Club Hotel Dolphin

Sri Lanka , Negombo
Waikkal, St. Sebastian Mawatha, Kammala South
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50 reviews shown

10/10

Exceptional

24 Sep 2024

Andrew

Am 60 yrs old, have about 4 holidays a year, 1st time Sri Lanka and i am saying this Hotel is absolutely brilliant, food, staff, comfort, pool everything is just great.

Partner

4/10

Poor

23 Dec 2023

Ivana

Over priced rundown hotel

We booked this hotel for our last night in Sri Lanka and it was by far the most rundown hotel we have stayed in.
We booked the most expensive ($260 per night) room that they offered “ beach villa”.
The room was in poor condition and looked nothing like a villa.
Tv didn’t work and bed sheets were old and room was not clean.
Ac blows directly on the bed so you can choose to either be freezing or be super hot.
The hotel is on the beach but far from easy access to anything near by.
Dinning options are at the buffet only and it’s like a 2 star restaurant.
The buffet is $15 per person, kinda high for the quality of food and giving the fact you are in Sri Lanka.
This hotel would be ok for $40 per night for someone that is on budget.
$260 per night in Sri Lanka gets you by far nicer accommodation.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

14 Mar 2020

Ciaran

Very spacious property even when near full occupancy. Staff always attentive and going extra mile. Good choice of food at buffet.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

02 Oct 2019

Grahame

Overall good but they have a lot to learn.

Overall good. They have a lot to learn regarding food selection compared to other all inclusive holidays we have taken especially Turkey. We booked B&B but were informed that we should take all inclusive as it represented good value. We don’t agree £70 each per day wasn’t good value at all unless you wanted to snuff yourself or get outrageously drunk!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 Apr 2019

Bruce

Excellent customer service. Highly recommended. Perfect for relaxing break.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

30 Mar 2019

Verified traveler

There are many dogs, which is first day a shock but later you can find there are kind and not dangerous and it is part of culture of this island.

8/10

Excellent

19 Feb 2019

Olgica

Very nice

+
Very nice resort. Wonderful huge pool and great pool area on the lawn. Beautiful beach too - and swimmable :). Animation team active. Nice main restaurant, lots of food choices. And tasty. Live music at times nice touch.
Close to the airport, very good choice for a first or last stop in Sri Lanka.
-
Very large resort, not for those who prefer more privacy. Sometimes loud too. They take day guests (probably there for a meeting or something), so that at one point there were no more sun umbrellas left for us - which should not happen. A bit complicated to get around. Could have more of a local touch.

Family

8/10

Excellent

31 Dec 2018

Dilshan

A good place to relax

Overall it was a nice place to spend with my family. Mostly enjoyed in the pool area.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

06 Dec 2018

Angela

Family hotel

Loved the hotel and food. Pool was great too. We were AL but when I asked for banana milkshake it was not on the AL. I don’t drink so this was disappointing. Staff are very friendly.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

10 Oct 2018

Dani

Overall nice facility layout confusing. Staff really nice. Not much entertainment on offer. A little far out to bars, shopping & to find things to do. Food was good.

8/10

Excellent

27 Aug 2018

Bal

Very nice hotel with character by the beach.

The staff are very helping and friendly. Always willing to help with any problems you may have. The hotel is not a modern type of hotel, but has lots of character. The two swimming pools are a bonus. The first is a large long stretched out pool with plenty of space for everyone. The other is a large quiet pool for those who want to swim or spend time in the pool with less noise. The eating areas are large and spacious. My only negative point is if you are a vegetarian. Then on some days the choice can be limited. But if you ask the head chef. They will try to make food to satisfy your vegetarian lifestyle the next time you eat. The beach can be littered with some rubbish bought in on the tide from the nearby towns. But the staff do clean it monthly. In August the tide can be a little strong.

8/10

Excellent

27 Aug 2018

Hesitha

Nice hotel with sea view and a large pool. Villa rooms are clean and spacious. Foods are delicious and more variations.
The colored wrist band used to identify booking boarding is a nuisance make a discrimination.

