Trans Asia Hotel

My boyfriend and I stayed here on the last night of a one week trip to Colombo. The lobby is very impressive and our room was very nice (a huge bed!!!). We stayed half board so ate in the buffet restaurant - dinner was quite good but breakfast was very disappointing (putrid coffee, hard, cold and inedible dosai etc). It was nice to have a booth to sit in though - very comfy. And I was pleasantly surprised to find a branch of "The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf" at the airport - which made up for the lack of decent coffee at the hotel!!! The pool and spa were disappointing. The pool was jam packed - it is part of a health club in the basement - and I got the impression that loads of people (esp families) were using it on a day pass type of basis. The changing rooms were badly maintained and crowded. I didn't stay long and I didn't bother trying the steam room and the sauna - which looked very busy. My OH had a massage at the spa which was thankfully at least not in the basement with the grungy pool and musty changing rooms. However he did not enjoy the massage or the overall ambience in the spa. Don't bother trying to go out for a walk if you are white - unless you enjoy being hassled non stop. So overall, not a complete disaster but I would probably try a different hotel next time in Colombo (maybe a Taj hotel???).

Three weeks in Sri Lanka. Stayed Havelock bungalows, Colombo(depressing rip off). House on the Rock ,Kandy(nightmare). As consolation we booked 3 nights at Trans Asia Hotel Colombo to end our holiday. Lobby manager persuaded us to upgrade our reservation to his best suite. Exquisite elegance(kitchen-vital to vegans ,helpful staff brought use cookware and cutlery) huge landscaped terraces overlooking emerald lake with pelicans. View of city at night was spectacular. Despite city centre location we enjoyed silence ,tranquility and privacy.The suite soothed our troubled souls and ended our holiday on a happy note.

Nice reception and pool area, but some of the room could have been cleaner (beadspread was stained with what looked like vomit!) We stopped 1/2 board, but there was some confusion over where we could have our evening meal, but the food we had was very good!

I stayed in the Trans Asia for 3 months whilst I was working in Sri Lanka last year. The staff are extremely friendly and service is very good. I saw quite a few of the hotels in Colombo including the Taj, Hilton, Cinnimon Grand. The Trans Asia does not look as impressive as some of the others but is a good location and better servive in my opinion. The service can often be a little slow but in comparrison with other hotels it is good. Sri Lankan's are generally inefficient in most things but have the warmest personalities. It is their culture to idolise pale white skin and if you are a girl keep your wits about you and do not go off on your own. Check your bills as items can appear incorrectly. The swimming poolis excellent. I saw many of the hotel rooms and concluded the 1st floor was the best. There is some damp in the rooms on the higher floors which is supposed to be of a better quality. Subsequently it smells a bit on the floors which forms part of the newer building. Tipping is a must to receive the best service. I had a balcony which was great but be careful as this is on the roof terrace which has no barrier. Tuk tuks are fabt. The guys who sit just outside the hotel are pretty good but ensure you barter (a drivers wages average about £10 a week - 2000 rupees). Drivers are happy to wait whilst you go shopping (even for hours) and works out about 500-1000 rupees for your own driver for the day. If you are homesick try Cheers pub in the Cinnimon Grand but a must is the Gallery Cafe which is the best restaurant in Sri Lanka. Have fun and see as much as possible.

As big international hotels goes, it is better value and friendlier than most. The food inthe various restaurants is excellent and good value, but avoid the buffet restaurant; poor quality and expensive.

We have just returned from a two week holiday in Sri Lanka, Our travel operator booked us in to the Trans Asia Hotel for the first two nights. We arrived at the Trans Asia at around 3.30am but still received a warm welcome. The lobby is attractive and spacious with displays of exotic blooms throughout. Our room was large with hardwood floors, very comfortable beds and pillows and a good sized bathroom. There's a TV with some European channels and very reasonably priced mini bar with soft drinks and beers as well as spirits. The room also contained a carpeted seating area with a writing desk. Our room was delightfully cool and comfortable. Although we didn't use room service, we noted that the room service menu was extensive and very, very cheap compared with western hotels. We ate breakfasts in the hotels coffee shop - not what you usually expect from a coffee shop, more of a buffet service restaurant really. We chose to eat dinner here too. The food was excellent, the choice interesting and varied. Both Sri Lankan and European food was available. The fruit selection was huge as was the variety of breads, cakes, pastries and desserts. All attractively presented, very tempting and and completely delicious! The staff were smiling, charming, helpful and attentive. At the rear of the hotel, overlooking the lake and away from any big city noise, there are gardens and a small(ish) but very attractive swimming pool. We really enjoyed our brief stay and wouldn't hesitate to recommend this hotel.

Had a good stay in the hotel. Was very clean and staff was friendly. The hotel is also near the seaside and located next to the Sri Lankan Air Force. Thus, there were tons of soldiers/security personnel around the hotel. The rooms were good, but the breakfast was so-so. Amenities wise, it was average. Limited nightlife.

The Trans Asia is a good transit hotel. We stayed one night prior to a tour of Sri Lanka. The room was large, clean and quiet with a great view over the lake. The buffet meals that we had were good, with a wide choice. The pool is also excellent. The only down side was the request for a deposit when we checked in, even though we had paid in advance for the room and meals. No other hotel that we stayed at in Sri Lanka made this request.

We were quoted a price of about US$72 in writing under high volume commercial arrangement with our employer, but at checkout, the hotel charged $96 and said the difference was for taxes, but they are not able to give us details of these taxes. The Internet only crawls at a pathetically slow rate, and all the people who went to visit the business center to browse the internet or write email while we were there left in exasperation because the browser timed out. They advertise "broadband in every room" which is patently false, and charge a fortune - close to $100 in our case for a week - for very slow and useless connection.

After 2 solid weeks exploring Sri Lanka, staying in many hotels ranging from luxurious to basic, we spent our final night in the Trans Asia before catching our flight home. The hotel is well situated for the Fort/Pettah area of Colombo, with easy access to taxis, tuk tuks, etc. The pool was fantastic and the seven restaurants (I think) offered excellent choice. We ate in the Thai restaurant (I know, I know but we'd been eating Sri Lankan rice and curry for 2 weeks) and it was excellent. If you do not like spicy food, be sure to order NOT spicy. We ordered NORMAL spicy and it was one of the hottest things I have ever had (and I am a self-appointed curry expert). I dread to think what SPICY spicy tastes like. The hotel is very well equipped and extremely good value for money. The room was a typical 5 star room, much as you would expect in any Hilton, Marriott. The fresh fruit was a nice touch. We had one bad experience (travelling in Sri Lanka you will have several as nothing goes very smoothly at all). In order to kill time, we decided to have a massage each (approx 30USD). The brochure said you get two therapists. I was very clear on the phone that there were two of us, a man and a woman. When we got to the spa, they were very surprised to see 2 of us. Looking in the registration book, it was clearly noted that 2 people were coming. With much shaking of heads and apologies they explained that they had messed up and sent the staff home and we could only have one therapist each. No refund was offered, despite my request.