Excellent hotel! Pretty big! The level of service is good, everything is clean and tidy, the beach is normal, the pool is so-so, we swam in the ocean. Very friendly and helpful staff who are always ready to help. The chef cooks delicious food! We met with the local tuk-tuker Nalin. He organized all kinds of excursions for us (much cheaper than from a travel agency).
… More ▾
Excellent hotel! Pretty big! The level of service is good, everything is clean and tidy, the beach is normal, the pool is so-so, we swam in the ocean. Very friendly and helpful staff who are always ready to help. The chef cooks delicious food! We met with the local tuk-tuker Nalin. He organized all kinds of excursions for us (much cheaper than from a travel agency). He took us by tuk-tuk to the market, chose fresh fruit for us.
As for food, we took only BB breakfasts, the restaurant has a chic buffet, seafood, soups, meat, fruits, sea pastries. And in the evening, Nalin took us to a local restaurant, took a large plate (crab, shrimp, squid, tuna) and all this with a delicious sauce, they gave 1.500 rupees for all this yummy.
Sri Lanka is a very interesting country, the Sri Lankans are kind and helpful people (except for pestering in the market, such as "I'm the cook from your hotel, let's go" - don't be fooled) Advice: who smokes. take cigarettes with you, they cost a pack of 8-10 dollars, there is no vodka, there is beer, normal 1 dollar 07 l bottle. Have a nice stay at this hotel.
As for food, we took only BB breakfasts, the restaurant has a chic buffet, seafood, soups, meat, fruits, sea pastries. And in the evening, Nalin took us to a local restaurant, took a large plate (crab, shrimp, squid, tuna) and all this with a delicious sauce, they gave 1.500 rupees for all this yummy.
Sri Lanka is a very interesting country, the Sri Lankans are kind and helpful people (except for pestering in the market, such as "I'm the cook from your hotel, let's go" - don't be fooled) Advice: who smokes. take cigarettes with you, they cost a pack of 8-10 dollars, there is no vodka, there is beer, normal 1 dollar 07 l bottle. Have a nice stay at this hotel.
Like
You like
• 2
Show other comments …
The hotel is good, relatively new, decent condition. You just don't need to compare it to European 5 stars. The lobby is beautiful, an interesting architectural solution. There are no doors or windows, and no two walls at all. You come in right from the street, and it's cool there - whether the air conditioner is working or the wind from the ocean.
… More ▾
The hotel is good, relatively new, decent condition. You just don't need to compare it to European 5 stars. The lobby is beautiful, an interesting architectural solution. There are no doors or windows, and no two walls at all. You come in right from the street, and it's cool there - whether the air conditioner is working or the wind from the ocean. You sit on the couch, cool off, marvel at the ocean. There is a bar and a fountain in the lobby, where fish swim.
The room is clean, clean, cleaned daily and more than once a day. We cleaned well, even when we did not leave tips, so after that we always left 100-200 rupees. The guide said that 100 rupees is enough for tea, but if you really want to thank, then give 150-200 rupees. If you have a choice between sea view / garden view, then choose only the first option. Still, it's more enjoyable to look at the ocean in the morning than at the railroad tracks and rooftops. We had a window overlooking the ocean, and we still heard the train passing.
This noise did not bother us at all, especially since the ocean is also not weak noise. The waves are constantly high, their noise distracts from extraneous sounds. In general, I believe that neither the noise of the ocean nor the noise of the railway can be compared with the noise of monkeys). The room has air conditioning, refrigerator, kettle, tea, sugar and water cleaners are constantly replenished. In the bathroom hair dryer, in the closet - safe and iron, everything works. The TV is gorgeous, big screen, but I did not find interesting channels. I clicked the first 30 - all local, so I turned it off and didn't turn it on anymore. It is fun to jump on the waves in the ocean, but you will not be able to swim. The waves are such that for beginner surfers you can learn to catch a wave. There is a swimming pool and swimming in it.
We had breakfast at the hotel, our breakfast was included.
Lunch and dinner could be paid extra, but we went to a cafe nearby. The hotel has breakfast, lunch and dinner - a buffet, ie pay 3000 rupees and what and how much you want.
We read the reviews and went to the so-called restaurant a kilometer from the hotel and a cafe 150 meters from the hotel - delicious in both, the prices are about the same (go somewhere around 2000 rupees per person), but decided to go to a cafe because it's closer. In addition, the dishes there are tastier thanks to the branded sauces from Anu, who prepares them at home and is ready to bring them to the restaurant, so as not to reveal the secret. The cafe offers a menu with prices, but the restaurant does not have a menu - you just bring frozen shrimp, crabs and fish, so you can choose what to cook. I recommend the cafe - walk 150 meters from the hotel towards the city and turn left, walk to the end of the alley and see the sign "Cinamon". Or you can ask tuk-tukers - they are on duty right behind the railway tracks.
