There are no complaints about this hotel at all, everything was very pleasant.
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Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon) is an island in the Indian Ocean, which is located at a distance of 6635 km from Ukraine. The climate is equatorial, warm and humid.
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The flight can be with a transfer, sometimes without (+$100 per person) and takes about 9 hours. Plus, here add the time of the transfer itself (about an hour) and the transfer time (from two to six hours, depending on the distance of the hotel from the airport). On the plane, drinks are paid, and food is ordered from the tour operator when paying for the tour. The airport in Colombo is simple and modern, but by no means organized. Frankly speaking, not all employees communicate in English. Don't stand in vain! First you need to go to the visa department and pay for it (as of 01/25/17 - $ 40 per person). Then passport control and luggage belts. Each ribbon corresponds to an arriving flight! Continue to the exit, where you will be met by a representative of the tour operator.
By the way, you can buy a local SIM card and change money right at the airport. The course at the airport is really very good! ! ! Keep the receipt, you will need it to exchange the remaining money back into dollars. The roads in Sri Lanka are quite decent. By the way, the traffic here is on the left side.
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The best weather here, and hence the season, is from November to April. There is almost no rain during this time. The ocean is relatively calm. Air temperature + 30-35, water - + 24-28 degrees. Humidity is very high. Clothes should only be dried in the sun.
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The hotel is located on the coast of the village of Induruwa, in the vicinity of the town of Bentota. The level of the hotel is four stars, it is consistent with this assessment. On one side of the hotel there is a road and railway (!!! ), and on the other side there is a beach and access to the open ocean. All hotel windows overlook the beach, so you should not be afraid of road noise, although it sometimes comes. The hotel underwent a major renovation in 2014.
The furniture is wooden, massive, in good condition. But the pillows on the sofas are stained, even in the lobby.
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The lobby is through and takes you straight to the beach to the ocean. The reception is always active, there are two or three employees. It is worth noting that the staff is very friendly, smiling and always goes to meet you. They do not insist on tips, but they do not refuse either. There are also sofas, shops and a wi-fi zone. The Internet does not fly and is more suitable for viewing pages that do not contain videos (basically, the connection speed in the lobby bar, according to speedtest, is kept at 0.1 Mb / s ! ! ! ). In general, wi-fi starts from here and stretches throughout the hotel. Naturally, the farther from the lobby, the worse the connection. The same applies to numbers. There is simply no wi-fi in the back rooms.
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Check-in here starts at 14:00, and arrival at the hotel usually takes place early in the morning. Therefore, be prepared for the fact that after a difficult flight you will not get to your room for another six hours.
But usually the keys are issued before the set time. Be prepared to pay for breakfast. The rooms differ in comfort and, of course, price. By location, the rooms on the first floor go directly to the pool, and the rooms on the second floor take you to the balcony, where you can enjoy a wonderful view through the palm trees to the raging ocean. Therefore, offering money for the best view from the window does not make sense - the view is mesmerizing everywhere. The rooms on the upper floors are deluxe and royal rooms.
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The rooms are generally comfortable. There is everything you need - air conditioning, hair dryer, ceiling fan, hangers in the closet, free safe, mini bar, TV, telephone. Here are the phones in number two. One is near the bed, but the second is near the .....toilet bowl. You "without leaving the cash register" can call the reception and ask to bring you a new roll of toilet paper)). Joke. The TV is indeed flat screen, but that's where its pluses end.
He takes films from the network, all in English and slows down. There is one Russian channel with serials. Through some manipulation, you can connect a flash drive. By the way, there is an outlet for the network cable! That is, theoretically, you can connect a laptop directly to the network (in theory, the speed of the Internet connection should be several times higher than via wi-fi). The bathrooms are fitted with a shower. You are supposed to have a tiny bar of soap, shampoo, body lotion. There is no shower gel here, everyone is washed either with soap or shampoo. There are two rolls of paper, a full set of towels, two bathrobes! Also a kettle, tea and coffee bags. Two bottles of water a day is your legal right)). The sockets here are strange, they have five holes, but the usual Euro plug is included. Soundproofing is acceptable, you can’t hear your neighbors, but the water supply system makes noise louder than ocean waves.
Of the living creatures in the room, ruthless mosquitoes, sometimes flies on the beach, funny chipmunks on the trees. Be sure to bring mosquito repellant!
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Rooms are cleaned every day, towels are changed with each cleaning, but they don’t pay much attention to shampoos and soaps, you have to beg every time. The second roll of paper, so to speak "in reserve", is also not always given.
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The coastline is a bay. But quite large, so it does not save from big waves and wind. The waves here are really big and the flow of water that goes back into the ocean can pull you into the depths. Lifeguards on the beach were NOT noticed, but we will not say that they are not! So be careful and don't swim too far! The sand is rather coarse and poorly washed off with water. The beach is clean, wide and completely deserted! There are no sunbeds here, and there are very few swimmers.
All vacationers are located near the hotel and the pool, under the palm trees. Beach-boys are not very intrusive and do not enter the hotel territory.
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The type of rest in this hotel is calm. Great for those who come here to enjoy the sun and the sound of the ocean. There are many married couples, mostly of Balzac age. There are few young people. Most vacationers are Poles, Germans, Ukrainians, Russians, and so on. There is practically no active entertainment. Outside the hotel, apart from the beach, there is nothing interesting. For active people there are many excursions.
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As for holidays with small children, it can be noted that yes, whole families come to rest with babies too! But the food here is not ordinary, and they don’t cook separately for children! Be prepared that the baby will not want to try local dishes. In addition, the only entertainment for children here is sand and water.
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Ramps are provided for people with disabilities. The elevator works.
