Mount Lavinia Hotel

10/10

Exceptional

05 Mar 2026

Mangal

Amazing views and terrace. Polite and helpful staff

Self

6/10

Pleasant

26 Feb 2026

VISUVANATHAN

Air condion not working properly , no cooling at all.
No Remote for TV

Self

4/10

Poor

14 Feb 2026

Sudath

Is this hotel really four-star standard⁉️

I traveled from the USA to visit my family in Sri Lanka and reserved a two-night stay at Mount Lavinia Hotel. After more than 32 hours of flying, I arrived just before check-in time only to be told they couldn’t find my reservation.

First, I want to give credit to the staff — they did their very best to accommodate me and were kind and professional throughout. However, the property management has clearly neglected many necessary updates.

The hotel does not meet four-star standards. From the lobby to the rooms, the entire place needs serious renovation. There’s a musty, moldy smell throughout. The rooms were dirty — stained carpets, cracked and broken walls, damaged bathroom tiles and tubs, and very poor lighting that made everything feel dark and uninviting. I had to wait nearly an hour before they finally sorted out my room.

Breakfast was great, and again, the staff were lovely — but overall, this place is not worth the money.

It’s really sad because this is a gorgeous historic building in an amazing beachfront location. With proper upkeep and modernization, it could be truly exceptional.🔥❤️
Sudath

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

11 Feb 2026

Wulf Von

Staff was very friendly and helpful

8/10

Excellent

07 Feb 2026

Gary

The hotel still has the charm .
The doormen make it , dressed the part and charming . The rooms are now shabby ,dirty , grouting all black in bathroom , bedroom walls are mouldy and the carpets need ripping out . 3 star at best
The sun loungers poolside have nice thick mattress on so comfort exceeds the Kingsbury and cinnamon lakeside as we have stayed in all three this trip .

Leisure Partner

2/10

Poor

05 Feb 2026

Charith

Room had bugs, feels like you're in the 1800s. I only stayed for one day and checked out, and asked for a cancellation of the second day but they didn't allow it for some reason. I didn't even stay the second day. Would not recommend. Food was great though.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

03 Feb 2026

Charles

Very friendly and helpful staff. Very good buffet breakfasts and evening meals. Attractive location. Noisy but efficient aircon. Balcony with an ocean view. Generally quite clean but rooms quite tired and some parts need uregent maintenance e.g. the cranky lifts.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

01 Feb 2026

Patrick

Yes room was clean, staff very very polite but reception took hours to find me a room key after mins snapped.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

27 Jan 2026

Alan

Rooms are tied, staff excellent

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

24 Jan 2026

Ravi

The room was clean. Bathroom and room fixtures and fittings need urgent updating. Electrical points, switches, shower were found wanting. The wooden floors in the corridors were in places in a state of disrepair. The hotel still retains its old charm and the staff are pleasant and I was impressed with the service provided.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

22 Jan 2026

Sanjeewa

It was amazing, love the hospitality. Breakfast, plenty to choose. We had supper English dinner on Thursday.

8/10

Excellent

17 Jan 2026

Renuka

Staff was very courteous but the hallways on the 4 th floor were dilapidated and in need of serious repairs.
It’s a beautiful location and a grand colonial hotel which is a national treasure. It’s sad that the rooms and plumbing are in pretty bad shape. I would love to stay there again provided the bathrooms, tge plumbing and the hallway conditions are improved

6/10

Pleasant

17 Jan 2026

debbie

Location is fantastic, beach and pool and breakfast are still amazing, but rooms are very tired and mine smelt musty… such a shame to see such an amazing hotel not being maintained

Self

2/10

Poor

16 Jan 2026

Laveena

Room was neglected, moldy, the fridge did not work, staff was rude and was not helpful at all. I think something happened to this once magical place. I know Covid was rough for them and a hotel I once thought of as this beautiful dream has now become run down. No one brought us towels at the pool. No one came to seat us or take our order

4/10

Poor

15 Jan 2026

Michael

Excellent Staff and food but the hotel is in some serious need of renovations. The owner needs to really step up and start directing some money and attention to this once great building.
I was honestly surprised how poor the rooms are with damp smell, water penetration, blistering paintwork and black mold on the air conditioning ducts. Sorry not I do not recommend staying here sadly.