Thrifty tourists said that they went out to the city and had lunch there for 450 rupees (rice, chicken in curry and salad).
But I think seafood is tastier, and you can afford not to save on vacation. Portions are large - rice and salad are added to seafood - after such a dinner you can not have dinner.
About money. You need to change dollars at the airport, where the most favorable rate is 177 rupees, and in the city - 170. To change more profitably in the city, you need to go to tuk-tukers - they know the place. For example, we asked to be taken to the bank, and the driver asked why the bank - when they said that to change the money, he took us not to the bank, but to the electronics store, and said that the money can be exchanged here. As it turned out, the exchange rate here is better than in the bank - 176 rupees per dollar. So I realized that we were very lucky with the tuk-tuker - he did not take us where we said, but asked what we wanted, and drove to where we could buy better quality goods.
His name is Nalin, a very gentle guy.
He asks in English where you are from, and when he finds out that he is from Ukraine, he says “Glory to Ukraine! ». In short, it is immediately apparent that our JoinUp regularly delivers to this hotel. I didn't know much about the prices, Nalin brought me to the store where I bought a silk scarf for 2.900 rupees, and I didn't know if it was a little or a lot. But another time another tuk-tuker (Nalina was not there, and we went with another) took us to an expensive store, where the same silk scarves cost 7.000 rupees. I was very sorry then that I didn't wait for Nalina. It is still more profitable to go shopping with him. We immediately discussed the route and the cost with him (we knew from previous reviews that this was necessary to avoid misunderstandings). If you drive around the city for short distances, you ask for 300 rupees, and if you need to shop in another city, it is 500-600 rupees.
Of course, you can walk and look for shops or a bazaar on your own, but in the 30-degree heat it is still more pleasant to ride a tuk-tuk.
Plus it's exotic and adventurous.
You can also ask tuk-tukers about excursions. They will all direct you to Lalita, who speaks a little Russian. His tours are cheaper than his guide. We bought from the guide, because he took us "warm" when we just arrived at the hotel and have not yet settled. It was a two-day trip to Kandy and Sigiriya, which cost $ 100, and another $ 70 (in rupees) to take with you to the entrance tickets to the national park and temple, and so on. By the way, we hardly saw the city of Kandy itself - only the park and the temple of the Buddha's tooth.
But in general the tour is interesting, first we went for an elephant ride, then - a spice garden (hung us noodles about Ayurveda to steam creams and pills at a high price), where tea is made, it is not advisable to buy there, because it is expensive, and we have, in principle, the same is sold in supermarkets), then - in Kandy botanical garden and temple. And that would be enough, in my opinion.
If I had known that the second day's excursion to Sigiriya involved climbing a mountain at 33 degrees in the sun, I would not have gone for nothing. And so now I have an idea of the size of the former royal palace (although it left only the foundations).
In Lalita bought a tour for $ 20 - a river safari, there photographed monitor lizards, monkeys and hummingbirds (it's lucky to see), then went to Gaul to see the turtles swimming to the shore (to look at them, you need to go to the waist in the water and look from above, do not allow to touch, you can not drive to the shore, so it is better to go to a turtle farm), then marveled at the fortress and lighthouse. The tour took a whole day.
Of the fruits, we liked pineapples the most - they are much sweeter and more fragrant than those brought to us. They are inexpensive - about 160 rupees per kilogram, but before you buy, think about how you will cut them. We didn't have a knife.
We called room service and asked to be cut. Cleaned and cut nicely and neatly. We were not charged extra for it, I just tipped 150 rupees. Bananas did not impress us, we have tastier ones. Although I heard reviews that their bananas are better.
Fruits that are out of season for them can be bought in the supermarket.
The room is clean, clean, cleaned daily and more than once a day. We cleaned well, even when we did not leave tips, so after that we always left 100-200 rupees. The guide said that 100 rupees is enough for tea, but if you really want to thank, then give 150-200 rupees. If you have a choice between sea view / garden view, then choose only the first option. Still, it's more enjoyable to look at the ocean in the morning than at the railroad tracks and rooftops. We had a window overlooking the ocean, and we still heard the train passing.
This noise did not bother us at all, especially since the ocean is also not weak noise. The waves are constantly high, their noise distracts from extraneous sounds. In general, I believe that neither the noise of the ocean nor the noise of the railway can be compared with the noise of monkeys). The room has air conditioning, refrigerator, kettle, tea, sugar and water cleaners are constantly replenished. In the bathroom hair dryer, in the closet - safe and iron, everything works. The TV is gorgeous, big screen, but I did not find interesting channels. I clicked the first 30 - all local, so I turned it off and didn't turn it on anymore. It is fun to jump on the waves in the ocean, but you will not be able to swim. The waves are such that for beginner surfers you can learn to catch a wave. There is a swimming pool and swimming in it.
