Heritance Kandalama

For a hotel in the Life series, see another review, wild animals, deep forests, a great experience, you must stay here once to encounter wild elephants and come face to face with monkeys.

True to the concept of blending with nature, not only was there greenery everywhere, but there were also elephants, monkeys and other animals on the premises, giving us a real Sri Lankan feel. We had read reviews in advance saying that insects were a concern, but we didn't find them to be a problem. The restaurant in the hotel was luxurious and delicious, but reasonably priced. If we had had time, we would have loved to have tried the spa.

It was great. The view, the service, the architecture, everything is great. The buffet has a variety of options, but it's not that delicious for the price, but the interior makes it okay.

This is my second stay this year. I think it's very nice. The restaurant is also good. I like the resident band too. Friends can dance together. It's a very relaxing environment...

Disappointing experience, regrettable service I stayed at Kandalama Hotel, which was the hotel where I stayed the longest in my 21-day trip to Sri Lanka - a total of 6 nights. As one of the masterpieces of Bawa's design, I had high hopes for it, but the overall experience made me feel quite disappointed. From the check-in, the lack of service was obvious. Compared with the other six hotels I stayed in on this trip, every hotel would greet me from the moment I got off the car and know my check-in situation, but Kandalama Hotel did not have such an arrangement at all. I was taken to a public lounge area where a tour group happened to be checking in. I specifically told the waiter that I was alone and not traveling with the tour group, but I was still left aside until the tour group had all checked in, and then I took the initiative to ask how to check in. Finally, with the help of my driver, a manager came to assist in the check-in and told me that my room was upgraded to the same room type as Bawa, and there were only three such rooms in the whole hotel. I was excited to hear this news, and the friendly attitude of the porter made my initial impression of the hotel a little relieved. But the following experience was speechless. The next morning, after breakfast, I was about to go back to the room for a video conference, when I suddenly heard the sound of knocking and electric drilling above my head. I called the front desk four times in a row before I got through to the front desk, and the other party's first reaction was to ask me to go to the public area for a meeting. I told the front desk that I needed power and didn't want to disturb others. In the end, the other party asked me to go to the business center, but asked me to find the location by myself without any guidance. Finally, after I repeatedly communicated with the front desk, the decoration sound stopped. What's worse is that this is not an accidental accident. At 5 o'clock in the morning on the fourth day after checking in, I was awakened by a loud noise, followed by the noise of decoration. I called the front desk again to stop the sound, but the receptionist kept saying "the manager will come to me". I told him that I didn't need the manager to come to me, and just needed to stop the decoration because I had to continue sleeping. The other party completely ignored my request of "just needing quietness". In the end, the manager called me. After tossing for more than ten minutes, the noise stopped, but I couldn't fall asleep again. In addition, the anti-lock design of the hotel balcony is also speechless. When I closed the balcony door, I found myself locked out. Fortunately, I had my phone with me and contacted the driver, and the hotel staff came to unlock the door 30 minutes later. They explained that this was to prevent monkeys from entering the room, but completely ignored the risk of guests being locked out. Of course, the hotel also has some good points. The room cleaners are very friendly, the restaurant has a wide variety of dishes, Bawa's design is indeed excellent, and the overall architecture of the hotel is integrated with nature, which is impressive. But unfortunately, these advantages cannot cover up the various shortcomings and confusions in the service. For a hotel known for its design, the service level is really disappointing. If you are interested in Bawa's architecture, it may be worth a short stop here to experience his design, but if you want to enjoy a comfortable stay, you may want to think twice.