Leisure Family_with_children

6/10

Pleasant

15 Jan 2026

Steven

The hotel is in a great location and has excellent breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets. The staff is friendly. Unfortunately the hotel is in need of major repairs. We cut our stay short due to a lack of air conditioning in all four of our rooms.

Business

2/10

Poor

14 Jan 2026

Udayanga

This is the first time, I am making such a comment, please don’t book this, this is very bad service , room is not clean.

2/10

Poor

12 Jan 2026

Cristian

You can see that this hotel used to be an amazing property. USED TO. The hotel in general is falling apart: mold everywhere, decaying walls, floors, smelly and cluttered hallways. The air conditioner worked only the first night I was here. AC was never fixed after multiple calls to the front desk. hotels.com should really think about downgrading the rating on this hotel. The hotel profile and pictures are greatly deceiving.

Business

6/10

Pleasant

09 Jan 2026

Samantha

I have stayed multiple times at MLH, and have to say, that its standards are sliwly slipping. It still has some very strong points, including fabulous breakfast and beautiful ocean views. However the building looks worn and neglected, and service is very hit and miss. The room phone was not working, so we had to call from our mobiles to ask for towels. It took three calls and over an hour before they were delivered. The front desk were very dismissive each time we called and the phone was not fixed during our three day stay. On the other hand, staff at breakfast, were great.
Overall a faded beauty, whose owners really need to invest in building maintenance and staff training, to save this hotel and bring it back to its former glory.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

30 Dec 2025

Michael

This was our 4th stay at the Mount Lavinia.
We always stay here on each trip to Sri Lanka. Prior to this trip, we hadn’t been back in 10 years. A lot has changed!
It is still a truly magnificent historical building, and the location is quite breathtaking.
The breakfast buffet is excellent, with everything from a full English breakfast to European, Indian and traditional Sri Lankan fare.
The pool area is also still lovely.
Having acknowledged these things, the overall maintenance of the building was very poor. Many things have fallen into disrepair.
Our room, for example, smelled of mould. The fridge did not work, the telephone for room service was broken. The whole room required a deep clean, fresh paint work etc.
Clearly there are financial issues or the upkeep would have been carried out. It is a true shame.
Service was hit and miss. Sometimes excellent, other times completely non existent.
After being a major draw card for us in our visits to Sri Lanka, sadly, now, we won’t be returning.

Leisure Partner

2/10

Poor

21 Dec 2025

shamil

Such a shame that this once beautiful hotel has been run down so much. Dates rooms, dirty walls which look like they haven’t been painted in decades, holes in the floor boards, AC not working, horrible damp smell throughout the building. It’s completely clear that the current owners are not willing to invest. Steer clear would be my advice

Business

8/10

Excellent

15 Dec 2025

Ivan

Good location and grandiose building that have seen it's better days but that how things are in Sri Lanka in general. Good location near a train station. Very popular wedding place for locals.

Leisure Family

4/10

Poor

08 Dec 2025

Cenker

Really good breakfast, rally friendly and amazing staff.very poor building and room condition. Very poor house keeping. I had to share my room with a huge cockroach. Overall I would not recommend to stay here. Overpriced and poor for what you get.

2/10

Poor

08 Dec 2025

Pavasha

I am completely dissatisfied with my experience at this hotel. The room was advertised as clean and well-maintained, but that was far from the truth. The linen was not changed, and it was obvious that the bed had simply been remade from the previous guest’s stay. This is completely unacceptable and unhygienic.

On top of that, the filters in the air-conditioning/ventilation were filthy, and it was clear they had not been cleaned or replaced in a long time. The hotel claims to offer a clean and comfortable environment, but this is false advertising.

