Closenberg Hotel

This is situated in a small hill top in the Galle giving breathtaking view of the beach, sea and Galle. Oldest Galle hotel with vintage vibes, buildings are running back to 18th century. Pool has amazing infinity view. Staff is so friendly and helpful. Rooms are nice and clean. Main building need some face-lift and better gardening. If they do, I believe this could be the best vintage hotel in South cost.

Review: Recent Stay at Closenberg Hotel Staff: The staff are extremely kind, warm, and genuinely helpful. Their friendliness truly stands out. With that said, some additional training—especially in telephone etiquette and professional communication—would greatly enhance the overall guest experience. Room & Bed: The rooms have a charming vintage character, and the bed is super comfortable, ensuring a great night’s sleep. However, housekeeping needs closer attention, particularly proper dusting and overall cleanliness. While a dental kit is not provided, it’s not a major concern as this seems to align with the hotel’s concept. Bathroom: The bathroom is an area that requires improvement. The bidet feels outdated; a bidet shower would be more practical. A reliable hot water system with good water pressure is essential and should be addressed. View & Balcony: The view from the balcony is absolutely unbeatable—one of the best I’ve experienced. For better privacy, it would be great if balconies could be partially screened, as neighboring balconies are visible. Pool: The infinity-style pool (the type that visually merges with the ocean) is located in a truly unique, one-of-a-kind spot with breathtaking views. This area has huge untapped potential. A pool bar, ambient lighting, bean bags, music, Wi-Fi, and drinks could transform it into a major Instagrammable attraction and a strong revenue generator for the hotel. Food: The food is amazing and absolutely delicious—clearly one of the hotel’s strongest points. Atmosphere & Maintenance: Despite its charm and potential, basic maintenance has been seriously neglected. Issues noticed include lack of garden grooming, food placed on the floor in hallways for cats, a generally run-down appearance, broken gutters, and water leaking during rain—even inside the hotel, with containers placed to collect water. A broken stairway leading to the ocean is overgrown with weeds. These are fundamental issues that need urgent attention. Restaurant & Coral Displays: Large coral installations inside the restaurant take up significant space and appear old, poorly maintained, and neglected, with dried plants and unkept fish tanks. Similar coral displays were seen in other areas. It would be far better if these were relocated back to the ocean, allowing the restaurant space to breathe and function as intended. Landscaping: The path to the pool is surrounded by greenery, but much of it feels unplanned. The hotel would benefit greatly from a proper horticultural redesign. Overall: This hotel is ideal for honeymooners due to its limited number of rooms and romantic setting, but more work is needed before it can fully cater to a niche market. Personally, I love this hotel—it offers one of the best views I’ve ever experienced. It’s truly sad to see such an iconic property slowly losing its charm due to neglect rather than lack of potential. I sincerely hope management takes serious note of these points and works toward restoring Closenberg Hotel to its former glory.

The location of Closenberg Hotel in Galle is beautiful, but there are some important things future guests should know before booking. The property offers a sunrise view, not a sunset view; because it’s on the west coast, many people will naturally assume they are booking a sunset‑view stay, but that is not the case here, and it can be disappointing if you come with that expectation. In the photos the hotel looks like a charming heritage‑style, 3‑star property, but in reality it does not fully give that feeling when you are actually there. The building and facilities clearly need a lot more maintenance, care and upgrading. There is a lot of scope for improvement if the management is willing to invest in restoring the place properly and maintaining it to match the impression given online. One of the most noticeable issues during our stay was the swimming pool, which was very dirty and did not feel inviting or well looked after. With better upkeep and more consistent maintenance, this property could genuinely live up to its potential.