6/10

Pleasant

26 Aug 2018

Sudarshana

Waiting one and half hours for checking. Not much clean. Dinner is not satisfied.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

23 Jul 2018

Mark

Very large resort, very good food

My wife and I stayed here earlier this month and - although we were only there for a night prior to flying back to Australia - we had a good time.
The resort itself is really large and the staff are super friendly.
The buffet food is excellent both in variety and taste.
They offer an all-inclusive upgrade package for $30 US per person/per night - as at July 2018 - so if you're going to be here for a few days it would be well worth it to take this option, especially if you like a drink or 2...

10/10

Exceptional

13 Apr 2018

Steve

Fabulous hotel and great location.

Fantastic location, beautiful beach, the sea is a bit rough, but there were people swimming in the sea although the red flags were flying everyday we were there. The staff are really friendly, great fun and very helpful. Both pool areas are very clean, food and drinks appear to be available at any time of day or night, although we were originally on a B&B basis, we went for the all inclusive on arrival and were not disappointed with what was on offer. Our room was a superior one with sea view, big room, the A/C and ceiling fan was great, our room could have done with a little refresh on some of the paintwork, but generally nice. We had a fabulous ten nights at the Dolphin and would definitely recommend this hotel.

10/10

Exceptional

24 Dec 2017

Carrie

Good resort for a getaway

Excellent experience at Club Hotel Dolphin. We did find it to be a little isolated from the city but it was a good start to the trip with nice relaxing treatments in their spa.

10/10

Exceptional

14 Dec 2017

Hoshang

Amazing

Fantastic. The property is a real resort with all inclusive amenities and daily activities.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Dec 2017

Hoshang

Anazing

Excellent property staff amazing - all eager to help. Felt like a real vacation.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

22 Nov 2017

Kim

Nice layout of rooms on hotel grounds

Quite nice.
Parking is on the road side - not sure if hotel security looks after this area.
Decent room - with working roman blinds.
Bathroom - ants and quite a few drain flies. :(
Breakfast buffet nice spread. Friendly staff. Good service.

8/10

Excellent

28 Oct 2017

gemma

Relaxing family holiday

My husband and I took our 1 year old for our first holiday.
We stayed in a pool access room which was exactly that with the bonus of bring close to the beach. Pool area and bar was perfect. Lots of different depth areas so my daughter could enjoy the pool, walking and sitting in the water.
Food was good. Buffet varied day to day and had a good selection. Very accommodating of chn and will cook what they need. Allowed late checkout as our daughter was sleeping and didn't remove all inclusive band so we could eat lunch after check out.
Kids club was great, esp the indoor playroom. Staff there were very friendly and let us use the room after checking out over their lunch break.
Overall we would recommend this hotel 😊

8/10

Excellent

30 Mar 2017

sue

Nice hotel, close to the beach.

Had a lovely four day stay at this hotel. It was a bit secluded from anywhere around it. Very clean, and staff very polite. We were Bed and Breakfast, so ate in the hotel for our evening meals, as no where else nearby. Food was good, but there was not really many plain dishes if you didn't like curries and other more exotic dishes. Therefore, would not recommend it for children. Entertainment very quiet at nights, singer on keyboard, animation sow three nights a week ( not all that) and a disco that no one attended! Pool side was nice, no problem getting beds. Overall had a good stay, but a little quieter than I expected.

10/10

Exceptional

08 Jan 2017

Iresha

Peaceful and excellent customer service

Very friendly staff. Went out of their way to make our stay wonderful.
Clean and beautiful setting
Beachfront with shady trees
Very relaxing
Will go again

10/10

Exceptional

03 Dec 2016

Verified traveler

Very good hotel. Clean rooms and nice staff. Near to the beach

8/10

Excellent

09 Aug 2016

Zoe & Gwyn

Nice hotel but staff could have been better

We stayed at the hotel for one night only. The check in was nice and we were welcomed and given a welcome drink. Our room was clean and in good condition and nicely located right beside the pool with a nice outdoor seating area. We ate lunch and dinner at the hotel and the food was nice. The service was good.

The following day we spoke to the reception about arranging a taxi for us to get to the airport that evening, we were told to leave it with them and they would organise this for us. When we went to check this was all in place about 30mins before we wanted to depart we were told this hadn't been done and there were no taxis - no solution offered just no taxis. We explained that we HAD to get there and could we perhaps get a tuk tuk. They agreed however couldn't seem to care less about helping us with our departure.

