Roman Beach Hotel

В отеле скучно. Находится в дали от всех ресторанов. Номера чистые. Хороший бассейн.

We first came to Roman Beach in 2018 and it was magical so I was a little worried it wouldn’t be as good this time. Thankfully we were given room 106 again which really does have the most beautiful view! So let’s start with all the positives - Roman Beach is still magical, the room is lovely - gorgeous bathroom with spa bath, comfortable bed and that view! The pool is the perfect temperature and the whole outside area is immaculately kept by their lovely pool man/gardener who will make up a sun lounger in your favourite spot as soon as he sees you and keeps checking in to make sure you are ok! What makes Roman Beach special is its staff - so helpful and just lovely smiley people. We did have a couple of issues though this time, we ate in the restaurant twice for dinner and both times they got one of the meals wrong - the first time we decided not to say anything because we just wanted to eat together but the second time it happened, we did mention it. They were very upset that they had made a mistake and quick to make another meal but the food sadly wasn’t great - this being said, my husband had the Sri Lankan curry and he said it was delicious. Breakfast seems to be a huge affair and we decided to just go down the street to have a coffee - if you like a big breakfast then this place is for you! Having said that, even though the option for a smaller breakfast wasn’t on the menu, I am confident they would have accommodated this if we asked. Overall the restaurant does lack abit of ambience on an evening, maybe if they dimmed the lights, added candles, nice music and special menu’s it might be more inviting? We quickly fell into a lovely rhythm of lazy mornings by the pool and afternoons on the balcony watching the glorious sunsets. Whilst RB is not licensed they will go out and get beer/wine for you and one afternoon we ordered a bottle of wine for the balcony for sundowners - bliss! We left for an early flight and the chef had made us a little breakfast for the airport - really kind! So the big question is would we go back for a 3rd time and the answer is a resounding yes! Since we first went to Hikkaduwa some nice high end hotels have popped up with lovely restaurants but RB has a personal touch that bigger hotels just don’t have come and see for yourself!

We paid to stay here seven days but left after three. On first impression our spacious room and balcony overlooking the large attractive pool seemed fine. However there was dried blood on the bed sheets. The choice and quality of food at dinner persuaded us not to repeat it the next night. Breakfast was weird - a dessert of rock-hard waffles piled high could follow eggs and toast. The coffee was dreadful. The promised mini-bar never materialised. No alcohol, though they would get on a bike and bring us a bottle of beer if we asked for it. Some of the staff were delightful but the atmosphere at the hotel was not very positive. The internet connection broke frequently and had to be reinstated. When we said we wanted to leave, the chef came to see us. His white jacket was covered in stains and grubby dirt. What might that say about the kitchen?