Kani Lanka Resort & Spa

The Hotel was excellent, very clean, and well maintained. The Kani Lanka is situated in a beautiful spot, although perhaps one downside is that swimming in the sea is not recommended due to strong currents.
The staff where tremendous, from the cleaners to the waiters, all were very obliging and friendly. The pool attendants where great lads who, given half a chance, will rope you into a game of cricket!
The food was good and, if spicy is not your thing, they where more than willing to cater to your specific tastes.
Excursions are a must. Sri Lanka is an amazing place and well worth exploring either with your tour operator or through one of the guys off the beach (who are fully trustworthy, despite what your rep may say, and substantially cheaper).
All in all a great holiday, highly recommended.

1 reader found this review helpful

We decided on Sri Lanka as I had been on business before, but never seen the country as a tourist.
My office in Colombo recommended the Kani Lanka Resort & Spa, so I had no cause to worry about the resort and accommodation.
They were absolutely right to advise us to stay here as it is a very well kept hotel, in beautiful and peaceful surroundings.
The rooms are a good size, and very nicely decorated with a contemporary feel. Sea View rooms are lovely, but not essential as the coast is on one side of the hotel, and a lagoon on the other, so the views are great from each side.
The food was excellent. A good selection of Western and Sri Lankan cuisine, which suited all residents. Wonderful freshly made deserts too!!
The staff are very friendly and will endeavour to help wherever possible. All speak exceptional English.
As we checked in at 5am, after a long day of plane and car journeys, we were asked if we needed any food or drink, which as the restaurant was obviously not open, we thought this great customer service.
There was not so much to do in the evenings, there was some live music, but generally, it can seem quite quiet.
The hotel was reported to be full, but it did not seem that way as there was so much space, especially in the restaurant and by the pool.
In agreement with other reviewers, find Mark on the beach if you are looking to book any 1 or 2 day trips.
We had bespoke service for our trip; he took us exactly where WE wanted to go, as we were on our own with him and his driver. He arranged for English speaking guides to meet us at each point, and looked after us very well.
Don't be afraid if he asks you to his house for tea when you are booking with him! It's only a 5 min walk up the beach from the hotel. He will show you photo's, and you will probably meet his wife and mother-in-law! A very nice man!
We had a lovely time in Sri Lanka, and with so much to do there, we will definitely be returning.

1 reader found this review helpful

We stayed for 2 weeks and the hotel was in excellent condition. The rooms were kept very clean and cleaned every day. The staff were very helpful and the waiters were excellent especially two waiters named Suranji and Sanji.
We also went to the elephant orphanage which was amazing to see, we went with the boys on the beach one in particular (Mark). The tour reps try to put you off them but they are honest and reliable and only trying to make a living like the rest of us.
His transport was clean and tidy and he is also a lot cheaper than the tour operators. Where ever he took us he arranged for one to one guides to show us around and answer any questions we may have had.

Very nice location and a well appointed hotel. However, the suite we booked absolutely stank and it took 4 days to get moved to another room. The problem was with water in the air-con and it was blowing mould into the room.
Service was appalling, lots of new untrained staff, we could sit through a whole meal unable to get anything to drink. One night we turned back the sheets to get into to bed and found someone had bled on them.
We took up these and many other issues with the hotel and our Kuoni rep. To be fair the hotel manager was very apologetic and did make a big effort to improve things, although it should not have taken five days to get someone to act.
Kuoni however have continued to disappoint. We asked to move to another hotel and they said we would have to pay hundreds of pounds more and since coming back to the UK they have not properly acknowledged that there was a problem and have failed to make a proper and sincere apology.
The first five days of our honeymoon were horrible with my wife in tears everyday.
Sri Lanka is a great place to visit and I have been before to a cheaper hotel and had a good stay. The Kani Lanka has great potential but needs a while to sort itself out and get it service levels up to an acceptable level.

The hotel was just about what we had been led to believe it would be, but we felkt that the food was poor. The rooms were spotless though, and of quite a good size and standard. We had read reviews on various sites before booking.
A previous report on this site has mentioned Mark - one of the beach boys. The comments made were all true. This lad is both honest and reliable. The reps will try to persuade you to book with them, but trust me, Mark is far better. He has a good grasp of English, uses first class drivers, and air-conditioned mini buses. Do not miss the elephant orphanage - it is worth the trip to Sri Lanka just for that alone. Just down the street from the hotel is a small shop called St Anthony’s.
The man who owns it is crippled, but still has a smile for everyone. If you go to his shop, ask him if he remembers the man who gave him his Mercedes Benz hat!! Have a great time, remember that these lovely people have very little, so please do not drive too hard a bargain when you haggle (their prices are cheap enough anyway).