February 2025. Everything is fine! The ocean is warm, you can swim in any weather. Monitor lizards, peacocks, and chipmunks are sometimes found on the territory. Everything is nice and well maintained. The staff is friendly, but a bit apathetic. The non-working refrigerator was replaced only with the second reminder. The rooms are not fresh, but they are comfortable and clean, with access to the terrace. We didn't really stay in the rooms, more on the beach. And we still haven't had a swim in the pool, the ocean is steeper.
A separate topic is trips around the island. Never!!! Never negotiate with Fernando. This is a local "guide" recruiting clients on the beach. The first time we agreed to take a bus to Colombo (5 people). Cancelled, the Russian-speaking tour guide can't, there is English through an interpreter. We refused, After 2 days we agreed again, everything is like, I give you a tooth, everything will be fine. Well, OK, we come to the parking lot, the same theme. The driver doesn't even speak English very well, more in Sinhalese. There's nothing to do, we're leaving in a day, okay, let's go! It turned out he was just a driver, not even close to a guide. This became clear when, driving across the bridge, he suddenly happily informed us - River!!! It was with difficulty that he was persuaded to visit the national museum, although he claimed that there were no museums, and for some reason tourists were not allowed there at all. After the trip, Fernando didn't come near us on the beach anymore. It is better to take tours from Russian speakers - Roma, Sasha, Jamil... Cheaper than tour operators. In addition, tour operators have guides who make stops where they can pump more money out of tourists. They're just in the share. Tea at a tea factory, medicines in Ayurveda, etc. are 2-4 times more expensive than in regular stores. And anyway, if you buy something, it's not near hotels or tourist parking lots. And I liked the two-day trip around the island. 160$ per person with a discount.
The food at the hotel is excellent, I haven't tried all the dishes. There is always a large selection and the main dishes are changed frequently. There is European cuisine, there is local, very spicy. Both are cooked at 4 with a minus. They can't cook. There are always fruits and juices, but the juices in the bar are made from concentrate. The local alcohol is so-so, good for some money. But the local beer is good.
Sasha's restaurant is across the street. The locals work there, they understand Russian. We had dinner once, they don't seem to be cooking anything. There was not enough local money to pay, they offered to pay with a card. It turns out that they accept transfers. The course was immediately shown, for some reason 1.5 times higher than the official one. As I understand it, getting money out of tourists is sacred for them)) As a result, they had to pay in dollars, but they didn't argue.
If you come here again, it's definitely not AI. It's better to travel around the island, it's still boring to sit in the hotel every day.
It is recommended for those who do not like a long transfer along the island's busy roads.) A cozy green hotel with a large swimming pool in a quiet location near the airport. We lived from 01/27/25. to 02/06/25. in room 178. A wonderful sunrise is guaranteed. If desired, at morning twilight, going out on the veranda, you can enjoy the local magically melodious soft singing coming from somewhere beyond the lake / forest.The interior is minimalistic, the beds are conducive to a peaceful sleep. You can sleep with a fan or an air conditioner, we chose an air conditioner. Do not forget to close the door to the toilet, because there the window is always open and the air conditioner will work hard. The refrigerator is silent. The room was cleaned daily and of high quality. Teas and drinking water in the room were always replenished. Among the disadvantages of the room: the mirror has long been tarnished, water is constantly pouring into the flush tank (you can't hear it when the door is closed), the faucet above the bathroom may not be working (the shower and washbasin are working properly), the paint on the floor slightly stains white socks. You need an adapter for the sockets, we took it at the reception. There are no mosquitoes in the room, because the lamps have plates against them.
The territory of the hotel is large and diverse in landscape (there are lakes, a mangrove forest, a small banana plantation, a mini golf course, a puddle with lotuses, and the ocean shore). There is a red path along the lake for leisurely walks. There are a lot of large animals - peacocks, spur cuckoos, a snake-necked snake on a small lake dives amusingly for fish, at dusk flying foxes feed in the treetops, and at dusk you can meet a thin-necked hare. And I can't count any interesting insects, especially the miniature praying mantises.
