Hiriketiya Beach Resort

After 3 hours of traveling from Ella to Dikwella/Hireketiya we found out that our first booked hotel was not what we expected, last minute we had to change plans. We found this beautiful hotel 2 minutes from the beach, we walked in to ask for a room, which was arranged within 5 minutes, the staff was really helpful and kind. They even arranged a tuktuk to pick up our bagage from the old hotel. From having a bad morning/afternoon to a great expierence in Hiriketiya, thanks to the staff of this amazing hotel!

Nethmi greeted us with a lovely help. There was a mix up with our booking but they were quick to help us fix it. We had a beautiful big room. The pool saved us from the scorching heat! It was minutes walk from the beach. We had resident monkey and nothing but the sounds of the jungle around us. I complemented the chef Supun on his Dahl and he promptly offered me an impromptu (FREE) cooking class the next day outside where he showed me how to make the Dahl and all the curry fixings, which we proceeded to eat for lunch. The breakfasts were great each morning and included. The Gin and Tonics pool side were just what I needed. Our stay there was very relaxing and I would definitely go back. Sorry about the photos. I took a lot of video but trip advisor wont give me the option to up load it.

Avoid this hotel. I do not recommend staying at this hotel. Despite what the photos may suggest, it is an old dirty hotel. There is dust everywhere, the floor in rooms is falling apart, tiles are coming off the walls, and the bathroom is simply disgusting. None of this would be a big issue if the hotel staff knew how to handle it and maintained a basic customer-oriented approach. Our toilet started leaking and was not flushing. I asked the receptionist if they could take a look at it during our visit to the beach in the afternoon. We returned after five hours (5!) and were given the keys at the reception with the assurance that it was fixed. As soon as I entered the room, I realized that nothing had changed (except for the air conditioning being lowered from 26 to 16°C). I went back to the reception where I waited for 15 minutes until someone came. After five confused phone calls from the receptionist, with no one picking up, the receptionist decided to fix the toilet himself. There was no way he could do this by himself. So, I asked him for a different room (because we can't stay without a functional toilet, not to mention the shower sink being stuffed already). I was told that the hotel was full. I then asked him to find an alternative hotel (as it was approaching 11:00 PM) or suggest ed that we could survive one night but will request a refund. He immediately told me that it was not possible. Later he told me that the manager would come in the morning and sort it out with me. When I asked if I should use the sink as a toilet, he said he didn't know, attempted a few profane english words, and repeated that the manager would come tomorrow. If, upon arrival, the receptionist immediately apologized, stating that they couldn't fix it and the repairman would only come tomorrow, resulting in us having to endure one night without a toilet, with the option to use the staff or hotels restaurant facilities, since they have no spare rooms, I wouldn't say a word. In the morning, upon arriving at the reception, we were informed that the manager wouldn't be present as he was at another hotel and wasn't technically actually the manager. When I spoke to him on the phone, explaining that we wouldn't leave the hotel without his presence and problem resolution, he said he would arrive in 3 hours. I insisted he was there within an hour, during which we had to use the street restaurant's toilet since ours still wasn't working and there was no other to use in the whole facility. After an hour, receptionist arrived, stating that the actual hotel manager was not coming and was refusing to speak with us—an extreme lack of courtesy and perhaps the biggest issue in this entire experience. During the discussion, the receptionist accused us of breaking the toilet flush system (which is quite challenging with a built-in one, to be honest) and suggested we leave the hotel immediately. When proposing to call the police under the condition that we all speak on