Facilities are very clean and it’s quiet at night. Being right by the water allows for a quick walk to see the sunset. I would recommend staying in the 12 bed as they have curtains and the size of the room allows for perfect AC temperature. I recommend at least 2 nights here. Will be back thank you everyone there!!!!

One of the best hostel experiences I’ve had! Barefoot is a beautiful hostel very well located and is a perfect hub to meet other travellers. Staff are super friendly and helpful. Shoutout to social hosts Fiona, Nadiia and Will for making the hostel such a welcoming and social place! So many activities planned throughout the week and a great time all around, had to extend my stay because of how comfortable I got here :)

The staff of the hostel is the best i’ve witnessed! Especially Fiona is amazing. I would recconmend this hostel to EVERYONE in Hirikriteya.

Wonderful stay, social is amazing and the social host called Will was especially welcoming, social, funny and overall good at what he does.

Godt hostel. Senge, værelser, bad og udendørs arealer var gode. Rigtig socialt og god stemning. Det eneste minus var at aircondition kun var tændt om natten så der var ingen steder at køle ned og dagen, da de ikke har en pool

Loved the vibe, activities and the location of this hostel. And they have the best social workers around. Thank you to Nadia, Sam and Alice they made the stay unforgettable🫶🏻

Nadiia, Alice & Sam were fantastic hosts and really made my stay a memorable one. Facilities are great too, and it’s in a fantastic location. Will be recommending this hostel to everyone!

Nice hostel, i would recommend to stay here The reps (Nadiia and Alice) were really trying their best to include everyone in the hostel’s activities :)

George and Lindsay were great social hosts. Highly recommend.

Lots and lots of fun would highly recommend to any solo travellers as it is super social and easy to connect with lots of good people. Big thanks to alice for all the efforts to make it as an enjoyable an experience for all of us staying!

Had such a good time here!! Super social and friendly. Alice and Sophie were fab hosts :)

Nice and chill Hostel with friendly vibes, Family dinners and good staff! The volunteers Alice and Sophie were great!

I had an amazing stay at Barefoot Backpacker! The hostel has a great atmosphere, it’s easy to meet people, and it really made my trip more fun and memorable. A special shoutout to the social hosts, Sophie and Alice, who were absolutely great super friendly, welcoming, and always bringing good energy to the place. They made everyone feel included and helped create such a nice social vibe. I’d definitely recommend this hostel to anyone looking for a fun and friendly backpacker experience!

Nice and social hostel, Alice and Sophie were amazing!!

The best hostel, a good place to meet new people! Sophie and Alice were amazing.

Had a great time, the hosts Alice and Sophie were great and worked around the clock to make sure all the guests were having a fun time at the events, will be back for sure!

Had an incredible stay at Barefoot Backpackers! The hostel has such a welcoming, social atmosphere that makes it so easy to meet people. A huge thanks to Alice and Sophie for being so helpful and making us feel right at home from the moment we arrived :) If you’re heading to Hiriketiya, this is definitely the place to stay for great vibes and a perfect location 💫

Hele leuke en sociale plek, elke avond verschillende activiteiten. Sophie en Alice waren leuke social hosts!

Heel leuk en sociaal hostel. Elke avond activiteiten. Sophie en Alice zorgden voor een leuke Vibe.