Royal Palms Beach Hotel

We've just returned from Royal Palms and, as the previous reviews on Trip Advisor have said, this hotel is well and truly 5 star in every sense!! FOOD - The food is outstanding, variety of choices for all tastes including vegetarians, all well cooked and presented. On the terrace every night chefs cook on their barbecue or in their woks, delicious stir frys or grilled meats - all of your own choice, including the fresh veg and spices, so you can have your meal as spicy or as bland as you want it! The waiters and waitresses are always there for you, pulling out your chair, placing your napkin on your lap, re-filling your glass, taking your empty plates away quickly and courtiously. DRINK - Although some comments were made about paying for drinks, we were not charged at all, although we did only drink Lion beer, lemonade, ginger beer or bottled water. The cocktails are free, I did have a couple of pinacolada's one night, and husband had brandy after dinner which was not charged. STAFF - We cannot fault their service. Every member is civil, well mannered, happy and smiling and wherever you go doors are opened for you and you are Sir and Madam. ROOMS - Cleaned twice a day. Your room-boy is polite and unintrusive. He puts a new mossie repellant pad in a machine in your room every night, just in case the blighters get in, but with doors closed to keep room cool, we didn't see any. A small tip for him every few days is greatly appreciated, and your unwanted toiletries will be put to good use, too. HEALTH - Through our extensive travelling I always seem to get bitten by bugs, and get some sort of tummy upset for which I carry the relevant medicines. However I spent 10 days without a bite, without feeling ill and have come home with untouched medicines - a first!! The hotel is spotless and seems to be cleaned throughly daily. Obviously due to no tummy upsets on my part, the food prep, and restaurant area must be clean and hygienic. We ate all sorts of new and interesting dishes which could have been "iffy" on a delicate English stomach, but which had no ill effects. IN GENERAL - England could learn something from the Sri Lankans regarding civility and respect towards each other, and it's not a "show" for the tourists - throughout the country the Lankans are respectful to one another. It could be that due to 70% are buddist which we learned is a gentle and peaceful religion and we were quite enlightened by the information we were given about buddhism from our tour guide during an excursion. RECOMMENDATIONS - the 2-day trip with Mercury Direct and Ace Travel in S.L. to Kandy, Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage, the Temple of Tooth Relic, overnight DBB at lovely hotel, and the hill country - tea plantations, tea factory tour and Nurawa Eliya. Scenery stunning, sights interesting and beautiful, an insight into real Sri Lankan life. Ask for Saliya as your driver/guide - he is courteous, informative and enjoys a chat and a laugh, he speaks brilliant English and cares for your well-being whilst you're with him, you will feel safe in his clean, air conditioned car. BE AWARE - the beach sellers can be annoying but not enough to put you off going to Royal Palms. Some whistle at you to get your attention while you are sunbathing, and following you up and down the beach during a stroll. Don't say no thank you, they won't take no for an answer, say that you've already booked trips, or say "maybe later but not today" - this seems to stop them in their tracks. We were told to be wary of their offers and not to hand over money up front for independent car excursions which may not materialise, and also you may not be covered if an accident occurs during your trip - they will not be insured to carry you. This is why we booked through the hotel as we wanted the assurance of a safe trip. I believe your money is refunded too, if you cannot make the excursion due to illness. WE SHALL DEFINITELY GO AGAIN - HOPEFULLY, NEXT YEAR...

