Your rating of this hotel:
7.0
from 10
Hotel ratings by criteria:
Rooms:
5.0
Service:
8.0
Cleanliness:
8.0
Food:
6.0
Amenities:
9.0
Good day everyone! We returned from the hotel on 11/30/11, sharing my impressions…
Flight: Donetsk-Dubai-Colombo and back, everything is ok. Convenient docking, Boeing 737, FlyDubai, paid meals on board. At the airport, they bought local SIM cards, changed money, the exchange rate was 1 USD = 109 rupees, they put 20 USD on SIM cards (it was necessary to speak at work). The meeting party was Aitken service (in my opinion), the representative was already at the airport with a sign with our names. Because arrived at night, the road to the hotel took approx. 2.5 hours, so we arrived at the hotel between 6 and 7 am. We were not settled right away, even for money, because. there were no rooms, they offered to clean up in the toilet near the fitness center (toilet with shower) and go to breakfast, which we did.
Checked in at 11.30 in a room on the 6th floor, paid extra $ 35 per night. At first they offered room 608 - very good, bright, large, there was wine with fruit on the table, but it is located directly above the restaurant and overlooks the pool, the ocean is not visible almost behind the palm trees, they say if you want a direct view of the ocean, the room will be released a little later . . Later (at 11.30) it was room 624, we ran to the balcony, yeah, here it is the ocean, you can see, and then they already saw the number... I thought that all numbers were like 608, but no... I think they don’t have this number just released, but just stood on conservation, everywhere a thick layer of dust, a wilted flower in a pot, the room itself is dark, elongated, the walls and ceiling are gray, there is a yellow spot on the ceiling in the bathroom, the door from below is all shabby . . They called the cleaners, they cleaned everything , of course, but I didn’t want to relax in such a room, and even with a surcharge. In addition to the above "charms", right around the corner, in the corridor, there was a "collection point" of cleaners, and every morning I woke up from their loud murmuring and the rumble of carts. But that's not all... The neighbors on the left (the Germans, as it turned out later), their balcony adjoined directly to ours, they caught all kinds of mollusks, crabs and other living creatures in the ocean, and laid out all this "wealth" on the balcony to dry in the sun... And now we go out onto the balcony to breathe in the fresh ocean breeze, and then the mollusks decompose under our noses... Okay, I think there will be a reason to move... I go to the reception, to the manager who settled us, describe the problem, ask to be relocated... He twisted for 5 minutes. at the computer, he ran somewhere else, then he says, don’t worry, ma’am, now the cleaner will come and clean everything from the neighbors on the balcony. Well, what will you do? ))) I had to be content with the bewildered faces of the Germans who went out onto the balcony and did not find their "collection")))
After 2 days, we still moved to another room (634), our guide helped (for free))). The room is the most extreme on the right side of the hotel, very quiet, private. The balcony is not adjacent to anyone, a huge terrace adjoined it, on which we sunbathed when we were too lazy to go down to the pool, and the view of the ocean is simply fantastic, panoramic. The room itself is small, but bright enough, without stains and shabby doors, not great, but it will do)) Disadvantages - dampness (passports were not rolled into a tube, of course, I read in other reviews), but first nuts and cookies, and then all the clothes damp... The bed also smelled of dampness... Tiny ants also showed up, they didn’t show themselves in any way, but you can’t leave juices and food on the table ((There was a desire to “show” it all at the reception, but my husband dissuaded...
In general, all our requests were fulfilled very quickly. Bring bathrobes - please (although they never changed them in ten days), the phone broke down - they immediately sent a fitter, the refrigerator stopped cooling - they fixed it, if there was not enough water, tea, sugar, they took it from the cleaners "with a hike" as they say. Everyone smiles, bows, the doors open, the husband was "sir", and I was "ma'am"))).
The hotel itself is beautiful, the territory is large, well-groomed, well-planned, it was very comfortable to relax. The sunbeds were free, with towels no strain at all, take as much as you want and wherever you want, in the afternoon they carried pineapples on sticks near the pool, there were almost no vacationers with children, many Russians (60-70 percent), Indians, there were Germans (elderly). None of the staff speaks Russian.
