M. de Groot
Google
It's difficult to write a proper review as it is highly based on personal interpretation.
If you're looking for an authentic experience, this English colonial style hotel has it all. It takes you back to that exact period and if you like that style, it should therefore probably deserve a 5-star rating.
As it was sold to me as a hotel in a round trip taking me through Sri Lanka, I will therefore rate it for how it was sold to me...as a hotel. That having said, the service and food are outstanding (as I've experienced throughout Sri Lanka) and the hotel premises are well maintained. However, for the rooms "authentic" becomes "dated". All the efforts are made for trying to pass it off as a 3-star hotel room, but what's the point of having tea and coffee in your room without having a water cooker? The wiring in rooms prevents them from having that, as well as the usual fridge or air-conditioning (you'll have to make do with the ceiling fan). Rooms are clean, although due to the dated interior it may not feel that way. The cleanliness of carpeting and bed speads can be doubted. Rooms are not very suitable for elderly people as showering in the bathtub may come with safety issues. Also, the mosque down the street starts calling for prayer at around 5 am (not being something the hotel can be blamed for).
It's a great experience for a night, but the 3-star hotel rating does have me asking questions about all the other 3-star hotels that I've been in so far.