The hotels focus seems to be on the guests staying for longer periods of time (and all inclusive) with less care and attention given to those staying only a day or two and only bed and breakfast.

Whilst it is a nice hotel - given the price I would hav expected better Custer service and therefore probably wouldn't stay here again.

8/10

Excellent

04 Apr 2016

Stuart

A \"nice\" place

My sister chose the hotel and I met her and her family there with my partner. It's an all inclusive resort that caters almost entirely to a European (mostly British and German) clientele. I only booked room and breakfast, which was slightly annoying. It would help if the various options were made more explicit when booking with hotels.com. The hotel is nice but not quite stunning; for the price, I expected more stunning. The beach is lovely and the pools all nice, the staff were great. Overall, though, I think Sri Lanka has better options in the price range.

We took a tour to Kandy to see the elephants and ride on an elephant. We also saw a pineapple garden, tea factory, spice garden and temple... It was a long day, personally I could have lived without the tea and temple. Also, every place you go involves you digging into your pocket for tip money, and fairly pressured efforts for you to buy stuff you don't really want. That got tedious. Not the hotel's fault at all, just a warning for those considering the obligatory trip to Kandy. You might want to explore doing the trip independently, and, whatever you do, take lots of small bills. Single US dollar bills work well (but you will be asked for more!).

Family

8/10

Excellent

25 Mar 2016

Verified traveler

Nice hotel in front of See

Side_seeing 2 nights

Partner

8/10

Excellent

25 Jul 2015

ABDULLAH K.

Family trip

Take too much time to make check in and check out, need to fill many applications form, be careful from restaurant Cashier not faithful. Every else is good

Family

8/10

Excellent

20 Jun 2015

Caitlin

Relaxation Close to Airport

I had one night here before I met my friend to go down to Hikkaduwa. It cost 1760 rupees from the airpot & I booked through the first desk at the airport when you walk out of arrivals. The front lobby of the hotel was very impressive & overall I thought that the hotel was lovely, in some parts it looks like it's starting to wear but not in a way that would ever deter me from going back. I was not aware that it was an 'all inclusive' & that not being apart of that would be pricey drinks and food. But I should have looked at the hotels website while making my booking. There are lots of restaurants and the spa is near one of the two pools, the quiet one, and is located in 3 huts. Hearing the sound of the ocean whilst receiving a massage was total relaxation. The room 131 was in front of the main pool and had a sea view, it was heaven. I was able to open my sliding door, sit at my patio or loungers, seriously, I could have done a cart wheel into the pool. Impressive for a lady of 5'3. Bed was okay, but a bit hard. The breakfast buffet had options, and I thought it was decent. Staff was lovely & they who worked hard and wanted you to enjoy your stay. Taxi back to the airport to meet my friend (when using the hotel's service) was 2750. My final thoughts: would definitely stay again as it's only 35-40 minutes from the airport and would be a nice get away. Now that I'm down in Hikkaduwa however, I would say the beach is much nicer here, but it is a 3-4 hour from the airport.

6/10

Pleasant

05 May 2015

MartinDubai

Ok but not great

The hotel is wanting in many areas, some of it is outside of their control.
Beach: it is photogenic but not suitable for swimming. There is a steep drop off with a strong undertow. The beach has red flags out to warn swimmers. The hotel does offer two nice pools each with their own bar.
Security: the room I had was missing the security chain on the door and I had one of the rooms which opened on to the beach. I asked the managers about it and she said that it was removed because they had old ladies lock themselves in the room by accident! Oh well, not very safe for the rest of us.
Room safe : there are no instructions on how to set the code and a member of staff gives you a generic code which works on every safe in the hotel
Hotel Bar: a glass of wine was $9 and a local beer $5.
The bar staff tried to serve me day old wine from an open bottle.....not cool!
They also tried to charge me for a full bottle despite having ordered just a glass, I think this was as a result of poor training and not an attempt to defraud.
taxi: a local taxi from the hotel to the airport costs approx 2500 rbs , the hotel staff were trying to push the hotel van at a cost of 5500rbs. Not cool!