Overall, I do not recommend this hotel to anyone. Poor hygiene, poor maintenance, and misleading advertisements. I will not be returning.i want a refund i will display your name

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Dec 2025

Gregory

Couldn't fault the staff for their care and friendliness. Lovely hotel. Old world charm. Loved the dining experience.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

26 Nov 2025

Rolando

Excellent team. Installation should be better maintained

Business Self

2/10

Poor

14 Nov 2025

Anthony Peter Mark

The rooms are a disgrace. Shabby, dirty, stains on carpets broken items in bathroom, damp and paint peeling off the walls. Disgusting. We stayed one night only instead of the two we booked and paid for. Also staff service very poor. Take them off your platform. They damage your reputation

Friends_and_family Friends

4/10

Poor

07 Nov 2025

Upali

Room was dirty with mould and carpet was badly stained.
We had to continually ask for towels, soap, hairdryer,no tissues in the room, on arrival there was no one to take the luggage out from the car. On arrival we were exhausted and requested jug of milk tea and room service brought tea and milk separate. We said we ordered milk tea also call yard tea in SriLanka. He was annoyed with us and took it out of the room and poured the milk into the tea and walked away. Air conditioner was not working and the technician attend to it but no improvement. Similarly we couldn’t watch normal TV as there was not a decorder,so we had to watch YouTube. We couldn’t wait to leave the hotel.It was a shame, Mt. Lavinia was one of our favourite hotels with fond memories where we have stayed on number of occasions with our family members. Please, get this iconic hotel up to standard.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

19 Oct 2025

Lorraine

The rooms are big and really grounds the staff are very professional food is fresh and variety is good. Pool is really nice.

Leisure Partner

2/10

Poor

08 Oct 2025

Jacqueline

It is such a shame I have to leave this review. I have stayed at Mount Lavinia multiple times since my honeymoon in 2001, but had not been back to stay in 13 years. I had to leave the hotel after just 2 nights. The only things still beautiful about this hotel were the location- which is still beautiful- and buffet.
The first room I was shown to was appalling. It was dark, dingy, stained carpet, watermarked walls, damp smelling, broken chair in the room, broken toilet seat and random dining chair on the balcony instead of patio furniture. The second room was better, but still had 2 broken doors, rusty fridge etc. It was a far cry from the warm, welcoming grand colonial hotel it once was. It's a crying shame that it has been allowed to lapse into such a state of disrepair. I don't want to bore your with the enormous list of issues I had in two short days. But be aware that the only atmosphere at the hotel was one of having just given up. Only the lobby and terrace were the same as I remembered. Before leaving the hotel I sat at the poolside bar and was disgusted at the state of it. The nonchalant attitude of the staff -who had once been the reason- I held the hotel in such high regard was the final straw. I cancelled the rest of my booking and departed. As I said, the view is unrivalled, but the main draw for me was the private beach area. Sadly, I felt unsafe in the 5 minutes I was on it. In that 5 minutes I sunk into a waterlogged area. I was done!

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

06 Oct 2025

Sathiyabalan

Excellent stay

6/10

Pleasant

01 Oct 2025

Nishantha

Beautiful ocean view, very friendly and nice staff. Excellent breakfast.

But the Room quality is not very good.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

26 Sep 2025

Thomas

The sea view was amazing. The hotel sits in beautiful grounds. The service was outstanding and the drinks and food selection was beyond compare.

Friends_and_family Friends

4/10

Poor

23 Sep 2025

Graham

Not good

The room was really poor and smelled moisty terrible

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 Sep 2025

anu

Mount Lavinia Hotel offers an unforgettable stay with its stunning beachfront location, colonial charm, and above all, exceptionally friendly staff who go out of their way to make you feel welcome.

A special thank you to Dewmini, Lukshan, and Akini — your warmth and hospitality truly made our stay unforgettable. Every interaction felt genuine, and their service went far beyond expectations.

The hotel’s seaside location is perfect for relaxing, with beautiful views of the Indian Ocean and easy access to the beach. The atmosphere is peaceful yet full of character, with elegant colonial architecture and a rich sense of history.

Mount Lavinia Hotel delivers comfort, charm, and top-notch service. We’ll definitely be back!

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

13 Sep 2025

Shanthi

Amazing location. I visit frequently when I travel

Hotel need updating, therefor the place looks dated. It's not unsanitary.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

07 Sep 2025

Thomas

Sri Lanka starts

The hotel was reasonably clean. The staff were very friendly. The food and the drink service was absolutely stunning. The area is very supportive with shops and easy transport links. The beachfront could be cleaner and the rooms could be updated slightly plugs and such like

Friends_and_family Friends

2/10

Poor

06 Sep 2025

Razia

Property was so terrible as the they show in pics nothing was like that room look soo old no air conditioner was working properly and bathroom was not nice at all when u take shower all the water was spilling out into room so they should update their room and bathroom and furniture and cleaning service they didn’t clean properly gallery door’s handle was dusty and rusty

Leisure Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

02 Sep 2025

majella

Staff are extremely friendly and helpful. Very professional.

