Lihiniya Surf Hotel

great hotel, the only hotel in bentota that every room faces the ocean. We travelled with first choice, the flight was ok and the journey to the hotel seemed never ending but when you get there its worth it. Every room has the most magnificent view over the ocean. We did a 2 day tour of Kandy and the surrounding areas (elephants, temple of the tooth etc.). We took the tour with a local operator who is based just across from the hotel (he has a little gem shop). He was brill and we really enjoyed the monkeys at the hotel in Kandy. In summary the hotel was exactly the place to relax and do nothing and the 2 day tour was fantastic. Don't expect the ritz but do expect the best view in sri lanka and great service from start to finish. Enjoy

Concidering this hotel was hit by the tsunami, i cant knock it.The hotel is clean and the food is excellent.All the staff will go out of there way to help you and make you feel comfortable.Gerard the first choice rep who is Sri Lankan,was so helpful and always made sure you were ok.Lal the room attendent made me feel very special, making sure there was fresh flowers in our room every day.An boy the fragrance was beautiful! About 10mins away from the hotel is the biggest Buddist temple and i recomend that you pay a visit,the work that has gone into it is absolutely fantastic. You can also feed an elephant there.There taxis are called Tuk Tuks very cheep if you want to go for an outing.But if you prefer,the hotel has a taxi sevice and Gayan will take you anywhere you want to go,he will also wait for you and take you back again,thou it is handy if you want a guided tour.

We just got back a week ago and had a fantastic time staying at the Lihiniya Surf. We had brilliant weather even though it was supposed to be monsoon season. We were actually a little disappointed that we didn't get to see a good thunder storm! I don't think you can really fault this hotel at all, especially being that it is only rated a 3*. We had the most lovely welcome, all the staff really went out of there way to be friendly and nothing was too much trouble. The rooms are large, comfortable, cool and very clean and all have a fabulous view out to the Indian Ocean. We booked on a bed & breakfast basis and I'm glad we did. I would recommend anyone booking, if possible to go for b&b rather than half board. We did eat dinner a few times in the hotel and it was very nice, loads of choice, beautifully presented buffets with a different theme every evening. It cost us about £5.00 each which is very reasonable by UK standards but you could eat out at various restaurants for much less and the drinks were much cheaper outside of the hotel as well. We recommend trying Susantha Restaurant & Bar which is less than 5 minutes walk, turn left outside the hotel, down a bit and its across the railway tracks. Try the jumbo prawns - they are the biggest and best we have ever had and we have travelled all over the world. Also if you fancy a nice steak then try Aida which is next to the Bentota river, about 10 minutes walk from the hotel. I would also just like to mention that we travelled with First Choice and the rep, Gerard was brilliant. He was a Sri Lankan chap, new at the job, we were his first arrivals, and he was so eager to please everyone. He would come round the restaurant every morning at breakfast asking everyone if they were ok and enjoying their holiday.

We have just come back from Sri Lanka staying at Lihiniya Surf Resort. Ok so it could do with a bit of updating. But the rooms were amazingly clean, fresh towels everyday, friendly, socaliable staff and your treated with the utmost respect at all times! The FOOD - We stayed for two weeks. The food was ok, for the first few days or so, everynight having a different theme to a buffet type menu. At the first eating there was just something we felt we had to do, as we had paid for it in our Half board package. However, food at the hotel is rubbish. Tastless, ill prepared and just simply, WRONG! Try eating out at the Golden Grill, which is a 2 min tuc tuc ride away, or the Bentota Beach Hotel, next door. There are loads of places to eat in Bentota. Everywhere, but the hotel, serves food to die for and a very cheap price! And thats our only negative point. Pool, Bar and Entertainment are described perfectly in the broucher. We sat by the pool for a few days, enjoying the sun, surroundings and charm Sri Lanka has to offer. The pool was clean, refreshing and big. And if the pool wasnt enough then we just walked on for a few more metres and hit the ocean and the golden beach. Nightly entertainment of Live bands, shows, karoke and disco's took place which were ok to watch if you had nothing else planned. The bar was great! Service was a little slow there, but this is Sri Lanka, and you soon learn that nothing is done in a rush. Drinks are a little over priced, however the easy way around it is to buy bottles are Arack, Vodka, Beer, and Water from outside the hotel. Many shops offering greats deals and discounts! Staff are always helpful and friendly. We had a small mis-understanding with our room type, however it was solved very quickly with minimum hassle! We need to make a metion for LAL, our cleaner. He was amazing. Worked all day, everyday, with a big smile on his face even though working for peanuts! This guy is fab! Treat this man with respect, and he will assist your every need! Thanks LAL! Rooms have fantastic a/c, just what you need when outside is 30 Deg and at 80% humidity! Overall we loved our stay at the hotel, however the people we met there and the experiences we all had together on many many exciting trips, by far out-weighed the hotel. Hoping to return again Thanks for a great holiday Lihiniya Surf. Adam Mullins and Jade Taylor - Room 229

