Meet your host family !
Here lives a family of 4, with Latha, the mother, a “kitchen dancer” as some guests named her, an energetic and smiling woman in her 40ies, who has delighted our guests with superb local food in an other homestay and during cooking classes for the past 6 years.
Theivendran, her husband, is a gentle and humble man engaged in various works, fishing, painting, gardening, and has done a tremendous work to turn their home in a homestay suitable for travellers.
They have two children, Abishanth, the elder son, born in 2006, who is still schooling, as well as his younger sister, Pavviya, born in 2010, a smiling and shy teenager.
It is also quite common to meet their extended family, as some relatives love to visit and have a small chat with the guests staying there. You will surely meet the young Akshaya, always happy to play with younger kids.
The family started welcoming guests in 2022.
A cultural experience
As we usually explain to guests and travel agents, we do not sell rooms, but experiences in families.
Therefore, sharing time with the host family is the main objective of us promoting accommodation in homestays, so guests can get to know the culture, lifestyle of real Sri Lankan people in their living places…
Though they are not fluent in English, our hosts always find a way to communicate with their guests and exchange about daily life.
You might also meet members from the extended family, bringing prawns caught in the lagoon, or be shown traditional dance by the little girl next door, eager to share time with travellers, kids, or let her mother trace beautiful henna patterns on your hands…
The majority of Batticaloa inhabitants are Hindus. Since there are many Hindu temples around Batticaloa, there is a good chance that a festival might be held in one of them during the guests stay.
This can be an ideal time for guests to discover this vibrant faith and immerse into the Hindu spirituality, accompanied by their host family.
Practical Information
Location of the Homestay
Pavviya’s Beach Homestay is steps away from the beach, in the village of Thiruchentoor, Kallady, where you can observe the sun rising on the sea and the fishermen at work early morning. It is 3 km from Batticaloa town.
Space and Facilities
This area having been affected by the tsunami, the family home is one of the brick houses rebuilt with the support of the government and NGOs after the disaster.
To start the homestay, the home has been freshly painted and refurbished with a maximum use of wood and recycled material (tiles, chairs, etc.).
2 Rooms for Guests
The proposed accommodation is inside the family’s home and consists in 2 non A/C connecting rooms . 4 to 5 people can be accommodated in these 2 rooms.
Guests get a small private garden and a shared private bathroom with indoor and outdoor showers, attached to the first room.
Rooms
The first bedroom is a double/twin room with 2 single beds (195 x 90 cm) and mosquito nets.
This room has a small private garden with armchairs for guests to relax.
The 2 non-air-conditioned connecting rooms share the same private indoor/outdoor bathroom.
The en-suite bathroom has a sink and outdoor shower as well as an indoor shower and WC.
The second bedroom is the living room of the house which turns into a double/twin/triple bedroom to accommodate families.
It has 2 single beds (195 x 90 cm) with mosquito nets.
An extra bed can be provided for families of 5.
The shared bathroom is accessible by crossing the first bedroom or through the garden.
Meals
We always propose our homestays on half-board basis only, as the dinner time is the ideal time to exchange between guests and hosts.
The food cooked by Latha, most of the times on woodfire, reflects the traditional food of Batticaloa people, generally rice or pittu, stringhoppers, uppuma, dosai, idly, etc. accompanied by curries cooked the local way but with the level of chilly preferred by the guests (non spicy, middle spicy, spicy, spicy hot).
Families with kids having issues to eat Sri Lankan food can explain the food requirements of their children.
The food served at breakfast will be discussed after the dinner (tea, coffee or milk, fruits, Sri Lankan food or bread with eggs, jam)
The water served is filtered and chlorinated. Guests can refill their bottles at the homestay to avoid plastic waste.
Gourmet or Budget…?
There are 2 formulas for the food, called “budget formula” and “gourmet formula” with different rates.
When booking the accommodation, you will be asked to choose between these 2 formulas and to indicate your choice on your booking request.
The gourmet formula comprises
gourmet meals (more curries,
1 seafood or meat curry, more fruits for dessert at dinner and more fruits at breakfast)
The budget formula’s dinner will
generally be served with fish and
vegetables curries.
This is what guests have said about their stay…
Find Pavviya’s Beach Homestay on Youtube!
To conclude, here is a presentation in pictures of Pavviya’s Beach Homestay, to encourage you to finish your packing…
If you are up for this human adventure, please contact us at eastnwestonboard@yahoo.com specifying the composition of your family/group (with the ages of the children please) and your arrival and departure dates. We will then be able to check availability and give you the price for your stay.
Thank you!