Leisure Family

4/10

Poor

29 Aug 2025

Keith

We did not have any towels. I asked the room service for towels and then reception 3 times. On the third occasion we got bath towels. No hand towels or bath math. The hotel is very dated and needs a go refresh. The shower is in the bath which could be dangerous for someone with limited mobility.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Aug 2025

Rohan

Mount Lavinia is a classic colonial hotel in Colombo. My daughter and I enjoyed the magnificent dining rooms, immaculate swimming pool, great staff service and terrific food. Recommending anyone who wants to spoil themselves staying a mount lavina

Leisure Family

2/10

Poor

22 Aug 2025

Nalini

What an awful experience. We came as a wedding party and the service and cleanliness of the place was poor.
On entering the property it looked grand but after you go into your room the hotel quality deteriorates.
Rooms were unclean, limited towels, no bath mat, poor lighting, unclean sheets, and telephone which did not work.
I had to ask three times for extra towels and bath mat. Eventually at 8.00pm this was given to us after 9 hours of waiting. Very poor service. Some rooms that the other guests were staying had no working air conditioning and had similar problems to our room. Two couples who were also in our party had to change rooms twice due to poor facilities and cleanliness.
On our exit from the hotel we had paid what we owed for room. After 10 minutes we were told by another receptionist that we still had to pay even though we had already paid. I had to physically find the other receptionist who had already taken the payment to confirm that we had already paid. Bad service and professionalism as we did not even get an apology for this.
Please avoid this hotel if you can.
Best thing for them to do is to close down establishment and refurbish the place as it looks very unloved. I think some of the service staff need to maybe retrain to provide better service as good service apart from porters was extremely poor.
Only plus sides include good views, nice location and nice food.
Best to avoid.

6/10

Pleasant

18 Aug 2025

John

Still an iconic place in a stunning ocean location and rich in colonial experience.

Food excellent as always and staff terrific but sorely in need of a major refurbishment. Haven't said that, YES, we would stay again: the positives out way the negatives.

Leisure Partner

2/10

Poor

10 Aug 2025

Fazmin

AC wasn’t working. Rooms were pretty dated and dirty. This is our first place we stayed after landing in Sri Lanka so first impression was pretty bad. Food and the pool was the only good thing in this hotel. I still won’t go back.

Leisure Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

08 Aug 2025

Nirthana

The staff were really attentive anr the location was good. Best bits for me were the breakfast which was delicious (lots of traditional dishes and a live hopper and omelette station) and the view was beautiful. Only downside was our aircon wasnt really too cooling and there were some small bugs on one of the tables but didnt touch our belongings and we didnt see them anywhere else. Was a nice hotel. Breakfast was the highlight

Leisure Partner

2/10

Poor

06 Aug 2025

Jeyaganeshan

Very old hotel not updated and I have to change 4 room while I was there 4days

Leisure

2/10

Poor

05 Aug 2025

Ranga

Not nice at all

Leisure Partner

2/10

Poor

29 Jul 2025

Verified traveler

The views are amazing and the staffs general service was good. However the air-conditioning wasnt working and there was black mould and it was extremely difficult to sleep.

6/10

Pleasant

22 Jul 2025

Valarmathy

Old building,needed renovation
Location was really good
Breakfast good

Leisure

2/10

Poor

20 Jul 2025

Kanagaratnam

Very bad experience at this hotel. In our both rooms lots of water dripping from ceiling and pillows and beds are stinking.

2/10

Poor

20 Jul 2025

Mark

Was delighted to arrive at the beautiful Mount Lavinia Hotel, once a favourite Colombo hotel. Not anymore. From the moment I walked it, it was so disappointing…

Business_and_leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

14 Jul 2025

Sakina

The hotel was cleaned and the staffs were very friendly. The sea view rooms were just amazing..