We booked our flights and hotel seperately and so were apprehensive regarding the hotel as the TA wasnt able to tell us much. However, any reservations we may have had were washed away when we pulled up outside and saw the beautiful lobby with its 3 white carved elephants standing high on platforms looking down on the reception. The hotel staff could not have been more friendly, helpful or amenable. The hotel rooms are spacious and comfortable with a fully stocked very affordable mini bar and flat screen plasma TVs with CNN, national geographic and Star Movies being the main english speaking TV channels - so if you have a portable DVD player take it along withthe connection leads- as you can hook it up and watch your own films. Rooms are cleaned thoroughly daily, just tip you room boy 100 rupees (50p)every other day and they will always make sure you have fresh flowers and lovely scents left in your room. The room boys turn the beds down and re-clean and restock your room each evening around 7pm. The resteraunt is buffet style and there was only one day that I didnt fancy anything and I think this was because it was close to a national holiday and they had alot of local visitors and had catered for the majority - as I had been trying to sample every curry going I had gone down that night looking forward to something different but found it quite limited this one night. But apart from this one time, there was Always something to find from traditional curry, to chinese, Italian, barbecue, fresh stri fry cooked to your liking, you name it- its there!n If its not the chefs are happy to make you something specifically for you! The pool is huge and there is always enough sunbeds to go round - again if you tip your pool boy 100 rupees every other day, he will alwyas make sure he saves your sunbeds where you want them and will ensure you have a matress. The beach is literally at the end of the grass area and although there are a few sales people they are very friendly and will nto bother you if you politely say "No Thank you". As two girls travelling, we thought we would get really hasseled on the beachbut found no such thing. We were advised not to go on the beach at night though as it does become striclty locals only. We usually sunbathed by the pool and then went on the beach about 4ish to paddle in the sea (the currents are too strong really to get beyond your thighs if you arent a strong swimmer) and watch the sun set - which are fabulous. I would highly recommend this hotel - you will have an amazing holiday. If you want to book tours to see the rest of Sri Lanka - do it - dont spend two weeks just at the hotel or on the beach - feel free to email me and I can suggest a really good local company who we found Excellent and competitive

We stayed here for 3 days at the end of your tour of Sri Lanka in Dec. We found the people very friendly & the hotel very clean. Our room was large with a balcony over looking the pool & the beach. We saw some amazing sunsets sitting on the beach. The sea was quite choppy at times but fun none the less. There are some lovely places to eat on the beach & the food is very good. Prawns the size of your hand!!! There are a few sellers on the beach, which can become a pain. You have to bear in mind these people are very poor & still overcoming the tsunami. If you give the children some sweets they will keep coming back for more!!! Becareful!!!! The hotel was very nice but compared with other places we stayed at in Sri Lanka the food was poor. Dont get me wrong there was always something we could eat the choice was a little limited. When you go to another country you want to eat local dishes but the food was more eureopean. All in all a very nice stay.

Just got back from Royal Palms on the 2nd May, had a wonderful holiday, the hotel is definately one of the best, beautiful surroundings and great staff. As previously posted we to had very noisy Russions but they were a good talking point. The food at first was not very warm, but on talking to the Chef and Restaurant manager it was soon sorted. My husband is a very fussy eater but he absolutely loved the food, if it smelt good, which they all did he would try it. There was a great variety but found that on the Poya Religious days when more Indians or Sri Lankas were on holiday in the hotel, the food was predominantly curry, but the chef did offer to cook something different as we were travelling the next day and did not want something spicey, in case of getting the runs. The grounds are lovely and the hotel is very quiet and peaceful, there is no music outside or around the hotel except for the organ or piano player at night time or similar in the dining area. It was so nice just to lie on a beach bed and listen to the sound of the sea and no one bothering us to join in games etc. The one thing that they did was to charge for games of snooker or pool, I know it was a top class table but to charge in an all inclusive hotel where it is normaly included is hard. It was only 400 rupees so not expensive. I would definately recommend this hotel and when we return to Sri Lanka we will definately stay there again. If anyone wants any more info. go on the message boards and I will reply Mokey

We stayed here for our honeymoon and it is sad to say we were disappointed. The night we arrived there was no other guests around, just us. After our welcome drink, we were led down dark unlit corridors to our room. The room was OK to begin with but by day 4 I was sick of the ants (they had even got into my mars bar). To be fair the hotel were very good and transferred us to another room there and then so the customer service was fantastic!! The pool is beautiful, the pool bar really was our favourite part of the hotel as the staff are so friendly you get chatting to them There was no entertainment in the evenings when we went, but on our last night they had just employed someone so we played bingo. We were so bored in the evenings as there were only 35 of us in hotel the first week! With no entertainment and a percentage of guests on trips, it was boring.... We were given no special treatment considering it was our honeymoon and we did not feel like we were on our honeymoon. We did have a nice time, the staff were fantastic, and couldn't do enough for us. The boys outside the gates of hotel were harmless enough and often just wanted a chat. I would go to this hotel again but not with such high expectations!!