Food: buffets were excellent
Wifi: available throughout the property but slow speed
TV: I had a large room with a 30inch TV, it looked very small on the far wall from the bed
Sat TV reception : poor, image often froze.

Overall: ok but don't come from Europe unless the price is right, employees meant well. Humid and hot during summer months.

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jan 2015

Verified traveler

Great Family Vacation

We had a great time! Excellent New Years Gala. They made such an effort, well organized, amazing food. We could have stayed much longer.

Family

8/10

Excellent

14 Nov 2014

NutanG

NutanG

A warm friendly hotel with helpful staff, a little secluded but suited our needs.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

16 Oct 2014

jane

excellent stay

the hotel was right on the beach. We had a seaview room which was large and roomy. The room was kept very clean. The facilities at the hotel were very good. All the staff that worked there were amazing and could not do enough for you. The anamation team made sure that guests were occupied during the day.You were made to feel like a person rather than just a number. The pol was kept very clean. The food was varied although most dishes were spicy there was something for everybody to eat.

4/10

Poor

26 Jan 2014

Julius

Very little to do except pool activities

This is a all-inclusive walled in resort which has very little contact with the world outside . The rooms are nice but that is about it. The food is average and the resort is isolated. There are very few independent travelers here - almost everyone is on a package tour.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 Jan 2014

Robert

Relaxing Retreat

Excellent resort. A ways out of Ngombo and the restaurant/shopping area but has an ayuvedic spa nearby and relaxing pool areas. 30 min from the airport in light traffic. Extremely pleasant and helpful staff. Great amenities.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

21 Dec 2013

munsterforever

great option for airport

this was my second stay in a matter of days at this hotel and it didnt disappoint again. Great staff and right on the beach the rooms offer a clean and comfortable nights sleep and the amenities were fab. I will stay here every time i visit colombo from now on!

10/10

Exceptional

16 Dec 2013

munsterforever

Great beach. Nice people

we were welcomed to to the hotel in a very friendly way it set the tone for the rest of our stay. we really enjoyed the hotel room. It was comfy and right on the beach. Thyagi was extremely helpful and a credit to the hotel. Our breakfast was very good indeed and it was very varied with western and asian style foods, we really liked the fresh juice which was absolutely fabulous.hotel has a kids club and a gym are used the gym and found it more than adequate. The hotel also Has about 3 pool's and all of them were impeccably clean. we would definitely return to This hotel.

Family

8/10

Excellent

10 Dec 2013

elizabetn

Best for destination holidaymaker

A very good looking hotel with the best facilities for all inclusive and providing excellent food.....but it stops there. We were independent travellers looking at Sri Lanka and this hotel was for two week packaged tour people - who were having a lovely time. For the first time we met some unfriendly staff and un acommodating reception. Waves restaurant excellent and super staff. Isolated location but tourists did not need to go out. Cabins rather dark

10/10

Exceptional

08 Dec 2013

Amazing 4days

Beach villa was fab! Clean, spacious, we'll finished. Very helpful staff and good all inclusive package.

Family

8/10

Excellent

19 Nov 2013

Vladimir

excellent location, poor management

This hotel has a great location and large territory. The animation team is simply outstanding. Staff is very friendly and helpfull. Stayed for 15 days as a family of two adults and a year-and-half child. Stayed in a beach villa which is spacious and recommended! Villa area is usually quiet, however, loud music from the bar on some days lasted till 11pm. Two pools in different locations of the hotel. Food was initially excellent, however, grilled shrimps, crabs, cuttlefish, tuna and mullet dissappeared after one week without explanation. In my humble opinion, the hotel suffers from poor management. The renovation of the main hotel was due to end on 1 Nov 2013, however, was in full swing in mid-Nov when we left. Unstable Wi-Fi connection in the villa area as the hotel relies on the local Wi-Fi provider, rather than running its own network. Travel agents come to you every day on the beach or near villa with offers of boat, tuk-tuk, etc. trips, however, hotel management does not seem to care.