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

11 Jul 2025

Joel

Mount Lavinia hotel is in an amazing location with a phenomenal view. The F&B staff and food is excellent and very friendly. There was a games room with a pool table and table tennis table which my kids thoroughly enjoyed. There is work to be done in renovating the hotel and parts of the building to restore it to it’s former grandeur, but all in all a great place to base yourself and enjoy the beautiful and serene waves, lovely pool and mesmerising sunset you can see on the terrace.
Note that some rooms have been renovated to a modern feel whilst others are not and have an old world charm to them- so factor that in when booking to best suit your holiday preferences

Leisure Family_with_children

4/10

Poor

10 Jul 2025

Ross

Property not maintained at all. Mirrors were broken, elevators not working, took 3 different calls spaced within 1 hour each to housekeeping.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

10 Jul 2025

Meth

This is still an awesome property

6/10

Pleasant

06 Jul 2025

Jehana

When we checked in originally the room’s AC did not work. However when we went to the reception the General manager was very attentive and quickly changed our room to a better one. This hotel has a special place in our family.

4/10

Poor

28 Apr 2025

SAMSON

Beware of air conditioning issues in rooms; older facilities are quaint but hardly maintained. Unhappy staff made service delivery difficult. Excellent food at buffet and restaurant made up for lacks.

Business_and_leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

27 Apr 2025

SUNIL

Location is great but service needs to be improved.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

24 Apr 2025

Rukshan

Great atmosphere and facilities. Range of food to dine in at the buffet. Friendly staff.

Friends_and_family Family

4/10

Poor

23 Apr 2025

Gina

Disappointing

Hotel facade looked good. Booked a king room, was given a twin. Room was tired. Staff were generally disinterested. Overcharged on two occassions and had to request the bill to be amended. The hallways were constantly cluttered with room service trays outside rooms. Beach access was permanently closed from the hotel so you had to walk along a train line and sramble down rubbish strewn rocks to sccess the beach. There was some sort of rave hosted at the hotel

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 Apr 2025

I

Great

Amazing

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

19 Apr 2025

Matthew

Good hotel but a sweat box.

The hotel is an old colonial hotel with charm. It is mostly fine other than the lifts are small and flow but the huge downside is that it is incredibly hot. They don’t really have a/c. Although the rooms do have it, even with it going full blast it only cools the rooms down a couple of degrees. I was with a wedding group and everyone felt the same. The lobby is like a sweat box.

The breakfast is pretty good and value for money and as always, you should get an egg hopper when in SL.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

13 Apr 2025

Palitha

Excelent property with great heritage. Some TLC would be good. Staff were fantastic. Food was superb and value for money. Especially the breakfast buffet.

Business_and_leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

13 Apr 2025

Kamal

Enjoyed the best food and view of the ocean. The hotel is old and rusty otherwise it’s a nice hotel for the price. The best breakfast buffet ever you can get in Sri Lanka for sure.

Leisure Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

11 Apr 2025

David

Historic colonial style.

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

03 Apr 2025

Kim

rooms need updating.. tv didn't work, phone didn't work. First room had mould ... hotel is run down and needs refurbishment

10/10

Exceptional

24 Mar 2025

Steven

A hotel that is a cut above. A traditional honest hotel that is reasonable priced

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

23 Mar 2025

Jacqueline

Heritage hotel sublime and private beach fantastic

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

22 Mar 2025

Mangal

Unique position on the sea with pool terrace or beach and the best food and extensive buffet.

10/10

Exceptional

21 Mar 2025

Ethel

Heavenly stay

Had a perfect stay. Helped me a lot .Gave me the perfect room on ground floorr with super view onto beach.
Brought my breakfast to my room. Impecable service from well turned out polite staff. FRIENDLY MANAGER AND RECEPTION.
DO TRY THE SPA . FIRST FULL BODY MASSAGE/SCRUB I HAVE EVER HAD. IT WAS AMAZING. I DO RECOMMEND IT.

Self

8/10

Excellent

20 Mar 2025

ROBERT

Enjoyable stay.

Our room had a lovely outlook over the sea with a balcony. It was very comfortable and clean. The buffet breakfast was superb.

Partner

2/10

Poor

23 Feb 2025

Kalpana

in urgent need of updating !!!

friendly staff team apart from that no other positives building needs serious renovation & refurbishment. our room had a massive crack on the floor tile. cleanliness was compromised in many ways. stained towels linens etc.

