The Wallawwa

We had a fantastic stay at the Wallawwa. The property is stunning and its close proximity to teh airport was ideal. The rooms are really tastefully decorated and luxurious and the staff were all so welcoming and friendly. There is a really nice shop on site with the money raised going to a local Sri Lankan charity. We picked up some lovely cards and gifts. We had dinner and breakfast and both were delicious. We stayed on our honeymoon and the staff were fantastic and very congratulatory. Our only regret was not staying for longer than one night!

The hotel itself is amazing - spectacular rooms (with patio) and garden, nice pool. My wife and I went for our honeymoon. The staff and service however is pretty mediocre, particularly for the facilities they have. The building is like a luxury resort, while the service is what you would expect in a youth hostel in Amsterdam or Paris. I should say, I told them it was our honeymoon beforehand and they decorated our bed and also offered u a complimentary cake. However this didn't compensate for the poor service. The hotel is clearly understaffed and staff are not properly trained (4 different people asked me for my dinner order, it takes ages to get served, everything is slow, waiters are walking around confused, doubling up on tables while other tables are waiting, many staff are not friendly, reception never picks up the phone). It is a real pity because it ruins the spectacular hotel they have.

Stayed on our last night in Sri Lanka as a stopover on the way to the airport. Can't remember exactly but it's about a 20 min drive. Hence can't comment on the local area and what's around. The hotel however is wonderful. Old colonial building tastefully renovated with great attention to detail. Food was also very good and reasonably priced. A real bit of luxury in great grounds. Would certainly recommend it. Just as a side note - a made an error while booking the hotel, Hotels.com were less than helpful initially, but the hotel were amazing. Their level of customer service was exceptional.

Lovely area and not far from the airport.

This was such a nice surprise. Absolutely stunning building, design, landscaping, decoration: which is a shock given its proximity to the Colombo airport (and frankly, the only reason I booked it). They've done a great job tastefully exposing the colonial bones of the original building and have made some thoughtful upgrades. Staff couldn't have been kinder or more accomodating. Food was great if you stick to Sri Lankan. In terms of location, I have no idea if this place is convenient to anything other than the airport, which is a shame. It might make a nice jumping off point for Negombo but I didn't get a chance to visit. Prob a little too far in the country to serve as a base for exploring Colombo, but to be honest, you only need a day to see what Colombo has to offer.