Not well maintained Rooms.|The drive up to the hotel is narrow and not paved. The Hotel looks like an old family residence which is in much meed of repair.|The room was spacious but the washroom was dirty and not well maintained. The bathtub was old and rusty, the shower was not easy to control and pressure was very low. In fact, for one of our group members the shower stopped while having a shower. The shower curtain was dirty. There was no soap, they expected us to use body wash for hand and face wash.|There were no hangers in the closet. The room leaked from the roof when it rained heavily one night. Luckily for us our bags were not close to the leaky area.|The ocean view from our room was good. The infinity pool was good.|The breakfast was good but never on time even after reminder.| The staff and reception were good and courteous. Very little English spoken.|The private path to the beach area is very dirty and definitely not suitable for people with mobility issues or senior persons.

What a wholesome place they have on top of rocks by the sea in Galle! The view was breath taking. The service was very good. I stayed just one night but it gave me a luxurious experience. The pool was also nice. Only reasons I had to give 4 stars because the bathroom water was dirty once when I opened and the road is also very old. Otherwise, it's a great place for a stay.

Very friendly and obliging staff. Mr. Dulanga (FOM) was always available to attend to all our needs. Superb location overlooking the sea, and the sea-front rooms offered an amazing view.

First , when I enter the property through its long entry path I sensed that property is not taken care of at all , the tarmac was broken and there were many large potholes , trees and grass were grown and no pruning nor maintenance was done . When I visited the reception , they responded lethargically and didn't seem to be welcoming at all . I was given a room & at the entry I noticed the cleanliness and maintenance was not there . The floor was worn out and unclean , I could see doors and furniture were worn out damaged and unclean. I had to go out to visit some places . When I return it was 11 pm & although reception is said to be open until midnight , it was closed and no one was there. To my utmost despair , noone from room service or house keeping were available as well. There was some king of a gathering and few staff people were running around with dishes.. When inquired they said room boys are not available now. I badly wanted one as they had no water , soap or dental kits . I personally reached out to someone who was going home after his shift & got the things anyhow . He was the only person who had customer service attitude. He gave me two batteries for the AC remote which wasnt functioning & when I asked him about the room phone not functioning ,the reply was hilarious. Telephone line has been damaged by monkeys and whole property don't have intercom facility now. Curtains were unclean and worn out , and walls had lot of unfinished paint patched . Furthermore when checking out the bathroom , I noticed there's no bidget shower , only the bidet which was dated and impractical . Also found two cockroaches and a used worn out piece of soap giving a very bad impression on cleanliness of the washroom. Also the door locks were fragile and worn out and security of room were questionable. Room had no mosquito net & had a terrible sleep with mosquito bites . Then when I reached the lobby area in the morning 8:15 , even-though breakfast is said to be starting at 7:30 there was nothing . When I inquired a funny guy running around with dishes who later identified as the manager responded that last night party ran late & staff slept late. They showed no responsibility nor care . Furthermore , the dishes at buffet were unclean and had cockroach droppings . I myself washed dishes , glasses and spoon as I didn't want myself to get contaminated. When I tried the yoghurt I found a hair on it & when informed the manager he casually took it away asking me to get a new one which means it's not something unusual for them. This property is located at a prime natural location at Galle and it's a crime that management has made total misery out of it . This is the hotel my mother had her wedding & 1978 & that's the very reason I took her there to recall the memories. But it was a total disappointment , not even the basic level let alone the value for money. I have informed Sri Lanka tourist board , Public Health Inspector office and other related regulatory bodies as this property damages the global impression on Sri Lanka tourism .

We visited Closenburg Hotel to celebrate my birthday with two close friends, and it turned out to be a truly memorable evening. 🥂🎂 The staff were warm and friendly, making us feel right at home from the moment we arrived. The view was absolutely stunning, adding a magical touch to our celebration. 🌊🌅 What caught our eyes most were the beautiful bougainvillea plants blooming all around, adding vibrant color and charm to the hotel’s atmosphere. 🌸💖 Dinner was delightful — the food was simply amazing, perfectly complementing the overall experience. 🍴✨ A wonderful spot for special moments, relaxation, and breathtaking views. Highly recommended! 🌟