The free activities are varied. They rode kayaks (they get their feet burned in one fell swoop), took a fishing rod (the reel on it was really broken), a volleyball ball was always in the pool (they played both volleyball and water polo), there seemed to be bicycles, but I didn't want to ride them in the heat. You can always find a place in the shade by the pool, even though they occupy the most comfortable ones earlier. The pool is large and well-zoned, so there is enough space for everyone - a water path for pensioners, a paddling pool for children, a sports field (water polo, volleyball) for active people, and there is still plenty of space where you can enjoy active swimming. On weekends, the hotel is a little more crowded due to the arrival of locals, they swim even in the midday heat, but they are very good-natured and modest. There was live music every evening, and on Independence Day there was a parade and a concert before lunch. The animators are only in French, so we didn't use their services, although we tried to play boccia once.
The food is varied. The waiters are very quick to clean the tables, so there were always tables available. There is always beef, pork, chicken, tuna. There were crabs sometimes. I liked the local cuisine very much. It turned out that the bar does not serve alcohol on holidays. It was very tasty ice cream and yogurt, but the hodgepodge was terrible.
The service is excellent. Everything is done with a smile and at ease without extorting money. There is no Russian-speaking staff, you can communicate in primitive English. I really liked the massage, it should be done on the first day - after tanning, the sensations are no longer the same.
The contingent. Most of them are French. Probably 1/3 are Russian-speaking. The rest are Eastern Europeans. There are many pensioners among the French, Russian-speaking families with children, and young couples in Eastern Europe.
We are currently staying at this hotel. Of the good ones, there is a really large and beautiful territory, many charming cats and dogs, you can meet a peacock, as well as a huge number. Crows are not inspiring - not only do they scream all the time, they also steal food))
The rooms are large, the first ones had enough space in the cupboards for all three, a type of bungalow with a terrace. But everything is old, shabby, a friend has high-tech, so all the curtains are streaked, the pressure in the shower is barely there, the mirror with a chipped edge, in general everything looks shabby - definitely not a deluxe on the terrace, there is 1 dirty chair for 3 people and that was stolen a couple of days later. Important! The sockets are three-plug, they gave 1 adapter at the reception, so it's better to take it with you.
Personally, I didn't like the food at all, and this is probably the biggest disadvantage.... The national cuisine is very spicy, but the meat is... Oh, that's a different story... I've never seen pork, beef, chicken, and fish all fried to the soles of their feet... in general, you could only eat rice with a hint of seafood and vegetables, and tomatoes were occasionally rotten ...
Sweet is not bad, and sometimes even very tasty, but do not expect normal fruits. You can buy them on the beach..
There are 2 restaurants not far from the hotel - right in front (at Sasha's) and 500 meters to the left, across the bridge, I forgot the name. It's quite decent there. I know some people went by tuk tuk to the neighboring city to eat normally)
Now about the beach, there are about 10-15 sun beds for the entire hotel. So in the morning you have to run or on the sand... the situation by the pool is about the same, i.e. there are more sun beds, of course, but there are incomparably more people there...
There are also questions about the all-inclusive account: white and red wine is only for money, alcohol is not served on the beach at all. The recommendation is to take fitness bottles or a thermos or some other container from home, you have collected it by the pool, and go to the beach... The pool is large and nice
Excursions: There's a certain Fernando and his son Roche hanging out near the entrance to the beach. They know Russian quite well, unlike our guide from BiblioGlobus, whom I didn't understand at all. So their price tag is lower than that of the tour operator, and the service is not bad.
There is no Wi-Fi on the beach at all, the rooms are weak, the reception is normal.
The New Year's dinner was a test, but alcohol was stopped being poured at 23:00 local time, i.e. 3.5 hours before the Russian NG. In general, if you don't pay attention to the little things, everything is fine! The main thing is a truly beautiful ocean and good company!