The hotel were having a wedding for 800 people the day we stayed! yes,i mean 800. Fortunatly we were allocated a room on the top floor at opposite end of the hotel. Although its a large room it needed to be refurbished. The bathroom had new fittings but it only made the rest of bathroom look even more in need of a face lift. The tiles from the 70's cracked, soap dish had fallen out and been sealed back with lots of silicone. Because of the wedding and being on half board, guests were to take evening meal in another ballroom - also in need of redecoration light as brightly as a football stadium? food nothing to write home about except when i asked for vegitarian food i was told there were tomatoes and rice. I asked if it was possible to have cheese omellete and chips as an alternative - head waiter got upset and wanted to charge me extra for it. Food is very cheap in Sri Lanka but wine is imported and can cost £15-20 for a bottle we would pay £5.00 for in supermarket. Beer is cheaper than home though. Breakfast next day was where the wedding had been , the staff must have worked through the night to clean up . The food was also much better than the night before. Staff very friendly and work hard to look after you.

Wonderful location, next to Mahaweli River. The grounds and large pool are very well maintained and the hotel has a nice feel overall. Lots of good touches and service excellent. However it is just a little bit jaded around the edges compared with some other 5* hotels – some room fitments are tired, menu a little uninspiring. Food however did seem cheaper than some other hotels – even room service appeared good value. Located on the edge of Kandy.

Of the 6 hotels we stayed in Sri Lanka this was everyone's (2 adults, 4 teenagers) least favourite.

When shown to the rooms they were great - large, airy, colonial. However the management really need to get out and visit similar hotels in the same class bracket as standards have slipped behind the competition.

We were probably unlucky to have an A/C leak at 23.00 which needed a room move and the room my daughters moved to (501) had a cockroach scuttling on the floor when we entered. An embarrassed porter then moved them to a room over looking the river. These things happen so it wasn't a big deal but I did have to fight to get a room change as the front office said none were free. To then find at least 2 were free was a poor reflection on the approach to customer service.

It was the poorest food of all the hotels we stayed in, the music played during dinner had to be heard to be believed (1980's kareoke would be a good description) and the piped music round the swimming pool was also too cheesy to be true. Cling film was everywhere and empty dishes were not removed from the buffet so it looked unappealling.

It's the only hotel we stayed in in Kandy but there must be a better run and managed option.

This was the second hotel of six on a 17 day tour around Sri Lanka, and was certainly the least enjoyed. Not well positioned for the obvious Kandy attractions, and it felt crammed in beside the Mahaweli River. Also a strange layout, you have to walk through the restuarant to reach our rooms or indeed to go anywhere. The restaurant experience was not great either - intrusive, too loud live music I am not sure anyone particularly wanted (which got louder and went on til gone 11, a bit late for those with young families in rooms nearby - us) and over zealous waiters who seemed to remove empty plates before you had even got the last bit of food in your mouth, making it all feel very rushed. And how many times each meal time was I asked for our room numbers??! The food itself - well, its the ever present international buffet, fine in itself. I can't say it was a bad hotel, not at all, but I can't help suspecting that the Earl Regency or a number of others would have been better.