Reviews of Royal Palms Beach Hotel, Kalutara, Sri Lanka

Mercury Direct holidays - we...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2008

Tour Operator:

Mercury Direct

Submitted By:

Mrs J E McNeil

Comments:

Mercury Direct holidays - we have had three now - are of very good quality and value. We spent four days in The Maldives on the way to Sri Lanka, that was VERY special. Driving from Columbo to Kalutara is different - very fast traffic, much overtaking and if there are rules to the road we didn't understand them. Seatbelts are not used apparently. We got there in just over two hours which is quite good I understand.



The hotel, very lovely, agree with former comments made. Downsides - only three coat hangers in our room, our friends had two and it wasn't easy to get more .... all inclusive is limiting compared with other AI holidays we have had, no diet drinks, wine only at meals and then very small measures .... the sea had the red flag flying on 4 out of our 9 days because on undercurrents. Tangerine hotel is nowhere near as good, but does have the massage area, table tennis etc. Hotel shop, same goods in both hotels and Tangerine is the cheaper of the two. We had very disappointing service - I bought a skirt, within 10 mins found a hole in it and the shop would not refund my money...and I did try! Even hotel staff couldn't change the mind of the manager. Would we go to the Royal Palms again....yes, but not to the shop.



Mercury Direct excursions were too expensive in our opinion - we used a local minibus on two days (but it pays to shop around and check out insurance) visiting the Elephant Orphanage and then down south to Galle. The driving was very good and less than a quarter of the cost.

The 8 rating is aimed at Mercury...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2007

Tour Operator:

Mercury Direct

Submitted By:

Mr RJ Parker

Comments:

The 8 rating is aimed at Mercury Direct and not the Royal Palms. I specifically stipulated I didn't want to go during the monsoon period, so was disappointed to find I was there slap bang in the middle of it. Hence, half the holiday was spent watching rain, warm rain, but rain nonetheless. The sea was one of the roughest I have ever seen for the entire holiday. One day, the rain was being driven horizontally and the palm trees along the front of the complex were bending inwards rather dramatically. We were sat in the middle of the Hurricane Bar (is that a hint?) and the rain was driving underneath the tiles and down on us as we drank. (One way of watering the drinks I suppose.)



The hotel itself merits a 9.5. I had requested a ground floor room because both my wife and I have disabilities that affects our walking. This was catered for, but it meant we had to put up with a damp room. Sheets and pillow cases were damp to the touch and mould affected a couple of items of clothing and a case that were against the wall. The management did have these cleaned as soon as they were notified. From what I could ascertain from other residents, some rooms on the second floor were similarly affected, but there appeared to be no problems on the first floor.



Another little niggle was the television in the room, one of the soon to be obsolete CRT ones. Everybody else's room seemed to have a LCD TV, but apparently the cabling to our room was awaiting upgrading. We had three different TV's over the 25 days but none had a decent picture. Be warned "Satellite TV" does not mean Sky, it means Star. Only three English language channels, but plenty of Premiership Football action. One plus was the bathroom, very well furnished and the toilet seat was sealed "Sanitized” which was a big plus for the wife.



The meals in the Monsoon Restaurant (Do you see the theme there?) could not be faulted for quantity. On the quality side, my wife's only gripe was that the meats were too tough. But there was one thing I didn't expect. I'm a very fussy eater - a pie and chips man - and on the four occasions I couldn't find anything I liked on display, the chef whipped me up a plate of egg and chips - toot sweet. There's plenty for the salad eaters and veggies and the sweet selection brilliant.



Now for something the others haven't mentioned the hotel wildlife. There are lots of squirrel like creatures in the grounds, some say they're chipmunks others say mongooses (yes that is the plural). I tend to concur with the latter. They chatter, fight and frolic and some are so used to human contact they will approach you and beg. They live in the palm trees, as do the fruit bats, which have wingspans approaching a metre, but do not come near you. There are also bullfrogs which are a vivid green in colour. The odd bullfrog ventures into the swimming pool at night, but they only do it once. The sight of a fruit bat swooping down to pluck a bullfrog from the swimming pool late at night is something else. As it gets towards midnight if you go down to the beach, you will see hundreds of crabs scuttling around. But the wildlife star can be seen next door in the grounds of the Tangerine Ayurveda spa, where a family of Water Monitors are in residence.



