Ruvisha Beach Hotel

This rooftop bar is such a missed opportunity for the owners. Fabulous position, lovely breeze…….but distinctly underwhelming vibe due to plain terrace. And plain cocktail which was delicious (the arrack one) but needed to look pretty! If some investment was made with loads of greenery, fairy lights, music and decorate the drinks this could be a gold mine. This could be the best bar in Negombo with a bit of work!!!

Big newish hotel north end of Negombo beach. Ground pool plus rooftop restaurant. Ocean view rooms huge and nice with great views and balconies. One negativeI is hotel is on the landward side of the main coastal road (rather than directly on beach) so fair bit of rumbling truck and bus noise if you sensitive to such things. Occasionally a nearby restaurant will have a group party celebration with typical Sri Lankan super loud music being played until late = most likely on weekendd

An ideal airport to stop at for airport journey. A complimentary welcome drink on arrival and friendly staff. Very grateful that they let me stay in the room till 2pm on check out day for free, as I had a later flight. A great shower and comfortable bed.

Like others we stayed here as starting point of a tour with Intrepid. The hotel is old and dirty, everywhere you go there’s a different unpleasant smell. The lift is super noisy and dings at every floor, you can hear it all the way from down the corridor, and thanks to some acoustic witchcraft you hear the ding for every floor, no matter where you are. Breakfast is appalling, sad dry sliced fruit probably the same everyday as nobody dares to touch it, some pathetic and failed attempts to a bit of both continental and local delicacies, and bread toasting machine that takes 3 to 5 business day to toast one side of the bread, but that slice of toast was all in all the best thing I ate! Room was disgustingly dirty, counted 4 cockroaches that had to fight off, the floor looks like hasn’t been mopped since 1994 and all surfaces are sticky and dusty. The shower probably the worst I’ve ever seen, dirty glass doors and tiles, mouldy shower head and not a single shelf to put toiletries on. Can’t wait to leave in the morning!

We stayed in this hotel as it was the meeting point of a tour but if it had not been I would not have stayed! The rooms were full of flacking paint and mould stains, one of our party got electrocuted and another had the ceiling fall down on the corridor to their room. Smoking is allowed in rooms so some of the room stank of smoke. The breakfast is poor at best, the lift room hit you every time you enter. On asking for the room to be cleaned they asked us for our keys as they didn’t have any other set and then couldn’t find them when we asked for them back. The staff hovered as you ate or drank making it very uncomfortable. The pool was to the front of the property and had a brick to step to the pool area and you had to duck around a tree to sit on two of the four beds available.

At face value, this hotel seems good. It was booked as part of a tour I had joined, so I had no say in where to stay. All started well, I arrived early in the morning, was given a welcome drink as is often the case in Sri Lanka and my luggage was taken off me to be delivered to my room. Check in time is officially 2pm. I arrived just before 10am so wasn't expecting to be able to get into my room. However, the reception staff told me it was ready and I could head up there straight away. After a long flight I was glad of the chance to freshen up and have a quick nap. I got up to the room and just as I was about to step into the shower, the phone rang. I didn't get to it in time so carried on with my shower. (As a few people have mentioned, it was COLD and not at all pleasant). Finally climbed into bed and was just dozing off when the phone rang again. Nobody there for the second time. I fell asleep and about 20 minutes later, it rang for the third time. This time there was someone on the other end, telling me because I'd checked in early, I needed to pay a $15 fee! There was absolutely no mention of this upon check-in, had I been given the option that would have been a different issue. But to be told after I'd already been in the room almost an hour and decamped all my stuff wasn't on at all. In short, I refused to pay it. But be warned that if you check in early, this could happen to you. I'm not sure if they seriously expected me to pack up my stuff and go back to the same room at 2pm.... Other points ... As mentioned, the shower is cold. Apparently you need to leave it running for about 10 minutes to get anything that resembles warm water from it. What a waste! Questionable cleanliness in the room, lots of dust. It's best not to look! Breakfast was good and served on the rooftop with great views over the beach.