Friends_and_family Family

4/10

Poor

19 Feb 2025

John

Past its use by date

Very dated hotel. Needs paint and lots of renovation. Lifts don’t display floor level as digits dont work, both in the lifts of outside floors.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

18 Feb 2025

Udith

Everything was perfect

Leisure Family

4/10

Poor

16 Feb 2025

Tania

I had always wanted to stay at this hotel.what a disappointment. The hotel needs a huge amount of maintenance. My entire family stayed here. There was water leaking from the ceiling in areas. Areas where it looked like the ceiling might fall.
The beach staff were ok- but when you ordered anything- it took a long time. They had to get everything from the main kitchen, even drinks.
The pool staff and the annex staff were good. There were 4 great servers- I didn’t get their names. The main dining room service was ok. We had to ask for tea and coffee most mornings and it did take awhile. The breakfast buffet was great.
I am staying at the Galle Face hotel and I would highly recommend it. Galle Face hotel
Is celebrating their 160th birthday. The place is in great condition and great staff.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

09 Feb 2025

Jayantha Lalith

So many things seemed to go wrong in this hotel. The room safe could not be locked, and the TV and the iron in the room weren’t in working order. The hotel looked dated and seemed badly maintained. I arranged for a packed breakfast two days before the date of my departure, and despite further reminders and repeated phone calls to staff, if had not been prepared; when it was eventually done 1.5 hours after my scheduled time of departure for the airport the meal was of poor quality and didn’t include what was promised.

Self

8/10

Excellent

29 Jan 2025

deborah

Gorgeous private beach. Corridors musty. Slightly shabby chic. Great breakfast. Dinner ordinary. Nice pool. Interesting heritage

Leisure Friends

2/10

Poor

24 Dec 2024

Sadia

Very run down property

I recently stayed at what was once, no doubt, a beautiful property, but my experience was nothing short of a nightmare. From the moment I entered the hotel, it was clear that this place had been grossly neglected. The room was filthy—there was visible dust on surfaces, grime in the corners, and a musty, unpleasant odor that permeated everything. It seemed like the housekeeping staff hadn't been near the room in weeks, if not months.
The mildew and black mold on the walls and ceiling were alarming, and the state of the bathroom was even worse—broken tiles, moldy grout, mold on walls and ceiling, and rusty fixtures. The furniture appeared to be decades old, worn down, and uncomfortable. It's obvious that the hotel hasn't seen any significant maintenance or updates in years, and it was incredibly disappointing to see how poorly it had been cared for.i have asthma and the mold triggered it to a point where I couldn't spend any time in my room. Grateful that I had just one full night here and I'm leaning early on the second night.
This once beautiful property is now nothing more than a shadow of its former self, and it's painfully clear that the management has let it fall into a state of disrepair. The lack of attention to cleanliness and upkeep is inexcusable, and I would strongly advise anyone considering staying here to look elsewhere.
This was a very disappointing experience, and I cannot in good conscience recommend this hotel to anyone.

Friends_and_family Friends

2/10

Poor

02 Dec 2024

Sharath Kumar Reddy

Horrible condition of the hotel. Never going to come back

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

10 Nov 2024

Sriya

Indra was best leader help me with everything

10/10

Exceptional

31 Oct 2024

Steven

The last time I stayed at Mount Lavinia was in 2005. I loved it and always wanted to come back to it. Now being back is just as good, if not better than 20 years ago. We are leaving today. I just want to stay on.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

25 Oct 2024

RAJEEV Shiva

Location on the beach is great. But dated property in need of gut rehab.

Business_and_leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

01 Oct 2024

roshini

Beautiful Colonial hotel we love. Staff are curious and friendly. Great ambiance. Breath taking views.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

29 Sep 2024

Selvaraju

Friendly staff and an elaborate breakfast menu. Rooms were neat and big. Easy access to the beach from the hotel.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

28 Sep 2024

Indi

The staff are excellent in every way. They go above and beyond expectations. The front and common areas are simply lovely.

