Family-run homestay inside the Galle Fort

Our family home in the Fort, open to travellers since the 1910s.

Zeegolf is a whitewashed Dutch-era house on a quiet Fort street. Three generations of us have kept it. Seven simple, comfortable rooms and one long verandah are yours — and so is the kettle.

Check dates See the rooms
Animated line drawing of the Zeegolf house: two storeys, a columned verandah and five arched doorways
  • 1910sThe house we still live in
  • 7Rooms over two floors
  • 3Generations of hosts
  • <10 minWalk to the lighthouse

Our home

Stay with us, not just near us.

This is a home first and a guesthouse second. We live here, cook here and will happily tell you where the good fish is. You get your own key, your own room and as much or as little company as you like.

The upper verandah with lanterns and teak chairs
01

Breakfast with the family

Hoppers, string hoppers, fresh fruit and proper tea on the verandah — or toast and eggs if you'd rather. Served whenever you surface.

02

Help with plans

Tuk-tuks, train times, whale boats, a quiet beach, which rampart for sunset. Ask Manuja; he grew up inside these walls.

03

Come and go as you like

Your own key and a door that's always answered. Early arrivals leave bags and use the verandah; late check-outs happen when the room's free.

04

Kept simple, kept clean

Air-conditioning, hot showers, fresh linen, filtered water in glass and toiletries in refillable bottles. No minibar, no fuss.

Tea in a hand-thrown clay cup

Rooms

Seven rooms, one long verandah.

All rooms are air-conditioned with ensuite hot-water bathrooms, free Wi-Fi and four-poster beds under nets. Upstairs rooms open onto the verandah; downstairs rooms sit behind the arches.

Upstairs Verandah Room — canopy bed and balcony doors

Upstairs Verandah Room

from $55

Opens straight onto the verandah. Canopy bed, lantern light, rooftops and palm tops for company.

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Downstairs Arch Room — bed with indigo throw

Downstairs Arch Room

from $45

Behind the arches and the original timber shutters. Cool cement floor, handloom textiles, very quiet.

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Desk Room — canopy bed and teak writing desk

Desk Room

from $38

A cosy double with a teak writing desk and reading lamp. Good for one, fine for two.

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Ensuite bathroom with rain shower

Family Room

from $70

Two beds and floor space for a cot. Like every room, an ensuite with a hot rain shower.

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Indicative nightly rates incl. breakfast and taxes; confirmed by email.

The Zeegolf house at dusk, lanterns lit on the verandah

Our story

A small house, a stable, and a lot of travellers.

  1. I

    Sydney, our grandfather

    When he moved to Galle Fort with his family, Zeegolf was only a small house with a stable. Local travellers stayed the night, and over time the house became a well-loved hangout for anyone passing through.

  2. II

    Mallika — the Yellow House

    His daughter, trained in hospitality with a decade of experience behind her, turned it into a proper home-stay with real service and amenities. Guests knew it as the "Yellow House", for the colour of its walls.

  3. III

    Manuja — today

    Her nephew runs the house now, shaped by years of guest feedback: modern comforts inside, the original Dutch architecture and the life of the Fort intact. The 1910s structure still stands, and we look after it.

Verandah at sunset over terracotta roofs
The house by day, the Dutch Reformed Church beyond
Refillable toiletries in a basket

The verandah

Where the day starts and ends.

Breakfast upstairs as the Fort wakes up; tea in clay cups whenever you like; the lanterns come on at dusk and the ramparts are a five-minute walk for sunset.

In the house

  • Air-conditioning & ceiling fans
  • Ensuite hot-water rain showers
  • Free Wi-Fi throughout
  • Four-poster beds with nets
  • Breakfast included, served on the verandah
  • Filtered water in glass, refillable toiletries
  • Laundry on request
  • Airport & station pick-ups arranged

Getting here & around

  • Galle railway station10 min walk
  • Colombo Airport~2 h by expressway
  • Galle Lighthouse< 10 min walk
  • Dutch Reformed Church5 min walk
  • Ramparts & Flag Rock sunset5–10 min walk
  • Pedlar Street cafés3 min walk
  • Unawatuna Beach15 min by tuk-tuk
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Guests

What people remember.

Sample reviews — replace with verified guest reviews.

"A family home that happens to sit inside a 17th-century fort. Our balcony looked over the rooftops and the lighthouse was five minutes away."

Elena & Marco

"Manuja sorted our train, our whale boat and a rainy-day plan. Glass bottles, clay cups — thoughtful people."

Aisha R.

"Breakfast with the kids on the verandah while the Fort woke up below us. That's the memory we keep."

The Perera Family

Write to us

Tell us your dates.
We reply ourselves.

Booking directly with us includes breakfast. You'll also find us on Booking.com and Airbnb.

+94 76 000 3668
reservations@zeegolf.lk