We had breakfast at the hotel, our breakfast was included.
Lunch and dinner could be paid extra, but we went to a cafe nearby. The hotel has breakfast, lunch and dinner - a buffet, ie pay 3000 rupees and what and how much you want.
We read the reviews and went to the so-called restaurant a kilometer from the hotel and a cafe 150 meters from the hotel - delicious in both, the prices are about the same (go somewhere around 2000 rupees per person), but decided to go to a cafe because it's closer. In addition, the dishes there are tastier thanks to the branded sauces from Anu, who prepares them at home and is ready to bring them to the restaurant, so as not to reveal the secret. The cafe offers a menu with prices, but the restaurant does not have a menu - you just bring frozen shrimp, crabs and fish, so you can choose what to cook. I recommend the cafe - walk 150 meters from the hotel towards the city and turn left, walk to the end of the alley and see the sign "Cinamon". Or you can ask tuk-tukers - they are on duty right behind the railway tracks.
Thrifty tourists said that they went out to the city and had lunch there for 450 rupees (rice, chicken in curry and salad).
But I think seafood is tastier, and you can afford not to save on vacation. Portions are large - rice and salad are added to seafood - after such a dinner you can not have dinner.
About money. You need to change dollars at the airport, where the most favorable rate is 177 rupees, and in the city - 170. To change more profitably in the city, you need to go to tuk-tukers - they know the place. For example, we asked to be taken to the bank, and the driver asked why the bank - when they said that to change the money, he took us not to the bank, but to the electronics store, and said that the money can be exchanged here. As it turned out, the exchange rate here is better than in the bank - 176 rupees per dollar. So I realized that we were very lucky with the tuk-tuker - he did not take us where we said, but asked what we wanted, and drove to where we could buy better quality goods.
His name is Nalin, a very gentle guy.
He asks in English where you are from, and when he finds out that he is from Ukraine, he says “Glory to Ukraine! ». In short, it is immediately apparent that our JoinUp regularly delivers to this hotel. I didn't know much about the prices, Nalin brought me to the store where I bought a silk scarf for 2.900 rupees, and I didn't know if it was a little or a lot. But another time another tuk-tuker (Nalina was not there, and we went with another) took us to an expensive store, where the same silk scarves cost 7.000 rupees. I was very sorry then that I didn't wait for Nalina. It is still more profitable to go shopping with him. We immediately discussed the route and the cost with him (we knew from previous reviews that this was necessary to avoid misunderstandings). If you drive around the city for short distances, you ask for 300 rupees, and if you need to shop in another city, it is 500-600 rupees.
Of course, you can walk and look for shops or a bazaar on your own, but in the 30-degree heat it is still more pleasant to ride a tuk-tuk.
Plus it's exotic and adventurous.
You can also ask tuk-tukers about excursions. They will all direct you to Lalita, who speaks a little Russian. His tours are cheaper than his guide. We bought from the guide, because he took us "warm" when we just arrived at the hotel and have not yet settled. It was a two-day trip to Kandy and Sigiriya, which cost $ 100, and another $ 70 (in rupees) to take with you to the entrance tickets to the national park and temple, and so on. By the way, we hardly saw the city of Kandy itself - only the park and the temple of the Buddha's tooth.
But in general the tour is interesting, first we went for an elephant ride, then - a spice garden (hung us noodles about Ayurveda to steam creams and pills at a high price), where tea is made, it is not advisable to buy there, because it is expensive, and we have, in principle, the same is sold in supermarkets), then - in Kandy botanical garden and temple. And that would be enough, in my opinion.
If I had known that the second day's excursion to Sigiriya involved climbing a mountain at 33 degrees in the sun, I would not have gone for nothing. And so now I have an idea of the size of the former royal palace (although it left only the foundations).
In Lalita bought a tour for $ 20 - a river safari, there photographed monitor lizards, monkeys and hummingbirds (it's lucky to see), then went to Gaul to see the turtles swimming to the shore (to look at them, you need to go to the waist in the water and look from above, do not allow to touch, you can not drive to the shore, so it is better to go to a turtle farm), then marveled at the fortress and lighthouse. The tour took a whole day.
Of the fruits, we liked pineapples the most - they are much sweeter and more fragrant than those brought to us. They are inexpensive - about 160 rupees per kilogram, but before you buy, think about how you will cut them. We didn't have a knife.
We called room service and asked to be cut. Cleaned and cut nicely and neatly. We were not charged extra for it, I just tipped 150 rupees. Bananas did not impress us, we have tastier ones. Although I heard reviews that their bananas are better.
Fruits that are out of season for them can be bought in the supermarket.