The back part of the hotel needs updating and maintenance. Looks quite shabby.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

08 Sep 2024

Yvonne

I had a very pleasant stay at the Mount Lavinia hotel. From the bellman to housekeeping to front office hotel manager & reception staff were alway so helpful , professional taking excellent care of their hotel guests and they are superb in their hospitality skills.
The only disappointment was the breakfast buffet,
The local dishes seemed like it was water down to westerner’s palates, very bland dishes and most of the hot dishes were cold example porridge & congee was cold and I had 4breakfasts not very exciting at all.
Other than this disappointment the rest was great.
I love everything about this hotel, very sleek but not pretentious . Beautiful hotel with its rich history i will return again next year . Highly recommend this hotel to all my friends & colleagues . Thank you

Business Self

8/10

Excellent

04 Sep 2024

Tamaris

I enjoyed the ocean view from my room, but it was located near the public beach area, which was quite noisy with people milling about. I was also disappointed with the gym, which was situated in a nearby building that felt abandoned and unsafe. It was dimly lit, and the stairwell up to the gym was in poor condition. The adjacent building clearly needs significant renovation or to be demolished.

On a positive note, the private beach was beautiful. However, it was surprising to see so few guests there. I’m not sure if others were aware of it, as there were no signs directing visitors. I had to inquire at the reception to find out how to access it.

Additionally, it would have been nice to have a café where I could purchase coffee or a snack, rather than relying on room service with the same menu as the restaurant.

Leisure Self

2/10

Poor

14 Aug 2024

RAVINTHIRAN

the hotel is good, conection and handling by expedia is worst.

6/10

Pleasant

07 Aug 2024

Harrison

The hotel did not have the copy of the online reservation and they initially over charged us.
However after providing the details mext day, the price was adjusted.

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jul 2024

chulani

Staff was excellent. We enjoyed the staying at mount Lavinia Hotel.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

23 Jun 2024

Grant

Great hotel

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

01 Apr 2024

Pavithrini

Lovely location and we enjoying visiting this beautiful colonial beach hotel however we were charged twice for drinks consumed in the lobby and moved to the terrace area despite explaining to the staff at the time and showing my receipts. Be careful and double check your statements as they take your bank card and disappear with it. They don’t need a pin or a signature to take money out. Shocking!

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

22 Apr 2023

MAHESH

This is a historic property with an amazing history that evokes nostalgia.
With a bit of an upgrade it will be back to its former glory.
It has the potential to become Sri Lanka’s own Raffles Hotel.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

12 Mar 2020

Ashley

Nice hotel great location

Hotel is in perfect location. Steeped in history and a very grand building. However this shows in its condition in places. Some corridors do smell very damp but is very clean. The bathroom we had showed signs of tiredness. Our room was ground floor and had a family of pigeons nesting on out window box . Poo everywhere.
Private beach is nice but I preferred public beach.
Nice hotel and great location.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

08 Mar 2020

Angela

Great location and friendly, courteous and helpful staff. Great to be back after some 15 or so years.

Only request is to the staff on the terrace.
Please cast your eyes over the guests more frequently. It is sometimes hard to catch your attention!!

Business Partner

8/10

Excellent

02 Mar 2020

Algimantas

One year 2019 was better

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

29 Feb 2020

Verified traveler

Variable quality attributes

The hotel has some great features. All public spaces, restaurants and food are excellent. Amazing location too. Service is variable. Some excellent staff and some not so great. But the problem was the room. It was really basic. Not a single lamp stand in the room. It was dark and I was unable to read anything from the ceiling lights. The shower had a bad smell. I stayed at the Kingsbury in Colombo, paid the same rate, and the room was fabulous. Can't understand this difference in standards.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

25 Feb 2020

Jane

This was our third visit and I hope it won’t be our last. It has an amazing old colonial feel with a wonderful history behind it. Very relaxing. The food is amazing. They have one of the best chefs in Sri Lanka who has become famous for his books and television appearances. The staff great too. Nothing is too much for them.
Then there is the private beach with fish restaurant and happy hour watching the sun go down over the sea

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

12 Feb 2020

Zahirali

This place is tired.

The only good thing I can say is the location and the view. Restaurant is great.
It may be a 200 yr hotel and it is supposed to be grand and all but you desperately need to update the place especially rooms and all if you are charging top dollar.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

12 Feb 2020

stephen

Grand old Duchess that has style

The staff are well trained and very helpful.
The choice of eating palace and food adds greatly to the pleasure.
The value is first class I was recommended and I will recommend in turn.
It was a second visit in two weeks

Partner