We took only breakfasts - always the same thing, but you won’t leave hungry - I liked fruit salads, tasty oatmeal, beans in tomato, baked tomatoes, just fruits - small bananas, passion fruit, mango, papaya, lychee, pineapple, watermelon (not very much, I still don’t know what it’s called. Waiters pour tea, fill the cup three-quarters, is it a pity for them or something, or is it customary? The tea, by the way, is not tasty, very strong. We ate in Vandebare, Susante, ordered food to the room, were at the Sea View restaurant in the hotel, I didn’t like it, it smells of fried fish, some kind of twilight, the ocean is not visible because it’s dark outside, a nice lounge bar, during the day you can have a bite. We took a couple of bananas from breakfast. In Vandebare, fresh juices are very tasty and you can look at the turtles for free, take pictures with them, hold the turtles in your hands (I think this will completely replace the excursion to the turtle farm).
There, in Vandebar, we met a local resident C-C, he calls himself Papa C-C, we went with him by tuk-tuk to Galle, Hikkaduwa, Unawatuna - this is all for one trip - $ 40 for two, along the Bentota River ( mangroves, saw a big crocodile) - $ 50, just for shopping, gave him money and he replenished my phone card. By the way, using a local SIM card, communication is cheaper than our UMS - 2.50 UAH / min for a mobile phone, 1.50 - for a landline, SMS - 0.45 UAH, Internet - 320 rupees / half an hour, wireless in the room.
We were not very lucky with the weather, as I understand it... The first days it rained at night, and then during the day, and not at all short-term, and not rain, but a downpour, twice the storm was real, especially the second on November 27 - the rain and wind were so strong that a huge puddle had flowed into our room, despite the closed windows and doors, and CC said that a boat with fishermen drowned in the ocean - 40 people, like that.
I expected more from the ocean, to be honest... Probably, again, the weather is to blame, there were waves all the time, which raised a bunch of sand from the bottom, firstly, a lot of sand gets into the swimsuit, and secondly, the color of the ocean is like that of the Sea of u200bu200bAzov. In Unawatuna, the ocean is more beautiful, turquoise, but there is no beach at all, a narrow strip of about a meter, and the town itself is poor.
What I didn’t like was inadequate prices for seafood in restaurants. I understand paying $100 for seafood in my city, but here, where they literally swim at your side, sorry, too much.
In general, we paid our “tribute” to the Sri Lankans on the third day of our stay, having bought local dark rum (albeit a branded bottle and very tasty) and three bunches of bananas, 6 pcs each. (one of them turned out to be just unripe, and we thought it was such a black variety, after a week of lying on the balcony they turned red and we were able to eat them))) and 3 pieces of mango - for about 40 dollars.
After that, they did not receive a rupee from us, including cleaners, sellers of spices, moonstones, oils and other breds.
By the way, upon arrival at the hotel, they also tried to “dissolve” us, first they fed us breakfast, and then they said that it costs $ 25 per person. Ok, I say, give me a check, after which they told us that you can pay later, but there was nothing “later”, like that.
Yes, if you pay on the 6th floor, you will be given a check for payment in rupees (the hotel had a rate of 112). Be sure to recalculate at the rate in dollars, check whether the amounts in rupees and in dollars match. If they don't match (how we got a difference of more than 5000 rupees) demand the correct check or refund, they WILL NOT LIKE it VERY. I discovered a discrepancy only towards the end of our stay, went to the reception and asked to give me the correct check or return the money, at first he told me that on the day of arrival there was a different course (109), then in general that the courses change every time, but explain the difference 50 dollars, he couldn’t, then he said that he needed to consult, because the system could not issue another check, well, in general, after half an hour, they still gave me a check, but it was actually not a check, but a decryption from a computer , but he didn’t want to sign at all... In general, I think they divorced them for fifty dollars ((.