We had a fantastic 10 day stay at The Royal Palms in March 07. The staff were superb, food was great and room was well maintained. The only downside was groups of 'new money' Russians who seemingly lacked basic social skills and were rude and demanding to the staff, but the hotel management handled them well and refused to serve them in the bar when they became too rowdy. We took our 7 year old daughter although we were aware that there were no dedicated kids facilities (she's been used to the kids clubs at hotels in the Caribbean & Mauritius) but she had a great time and the main pool was very safe too, so we were able to relax. We only did one trip as we were only there for 10 days - we booked a private driver who took us to the Elephant Orphanage (a must see, but a 5.30am start) and then off the normal tourist trail. After the Elephants, we didn't see another tourist till we returned to the hotel at 7.30pm! We stopped for tea in the afternoon at one of the non tourist towns and 3 teas only cost 25 rupees.......it was just over 200 rupees = £1 while we were there. Would we go back?................YES!!!

I visited the Royal Palms with my husband and two friends in mid. September 2006. The hotel reception area is beautiful and the staff very helpful. We were also given ground floor rooms, which were very damp but I was informed that this was my fault as I did not fully understand the air conditioning system (kay sarrah sarrah) however this did not detract from the fact that the food was excellent, the bar comfortable and the beds soft. Had some great meals in the Green Bamboo just a short walk from the hotel. Would we go back, maybe,

Firstly you must decide if you are writing about Sri Lanka or the hotel. If writting about Sri Lanka you would start by stating how fantastic the people are, they really do extend a freindship rarely extended to the brits. On downside beaches if compared to Maldives and travelling on roads leave a bit to be desired. The hotel is of a very high standard you could argue between 4or 5 star, service is 5 star generally speaking, certainly the restaurant service is exceptional, almost overbearing at times as you are permantly being pampered. Most of the hotel is being refurbished as we speak, this is slightly disruptive but certainly not worth a complaint. The beach sellers really are not a problem as they accept no quite happily if you do fancy a trip round the island they are very cheap and offer the same as the tour reps. The food is magnificent both in the hotel and in the local bars a sea food platter of gigantic preportions can be brought for around £11 and includes whole lobster and crab, If you like fish food this holiday is for you. Only down side is lack of people in hotel, if thats a complaint? How can you complain when you have the pool and the bar all to yourself. The sea is magnificent for strong swimmers as the surf is super fun, but most of the ladies were a little cautious to go out to far, bear in mind you can walk out a fair distance as its very shallow. Walking outside is not a problem at all, but expect everyone to attempt to sell you something, again no usually works. Last bit of advise is visiting Sri Lanka arrange locational hotels on booking as once you are there travel is painfull the trip from the airport is more than enough. Would I recommend it yes, but research Sri Lanka first

I have to totally disagree with the review entitled 'Oh Dear'. We too went in September but did not experience any of the things detailed. There were certainly no 'Brits Abroad' singing football songs! We were one of only english 3 couple there the rest of the guests were Dutch or German but we still had a fantastic time!! The room was cleaned to a very high standard every day. The food was excellent, there was a huge variety to choose from and it was of a very high standard. The hawkers on the beach were a nuisance but a firm NO usually sent them on their way. We did not find them persistant or rude, just an inconvenience. The staff in the hotel were wonderful and the shop keepers in and around the resort were some of the nicest most genuine people you could ever wish to meet. We are certainly going back again next year and cannot recommend the resort, the staff or the local people highly enough. What a fantastic place.

Had a lovely 2 weeks at Royal Palms we were at 1st shown into a downstairs bedroom but after reading Trip Advisor I noticed there had been a complaint about the rooms downstairs so straight away I smelt damp although it was a lovely room I told them I did not want the downstairs room so was quickly shown to an upstairs room which was lovely and after that everything was perfect good food lovely helpful staff lovely pool lovely beach but sea was rough in Sept. Entertainment in evenings was good. we went on a 3 night culture Trip and it was very interesting but too much climbing for me on some of the visits. The room boys were hard working and very helpful Resturant staff were very good. After having no French Fries (chips) for 10 days I asked why we did not get them and next day 2 big platefuls were ready for our dinner food was good.