Family

8/10

Excellent

11 Jul 2013

dave

fantastic staff lovely rooms

Only stayed 3 nights and had a lovely time.As a large part of the hotel was closed for building works, there was limited animation ie no tennis.However the staff were fantastic.3 nights were enough for us as the 13 year old is not into sunbathing and needs more variety to entertain him.Am sure that when all renovation is done and all animation up and running we would stay longer.

10/10

Exceptional

18 Jun 2013

Rich

This is a resort :)

I thought this would be a hotel. You have your own huge room which is its own bungalow, with the nicest shower I've ever been in, wonderful shampoos and the room was clean and just beautiful. The hotel has an amazing buffet breakfast and dinner that is about 10$ us and was very tasty with western and local dishes. Staff was unbelievably professional and actually nice. The pool was great and had a real ocean view. In mansoon time the ocean was rough but warm and around the hotel was a little dirty with trash but their beach was clean and staffed and safe. The locals are great but it's poor so they will try and get as much money as possible from you, not at the hotel but around the area. They have an covered bar and hangout area outside. This place is just great only here one night but could have spent a month their just chilling :) enjoy!

10/10

Exceptional

13 May 2013

Maryna

perfect for quiet days near the pool

It was one of the best experiences of accomodation in a hotel of such type. Service is on a very high level starting from quick check in and every following step. Ive been welcomed by a drink and bottle of wine with fruits and chocolate in the room. Personnel made sure im comfortable and don't need anything. Room was large and comfortable, everything was working properly. Breakfast is very good and food fresh and tasty. The only thing I would add is fresh tea and coffe instead of packaged. I would recommend the place for quiet vacation as there is not much happening around. As I was staying in low season and wanted only to chill on the pool, the hotel was perfect for me! I enjoyed every moment there.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 May 2013

Richard

Club Hotel Dolphin, a must visit!

I had my reservations about the hotel before I arrived, but it was fantastic. The rooms were glorious with good space and exceptional bathrooms. Spotlessly clean, this little hidden gem was a delight to stay.
The staff appeared genuinely interested in how you were enjoying your stay, the food available was widespread and perfect for any palate. I would definitely recommend this hotel and would return with my partner so that she can enjoy the spa facilities available!

8/10

Excellent

19 Apr 2013

jasem

very nice clean beach, and welcoming staff

calm nice rooms & Bungalows, very helpful staff. the a/c in the room wasn't cooling enough even after the maintenance team worked for almost 2 hours.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

29 Jan 2013

Mike

Capture the moments

Club Dolphin was an exceptional experience for my wife and I. The hotel and grounds are maintained extremely well and the service is beyond belief. A few reviews mention that this hotel is away from many of the activities in Sri Lanka, well that makes it a bonus in my opinion. You can stage from here to go to many places and return to a beautiful place to unwind after your activities.The club is so spacious that it even offers a quiet zone.

They do offer all inclusive packages, which we did not find out about until halfway through our stay. If the hotel were to offer information packets that would help immensely considering all they have to offer. Totally awesome!!

Partner

8/10

Excellent

03 Sep 2025

Mohotti Aratchige

Gute Preis-Leistung!

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

21 Aug 2019

Christian

Everything was perfect in this Hotel. We loved it there.

6/10

Pleasant

22 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

Good location and pool. We booked a junior suite for 4 persons (2 adults and 2 children) but only were provided with 3 beds. No solution suggested by the hotel. We had to sleep with our boy in our bed. Expedia should not offer a suite to 4 persons.

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

25 Feb 2019

Romy

Fantastiskt

Detta hotell var superbra! Personalen var helt underbara och man kände sig verkligen välkommen. Ett fantastiskt engagemang när de hade olika slags aktiviteter. Skulle! gärna åka dit igen

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 Feb 2019

Verified traveler

Très bon accueil dès l'aéroport (van réservé à l'avance pour 40$ l'aller) et à l'hôtel bien reçus (mais ne pas être pressés !)
Chambre en rez de jardin au bord de la piscine principale (attention un peu bruyant et le personnel de chambre commence le ménage très tôt)
Nous avons upgradé du BB en All inclusive moyennant finance et c'est obligé car pas grand chose dans les alentours.
Mauvaise surprise certains jours de voir des locaux venir passer la journée en groupe et se rendre malade à boire de l'alcool jusqu'à ne plus tenir debout.

Partner