Conclusion - it is quite possible to go to Sri Lanka once, but definitely choose a more expensive hotel. Taj - I recommend it for a quiet, respectable holiday.
Good luck to everyone, if you have any questions please write.
Flight: Donetsk-Dubai-Colombo and back, everything is ok. Convenient docking, Boeing 737, FlyDubai, paid meals on board. At the airport, they bought local SIM cards, changed money, the exchange rate was 1 USD = 109 rupees, they put 20 USD on SIM cards (it was necessary to speak at work). The meeting party was Aitken service (in my opinion), the representative was already at the airport with a sign with our names. Because arrived at night, the road to the hotel took approx. 2.5 hours, so we arrived at the hotel between 6 and 7 am. We were not settled right away, even for money, because. there were no rooms, they offered to clean up in the toilet near the fitness center (toilet with shower) and go to breakfast, which we did.
Checked in at 11.30 in a room on the 6th floor, paid extra $ 35 per night. At first they offered room 608 - very good, bright, large, there was wine with fruit on the table, but it is located directly above the restaurant and overlooks the pool, the ocean is not visible almost behind the palm trees, they say if you want a direct view of the ocean, the room will be released a little later . . Later (at 11.30) it was room 624, we ran to the balcony, yeah, here it is the ocean, you can see, and then they already saw the number... I thought that all numbers were like 608, but no... I think they don’t have this number just released, but just stood on conservation, everywhere a thick layer of dust, a wilted flower in a pot, the room itself is dark, elongated, the walls and ceiling are gray, there is a yellow spot on the ceiling in the bathroom, the door from below is all shabby . . They called the cleaners, they cleaned everything , of course, but I didn’t want to relax in such a room, and even with a surcharge. In addition to the above "charms", right around the corner, in the corridor, there was a "collection point" of cleaners, and every morning I woke up from their loud murmuring and the rumble of carts. But that's not all... The neighbors on the left (the Germans, as it turned out later), their balcony adjoined directly to ours, they caught all kinds of mollusks, crabs and other living creatures in the ocean, and laid out all this "wealth" on the balcony to dry in the sun... And now we go out onto the balcony to breathe in the fresh ocean breeze, and then the mollusks decompose under our noses... Okay, I think there will be a reason to move... I go to the reception, to the manager who settled us, describe the problem, ask to be relocated... He twisted for 5 minutes. at the computer, he ran somewhere else, then he says, don’t worry, ma’am, now the cleaner will come and clean everything from the neighbors on the balcony. Well, what will you do? ))) I had to be content with the bewildered faces of the Germans who went out onto the balcony and did not find their "collection")))
After 2 days, we still moved to another room (634), our guide helped (for free))). The room is the most extreme on the right side of the hotel, very quiet, private. The balcony is not adjacent to anyone, a huge terrace adjoined it, on which we sunbathed when we were too lazy to go down to the pool, and the view of the ocean is simply fantastic, panoramic. The room itself is small, but bright enough, without stains and shabby doors, not great, but it will do)) Disadvantages - dampness (passports were not rolled into a tube, of course, I read in other reviews), but first nuts and cookies, and then all the clothes damp... The bed also smelled of dampness... Tiny ants also showed up, they didn’t show themselves in any way, but you can’t leave juices and food on the table ((There was a desire to “show” it all at the reception, but my husband dissuaded...
In general, all our requests were fulfilled very quickly. Bring bathrobes - please (although they never changed them in ten days), the phone broke down - they immediately sent a fitter, the refrigerator stopped cooling - they fixed it, if there was not enough water, tea, sugar, they took it from the cleaners "with a hike" as they say. Everyone smiles, bows, the doors open, the husband was "sir", and I was "ma'am"))).
The hotel itself is beautiful, the territory is large, well-groomed, well-planned, it was very comfortable to relax. The sunbeds were free, with towels no strain at all, take as much as you want and wherever you want, in the afternoon they carried pineapples on sticks near the pool, there were almost no vacationers with children, many Russians (60-70 percent), Indians, there were Germans (elderly). None of the staff speaks Russian.
