Colive Me Coliving

Beautiful and comfortable workspace, very pleasant and easy to work from. Everything is well thought out- a great pool for breaks, a kitchenette, and all the essentials you need. The service is excellent, and the pricing is very fair. Highly recommended.

Had such a wonderful stay at Colive - I only booked six nights originally, but extended 6 more and came back for the end of my trip. It’s such a good place to be for an extended period of time to work remotely. Such a lovely community of people living and working here. The staff are also so sweet and welcoming and friendly. The rooms are spacious, the working area is comfy and well equipped and the pool area is gorgeous. The rooms with no a/c can get a bit hot in the day but the fans are really strong so I didn’t even miss the a/c. It’s in a super good location in ahangama, close to the good surf breaks, gas station a couple mins walk away.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Had a fantastic experience at Colive in Ahangama. The Starlink internet is rock solid, which made working completely seamless, even on video calls and heavier workloads. The staff are genuinely friendly and helpful, and the community is one of the best parts: international, open, and easy to connect with without feeling forced. The space is well set up for focused work but still social in the right moments. All in all, a clear 10/10 co-working experience. Would come back without hesitation.

I loved my time in Sri Lanka, and I really enjoyed the company of the locals that run the place, but I paid $1075 for 3 weeks, in what is essentially a basic private room in a hostel, with some desks on one floor. I’ve lived in Colivings across Europe, Morocco and Asia and this one was by far the most disappointing. Call something a coliving and suddenly a hostel is 3 times more expensive than a private villa, with 0 benefits. The coworking space is not air conditioned. You stay cool with rusty old, noisy fans and open windows. You’re constantly covered in flies and at dawn and dusk, you’re ravaged by mosquitos. I’m no fan of A/C, but you have to provide bug screens for open window spaces. They’re a staple across accommodation in Asia for good reason. Almost all the office chairs are broken and wonky. You’ll end up with a stiff lower back if not a full on spasm within a couple of days. They provide fan laptop stands but they’re all rusted to decay. The bicycles included with the price are all completely falling apart, with flat tyres and handlebars that barely cling on. I lost some groceries to the basket that just disintegrated whilst I was riding it. The clothes horses are rusty and dilapidated. There are new call rooms in an outhouse, but the wifi barely reaches it, so everyone just takes calls around you. The neighbours’ dog barks 24/7, which is about 10m away. It is not an environment conducive to work. After one day I moved to working in my room, thankfully it was one with a desk of sorts. I kept the windows shut to keep the bugs away and shut the barking out. Unfortunately, this meant my room was always a dank, humid box, meaning all my fabrics were covered in mold by the end of my stay. I woke up almost nightly covered in ants, I was constantly bitten by mosquitos and I had a roach land on my head. Why not have mosquito nets? It would solve this problem for a couple of dollars. This is a bare minimum requirement for budget accommodation, let alone something that costs 300 dollars a week. Nothing else is provided in the price. No community dinners, no surfboards, no lessons, no group activities, not a single yoga class, no toiletries, nothing. Not even milk for your tea! You could feed the whole house on local rice & curry for $10. That's all it would cost from the 1000's in profit to create some sort of coliving experience. The gorgeous roof is just a smoking area with a couple old beanbags. You could have locals provide yoga classes, cultural workshops, ayurvedic medicine lessons, movie nights. Such wasted potential and so little effort made. One of the guests I spoke to said she was leaving for a new, air conditioned villa down the road for 400 dollars a month, and planned on working out of one of the other coworking spaces in the area. Less than half price for double the luxury. I would follow in her footsteps if I was you. I’ll be back to Sri Lanka, but I’ll never return to this place. Save your money and spend it on local businesses, not lining the pockets of some greedy foreign architect. 2 stars for mainly solid internet, hot showers and a pretty pool. I’ll reiterate, the staff were awesome and this is no reflection on them or the location. It’s just a massive rip off.

Amazing coliving space! Stayed for more than a month and had the best time. Internet is top and the guys are super friendly!! Special thanks to Rasith and Dasun! Great experience! Highly recommend it!