Like
You like
• 8
Very pleased to have chosen this hotel. Responsive staff, fulfilled any of our requests! Clean rooms with snow-white bedding, towels, bathrobes! ) Also in the room there is a kettle, tea, coffee, iron, ironing board, safe! ! ! ! ! Wifi is available throughout the hotel, except the beach. We only had breakfast and they were delicious! ) We liked the cute necks, tasty is something you must try and if you leave the hotel, cross the railway track and go up, walk to the main road and turn left there is a juice shop, a lot of different pastries, supermarkets, a little further I really liked the Indian restaurant Mango Mango, and another seafood restaurant on the beach with a beautiful view it can be reached on the beach, if you stand with your back to the hotel and in front to look at the ocean you need to go right)) 10 minutes or so) It is true that there are many Chinese in the hotel, but they did not bother us at all.
… More ▾
Very pleased to have chosen this hotel. Responsive staff, fulfilled any of our requests! Clean rooms with snow-white bedding, towels, bathrobes! ) Also in the room there is a kettle, tea, coffee, iron, ironing board, safe! ! ! ! ! Wifi is available throughout the hotel, except the beach.
We only had breakfast and they were delicious! ) We liked the cute necks, tasty is something you must try and if you leave the hotel, cross the railway track and go up, walk to the main road and turn left there is a juice shop, a lot of different pastries, supermarkets, a little further I really liked the Indian restaurant Mango Mango, and another seafood restaurant on the beach with a beautiful view it can be reached on the beach, if you stand with your back to the hotel and in front to look at the ocean you need to go right)) 10 minutes or so)
It is true that there are many Chinese in the hotel, but they did not bother us at all.
If you book a room with ocean views, it will not be a problem. And on the other hand there is a plus, we went to Colombo and Kandy and Gaul by train and it was convenient, rather than by bus and say so you can feel the country inside there are places worth visiting.
I recommend this hotel! We were very pleased! My advice is not to listen to anyone that there is only one restaurant next to the hotel, and take a walk or take a tuk tuk) for rent and be sure to visit Mango Mango! ) And other restaurants, we checked there is where to go for dinner I recommend thank you for a wonderful holiday.
We only had breakfast and they were delicious! ) We liked the cute necks, tasty is something you must try and if you leave the hotel, cross the railway track and go up, walk to the main road and turn left there is a juice shop, a lot of different pastries, supermarkets, a little further I really liked the Indian restaurant Mango Mango, and another seafood restaurant on the beach with a beautiful view it can be reached on the beach, if you stand with your back to the hotel and in front to look at the ocean you need to go right)) 10 minutes or so)
It is true that there are many Chinese in the hotel, but they did not bother us at all.
If you book a room with ocean views, it will not be a problem. And on the other hand there is a plus, we went to Colombo and Kandy and Gaul by train and it was convenient, rather than by bus and say so you can feel the country inside there are places worth visiting.
I recommend this hotel! We were very pleased! My advice is not to listen to anyone that there is only one restaurant next to the hotel, and take a walk or take a tuk tuk) for rent and be sure to visit Mango Mango! ) And other restaurants, we checked there is where to go for dinner I recommend thank you for a wonderful holiday.
Like
You like
• 4
Located on the very shore. View of the ocean and palm trees. Quiet beach, relatively clean. Enjoyed relaxing on the beach. The hotel has a lot of Chinese, noisy, shameless, (this is a minus). . . The food is average and monotonous. We bought seafood at the market, the owners cooked it in a private house near the hotel.
… More ▾
Located on the very shore. View of the ocean and palm trees. Quiet beach, relatively clean. Enjoyed relaxing on the beach. The hotel has a lot of Chinese, noisy, shameless, (this is a minus). . . The food is average and monotonous. We bought seafood at the market, the owners cooked it in a private house near the hotel. Ask tuk tukers, or they will offer. We made friends with a tuk tuk called Taraka, I RECOMMEND, the rest are so-so. . This one is always cleanly dressed, drives neatly, carries out shopping only where fresh seafood is. (We tried a lot of things. ) You can order large ocean mussels from him. Just huge. Understands Russian a little, English a little better. Taught Ukrainian. . Smart. He liked us and invited us to his house. We are the first white people in his house and in the area where he lives. Big family. Very friendly people. Received a lot of positive emotions communicating with the family. They are good-natured, so sweet. Invited again and a second time before leaving. We communicate now. We didn't go far on excursions. Were in local temples. I liked it very much. Ask for Tarak and he will take you to the outlying areas where his friends live, that's kapets.... still that one. . . The hotel and the town itself for a relaxing holiday, without children. They asked those who went on excursions from the guide, they didn’t really like it. Safari on the river is not so hot either. Choose yourself. .
Like
You like
• 5