We took only breakfasts - always the same thing, but you won’t leave hungry - I liked fruit salads, tasty oatmeal, beans in tomato, baked tomatoes, just fruits - small bananas, passion fruit, mango, papaya, lychee, pineapple, watermelon (not very much, I still don’t know what it’s called. Waiters pour tea, fill the cup three-quarters, is it a pity for them or something, or is it customary? The tea, by the way, is not tasty, very strong. We ate in Vandebare, Susante, ordered food to the room, were at the Sea View restaurant in the hotel, I didn’t like it, it smells of fried fish, some kind of twilight, the ocean is not visible because it’s dark outside, a nice lounge bar, during the day you can have a bite. We took a couple of bananas from breakfast. In Vandebare, fresh juices are very tasty and you can look at the turtles for free, take pictures with them, hold the turtles in your hands (I think this will completely replace the excursion to the turtle farm).
There, in Vandebar, we met a local resident C-C, he calls himself Papa C-C, we went with him by tuk-tuk to Galle, Hikkaduwa, Unawatuna - this is all for one trip - $ 40 for two, along the Bentota River ( mangroves, saw a big crocodile) - $ 50, just for shopping, gave him money and he replenished my phone card. By the way, using a local SIM card, communication is cheaper than our UMS - 2.50 UAH / min for a mobile phone, 1.50 - for a landline, SMS - 0.45 UAH, Internet - 320 rupees / half an hour, wireless in the room.
We were not very lucky with the weather, as I understand it... The first days it rained at night, and then during the day, and not at all short-term, and not rain, but a downpour, twice the storm was real, especially the second on November 27 - the rain and wind were so strong that a huge puddle had flowed into our room, despite the closed windows and doors, and CC said that a boat with fishermen drowned in the ocean - 40 people, like that.
I expected more from the ocean, to be honest... Probably, again, the weather is to blame, there were waves all the time, which raised a bunch of sand from the bottom, firstly, a lot of sand gets into the swimsuit, and secondly, the color of the ocean is like that of the Sea of u200bu200bAzov. In Unawatuna, the ocean is more beautiful, turquoise, but there is no beach at all, a narrow strip of about a meter, and the town itself is poor.
What I didn’t like was inadequate prices for seafood in restaurants. I understand paying $100 for seafood in my city, but here, where they literally swim at your side, sorry, too much.
In general, we paid our “tribute” to the Sri Lankans on the third day of our stay, having bought local dark rum (albeit a branded bottle and very tasty) and three bunches of bananas, 6 pcs each. (one of them turned out to be just unripe, and we thought it was such a black variety, after a week of lying on the balcony they turned red and we were able to eat them))) and 3 pieces of mango - for about 40 dollars.
After that, they did not receive a rupee from us, including cleaners, sellers of spices, moonstones, oils and other breds.
By the way, upon arrival at the hotel, they also tried to “dissolve” us, first they fed us breakfast, and then they said that it costs $ 25 per person. Ok, I say, give me a check, after which they told us that you can pay later, but there was nothing “later”, like that.
Yes, if you pay on the 6th floor, you will be given a check for payment in rupees (the hotel had a rate of 112). Be sure to recalculate at the rate in dollars, check whether the amounts in rupees and in dollars match. If they don't match (how we got a difference of more than 5000 rupees) demand the correct check or refund, they WILL NOT LIKE it VERY. I discovered a discrepancy only towards the end of our stay, went to the reception and asked to give me the correct check or return the money, at first he told me that on the day of arrival there was a different course (109), then in general that the courses change every time, but explain the difference 50 dollars, he couldn’t, then he said that he needed to consult, because the system could not issue another check, well, in general, after half an hour, they still gave me a check, but it was actually not a check, but a decryption from a computer , but he didn’t want to sign at all... In general, I think they divorced them for fifty dollars ((.
Conclusion - it is quite possible to go to Sri Lanka once, but definitely choose a more expensive hotel. Taj - I recommend it for a quiet, respectable holiday.
Good luck to everyone, if you have any questions please write.
Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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