Forest School Retreat, Sri Lanka
Living in Dubai, whenever we travel we look for Forest Schools where Siena can spend a day or two. We saw this one popping up on our socials, and realised we could stay on-site so had to add it in to the start of our trip. It was such a cool stay, and I really look forward to going back. It's a villa built within a forest school on Bolgoda Lake, Sri Lanka.
We booked and paid for these two nights ourselves, at the property's standard exclusive-use villa rate. Nobody at Forest Family Retreat knew a review was coming. What follows is what a normal family gets, not a hosted stay dressed up as one.
Forest Family Retreat sits on Bolgoda Lake, less than an hour from Colombo airport, and pairs a private three-bedroom villa with daily Forest School Colombo classes on-site. We booked the villa exclusively, with a private cook, cleaner and forest school guide included, and could be considered expensive but there is a lot bundled into one rate. It works brilliantly for a single family who wants the place to themselves, but would be better if you'd rather share the villa and the split the cost with friends. Best for families with children under 12 outdoor adventurers, who like muddy feet and no screens.
GETTING THERE
It's an easy one. We booked a taxi through Booking.com the day before and were there in under an hour from the airport, no advance planning required. The one thing worth knowing: it is isolated once you're there, there are no restaurants within walking distance, so don't plan on popping out for dinner.
Onward Journey: We use the Pick me app.
THE VILLA
We had the whole three-bedroom villa to ourselves, which normally sleeps up to three families, along with a private chef, a cleaner and a dedicated forest school guide for the three of us. Every room has its own en-suite, and the grounds around it comprise of a proper forest and manicured lawns.
SRI LANKA FOREST SCHOOL DAYS
We swam, planted vegetables in the organic garden, fed the animals on the property and did a forest walk together as a family. Siena made her own hibiscus tea and mud kitchen art, then joined the forest school's daily classes, which is really where the property comes into its own: rafting on Bolgoda Lake, a zipline into a mud pool, tree climbing, rope swings, time in the wooden play area, and making music with homemade instruments. It's a properly full, hands-on programme, not a token kids' corner.
We also met a Dutch family living in Colombo who come out weekly just for the forest school classes, which says a lot about how the property draws a genuinely international mix of local expat families and visiting tourists alike.
FOOD
The home-cooked dinners and breakfasts, prepared by our private cook, were excellent, real home cooking rather than resort catering. Lunch comes at a small additional supplement, which we paid happily, as we didn't want to miss out on all the days adventures by looking for a lunch spot.
WHAT SIENA LOVED
Our little nature lover enjoyed everything, the zipline into the mud pool and the real human sized mud kitchen were the two she brought up again and again, alongside feeding the animals. Being around other kids at the forest school classes, including the Dutch family we met, gave the whole thing a sociable, camp-like energy that a private villa stay alone wouldn't have had.
WORTH KNOWING
Heads up: it's isolated, no restaurants within walking distance, and lunch is an extra cost on top of the villa rate. Go in expecting to eat on-site for the whole stay.
Expect: bugs, you're in a forest on a lake in Sri Lanka and don't be surprised if you share the poolside with a large monitor lizard or two (can you spot one in our pool pics?).
Our tip: if the full villa rate is more than you need, ask directly about booking just a room. It's set up for that too, not only whole-villa exclusive use.
WAS IT WORTH IT
This is the section we can write because we paid. For the price, it's a genuinely good deal if you're a big group/family and that's mostly down to what's bundled in. A private chef, a cleaner and a dedicated forest school guide, on top of the villa and the full forest school programme, all for one rate. Booking the whole villa exclusively for just the three of us was a splurge, but the same rate shared across two or three families would make it excellent value rather than a stretch. Either way, you're paying for a proper full-service experience, not just a room for the night.
THE VERDICT
Forest Family Retreat is the rare stay where the kids' programme is as good as the setting, and the setting is genuinely lovely. Between the villa, the private staff and the forest school classes, it's built to make a family disappear into two or three days of doing very little except being outside together.
Perfect for: families with children under 12 who are happy to get muddy, swim daily and hand their child over to a properly run forest school programme, whether booking exclusively or sharing the villa between families.
Skip it if: you want restaurants and amenities within walking distance, or you're not keen on wildlife (monitor lizards included) as part of the scenery.
Comments