I wanted to write a review about this hotel after we spent the 1st and 2nd of May 2007 at this hotel. The reason for my review is to caution anyone who wants to visit this hotel so that even if they choose to go ahead they can be prepared for what awaits them. Well the pool remains old fashioned and small and the food too is lousy and cheap. Most of the sun loungers still remain broken. During my trip we noticed that the room floors get damp and terribly wet many times during the day and night. This can be kept to the minimal if the AC is turned on to freezing temperatures round the clock. Most of the time it was such a miserable experience to stay indoors, what with salty water all over the room floor. The fittings too were mostly defective which includes the bathroom fittings like the shower cubicle doors and even some lights. Also the TV had only a couple of channels. Though some of the staff were courteous the management was not that customer friendly. Though the receptionist told me that there is a shuttle badminton court I was later told that they do not have one. When two of us tried to play badminton near the car park we were told that we can't play there. We went as a group of 15 families and we accounted for 80% of the guests and 95% of the vehicles parked in the car park. So it was ridicules for them to chase us away so rudely, we felt. We couldn't play elsewhere because of the sea breeze. The times we had food at the dining hall, we had to wait for more than an hour for them to refill the dishes. It looked like they waited till someone actually pointed out to them that the dish is empty before they started to prepare more of that dish. Sometimes we had to wait for 30 minutes before the milk was refilled at the beverage counter. On the day we left the scheduled tea was delayed by 3 hours. Even after such a delay the cake was not properly baked. I have sent my digital camera for repairs and hence couldn’t document the details. Else I could have posted some photos to prove my point. If all you care is a cheap place where you want to spend most of your time on the beach then it is ok to go to this hotel otherwise better keep away from this hotel. Since this state of affairs has existed at least for the last 8 years (since 1999) I do not see this hotel improving its service ever.

We have just returned from a two week stay at this hotel. We had a very relaxing and restful holiday, with glorious weather. The staff are all very friendly and nothing is too much trouble for any of them. The beach was great, with real waves and swimming was good, although you have to be careful right in front of the hotel as there is a rip that you can get caught in. My husband and son loved the body surfing that they were able to do. The train line does run directly behind the hotel, but this did not bother us at all. It was also a real bonus when we wanted to catch a train. In fact my husband used the 08.45 as his alarm call for breakfast. Although I feel the hotel would benefit from some updating, cosmetically mainly, it is very good value for money. The one thing that would be helpful when it rains, would be if the beach bar was covered in more, but we only had rain once during the two weeks so it wasn't a major problem.I would certainly recommend this hotel and hope to return here for another stay sometime in the future.

We have just returned from two weeks at this Hotel. The hotel is above average and the staff, right from the bottom to the top were magnificent - nothing was too much trouble and they were always smiling. As the name might suggest the beach which fronts the hotel is really for surfers and was difficult to swim in. The pool was good, however, and there was always an ample supply of sun beds and towels The grounds were kept imaculate by the staff and you rarely saw a thing out of place The spa was very good but perhaps a little pricey. On the down side a railway runs immediately behind the hotel and we were greeted at 7:00 every morning by the local express! The trains ran reguarly throughot the day. The, small, bar was outside, albeit a half of dozen or so yards or so from the main building which, when it rained and oh boy did it, you did get a little wet both in getting to the bar and to a lesser degree when sitting having a drink. Having said that you could order a drink from a waiter and let him get wet instead! One other slightly irksome thing was that if you stepped outside of the hotel grounds, which were patrolled 24/7, you were immediately decended upon by hawkers. This we found rather uncomfortable. All in all however we had an enjoyable stay and would recommend the hotel to anyone who wants a good mix of getting out and about or just crashing.

Sri Lanka is the holiday of a life time and a must for everyone. Everything is just perfect and you cannot complain about anything. Lihiniya Surf Hotel is very nice with all the amenities and service you need. The staff are all very friendly and helpful. The rooms are really spacious and cleaned properley every day. We would like to give a very big special thanks to Lal our room boy who was really friendly to us and his service to us was first class. He was always smiling and happy. Well done Lal. The view from the balcony over the ocean is lovley to wake up to. The gardens are really well kept and the food was very nice as well. We made excellent Sri Lankin friends who we keep in contact with and all the people are so very friendly. We will definatley be visiting again and hopefully not too far away. Thank you once again for a superb time and hope to see you again soon. Best wishes Amanda Robertshaw & Chris Reynolds. Room 227

We have just returned from a 5 day stay there and found the place very good, service was excellent and i would go back again.

I stayed at this hotel 1999 and can only say I'm suprised its still in existence. Back then the hotel was in dire need of updating although the staff were working hard to keep things together. The accommodation is basic and when it rained the dining room filled with water as did the front entrance. The hotel delivered reasonable food, although we did visit the Taj Exotica, situated next door, for lunch most days who offered something more sophisticated. We found the hotel lacked any real atmosphere as it was mainly attracting couples who kept themselves to themselves. The pool is old fashioned but clean. The sun loungers were old and broken and few in numbers. Basically we have fond memories of our holiday, but would not return. The best aspect of this hotel is Bentota Beach - which is beautiful. The hotel is being left behind by the managements lack of expenditure on upkeep.