There are quite a few must see places in Sri Lanka. The tea plantation, elephant orphanage, Temple of the Tooth, Moonstone mine and Turtle Hatchery to name but a few. But you must take the short trip to Gahlee to see the Tsunami Memorial. A packed commuter train was swept away here with the loss of over 1200 lives and the carved memorial wall depicts this in the most dramatic and moving fashion.



The hotel personnel are very friendly. I'm used to finding at least one "surly beggar" amongst hotel staff, but not here. Bar staff, restaurant staff, pool boys, receptionists, housekeepers all, bend over backwards to please you. Then again, people outside the hotel are also friendly, without exception. Even the "sales" people on the beach. Beware girls, if you let your man walk the beach alone he'll be offered more than a flimsy wrap for you. The cigarettes on sale are made in Sri Lanka and taste nothing like their counterparts at home.



A ride in a Tuk-tuk is a must, but don't let one of the "travel guides" get in with you. Not unless you have five hours to spare to visit the places he gets commission from.



Overall I would advise anyone to spend time at the Royal Palms, just not in September. Although that would mean missing the spectacular Perahera parade, but I'm sure you can get a DVD of it.

Fantastic Holiday - The hotel is...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2007

Tour Operator:

Mercury Direct

Submitted By:

Mrs M Severini

Comments:

Fantastic Holiday - The hotel is lovely, staff are very attentive, rooms are very large, airy and luxurious, the food is very good, and varied - try the rice and curry.



The hotel have a Thai restaurant within their grounds which is not part of the All Inclusive - don’t bother to go there, the food is the same as in the main restaurant.



The beach is sandy and reasonably clean but you are pestered by sellers at the beach fence a lot of the time. There are plenty of sunbeds on the lawns around the hotel and pool that you need not go to the beach, except to see the sunsets which are spectacular.



It was our wedding anniversary and the hotel upgraded our room and on the evening of our arrival had a cake and a bottle of champagne delivered to our hotel.



The hotel has a few shops; if you want to buy gems then you need to make sure you get a Certificate of Authenticity for them. They are good gems and very cheap - don’t buy from markets or beach traders, they will be coloured glass.



Did not find any mosquitoes, in fact the hotel put those plug-in things in your rooms to keep them away, and they replenish every few days.



Tours are good - go on the river trip to the mangroves - very interesting. Try the Aryuveda spa at the sister hotel next door - very good, relaxing and knowledgeable. You can find cheaper spas on the beach - but not sure how good they are.



Places to visit - Temple of the Tooth, Kandy, Colombo, tea plantation/factory, Temple at Syringia, elephant orphanage and you must take a ride in a tuktuk.



Enjoy your holiday!

Sister hotel to 3* Tangerine...

Overall Rating:

6/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2006

Tour Operator:

Gold Medal Travel

Submitted By:

Mr S J Thomas

Comments:

Sister hotel to 3* Tangerine Beach (next door), the Royal Palms is worth the upgrade.

A great family hotel with kids facilities and kiddies pool located at both Royal Palms and Tangerine Beach.



Series of walkways connect the two hotels. Deluxe rooms are comfortable and spacious, all air conditioned. We found staff very welcoming and friendly.



Food selection is quite diverse as English and Far Eastern cuisines are catered for also. Although Royal Palms holds 5* status, I was a little disappointed that there was no 'Non-Smoking' areas in any of the restaurants. I would certainly recommend guests try dining at 'The Orient' - A la carte restaurant (A sensual atmosphere with fantastic food and service). Lovely hotel grounds and a lovely beach. The beach area is fenced right along the garden ridge, dividing hotel guests and the beach touts; which can be a welcome relief! - All people though are very friendly!



If you like a leisurely swim, Royal Palms has an excellent pool which runs underneath part of the hotel and extends to the other side.



Guests will hear passing trains occasionally as rail service runs directly in front of the hotel, beyond the driveway. These are NOT a disruption. They operate during the day.

External facilities are few. A couple of little, local restaurants and stores up the road but other than that, not much else.



The hotel is a great base for those who want to relax as there's not much more to do. More adventurous travelers may spend 2 or 3 nights here before moving on with their itinerary.