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The hotel area is quite small and compact. The pool is located towards the north wing of the hotel, it is quite long, clean, the water is clear and does not smell of bleach. That's just the depth here is 4 feet (1.2 m)! There is also a small pool 2 feet (0.6 m) deep. Near the pools and is the main part of the sunbeds. There are many palm trees and, accordingly, shade. The sun, by the way, is very hot, so it is recommended to apply sunscreen in the first days! There is a primitive "animation" and no music during the day. There is also a bar nearby. There is whiskey, beer, wine, rum, cocktails and fresh juices. Everything is paid. Of the free entertainment volleyball and darts. From paid - billiards. There is a gym.
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Main buffet restaurant. The food is specific, but you can always find something to eat. The first courses are pureed soups. The second is chicken, pork, mushrooms, sometimes fish (even though the ocean is ten meters away! ).
So take one serving for two and you will be enough. A seafood dish will cost a little more than chicken. Be prepared to pay up to 5.000 rupees (900 UAH, or $ 30) for lunch, this is the amount for two, including fresh juice or a glass of wine. A candlelit dinner with the sound of the ocean will cost at least $100.
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As for the prices in the hotel, I would like to give a few examples. Breakfast will cost you 1250 rupees (as of 27/01/17 it is 226 UAH or $8). A bottle of beer is 600 rupees (UAH 108 or $4). A bottle of the cheapest table wine is 3.000 rupees (540 UAH or $20). Fresh from papaya, watermelon or pineapple for 400 rupees (70 UAH or $2.7), but orange is already more expensive than 700 rupees (127 UAH or $4.7), despite the fact that oranges here are not very tasty! Such prices are due to the fact that the town of Bentota is the national resort of Sri Lanka. Therefore, the rest here is far from budget! And be careful, prices are indicated everywhere without local fees and taxes.
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It is better to buy all sorts of sweets, such as fruits, drinks and alcohol in the town of Bentota itself, here they cost half as much as in a hotel. You can get there by public transport, or by tuk-tuk (200 rupees). In general, it is customary in Sri Lanka to bargain, not aggressively. Sri Lankans are very well-mannered and friendly. Foreigners are considered wealthy people who are able to pay an inflated price. But sometimes there are either shops with a fixed price, or goods whose price is already stamped by the manufacturer on the packaging. There is no bargaining here. Remember that the same product in different stores, the price may be different!
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Excursions are an opportunity to get to know Sri Lanka from the inside. Here you have an elephant orphanage, a tortoise farm, a spice garden, high-mountain tea plantations, rice fields, the Royal Botanical Garden, and a Buddha Temple.
By the way, it is important to remember that, according to local customs, you can’t stand with your back to a sacred object - Buddha statues, while taking a selfie! ! ! It is better to take excursions official in the city, or from your guide. Local offers of beach-fights, this is far from what you want to see. They will show you only crumbs of this mysterious world.
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Beach boys are guys on the beach who, for your money, will help you get comfortable in a new place. They communicate in English and some Russian. They offer a trip to the city for shopping, excursions, show where to eat and have fun, can tell a lot about local life and about Sri Lanka as a whole. Keep in mind that they will not do all this for nothing. And therefore, know that all fruits, souvenirs, clothes, jewelry will be sold to you at an inflated price, because the price already includes a percentage for the guy who brought you here. If you want a service, pay for it!
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For those who are going to the Pandanus Beach Hotel, I recommend that you check with the operator in advance all additional costs, such as airport tax, visa costs, the cost of food on the plane, the possibility of an individual transfer (optional), type of food, etc.
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Be sure to take sunscreen, panthenol, regular soap, shower gel and a washcloth with you. Also mosquito repellent, network cable (eg for a laptop), more money. You will have to pay a lot!
The review was written during a stay at the hotel from 01/25/17 to 02/02/17.
Initially, when we first arrived, I was surprised by the through entrance to the hotel: from the threshold a gorgeous view of the deep and pleasantly noisy ocean wonder of nature, curved graceful palm trees and low population, which could not but rejoice, opens up.
The first and last thing that was not particularly pleasant was the issue of accommodation. Standard - settle here from 12 o'clock. We arrived at seven o'clock in the morning. We were offered to pay $50. e. - and the question is removed. Our principled position did not want to allow us to do this, so it was collectively decided to wait: ) At the same time, we did not waste time in vain. Leaving the "chumaidans" in a secluded corner in the lobby (where the girls from the reception advised us where to do it better), we went to get acquainted with the local territory along the coastline, and on the way back we returned to the hotel on the way.
There they saw a place where they sell "acclaimed" coconut cocktails. To tell the truth, nothing special: pleasantly sweet-tasting water, no more: ) But as an integral part of the Sri Lankan exotic, this is a "must drink" each: ) Then we tasted the power of ocean waves. Girls! Attention: it’s better to take one piece swimsuit with you if you don’t want to catch the “breast” on the waves: )
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At 12 o'clock, a girl from the reception came to us, sleeping on sun loungers, and handed over the keys. We lived on the first floor by the pool. What pleasantly surprised us, in the hotel there is no such thing as "the windows overlook the left flower bed of the backyard near the garbage containers. " All hotel windows look exclusively at the ocean. The room was very comfortable and cute. New furniture, safe (free of charge), refrigerator, TV, chairs, mirror, bedside tables, ceiling fan, good air conditioning, kettle.
The bathroom has expensive new plumbing, a hair dryer, disposable washbasins: shampoo, soap, gel, pleasantly smelling towels. On the balcony - a hanger for drying clothes and two armchairs. In general, everything is done very competently in terms of comfort. They clean the room and change towels every day, while replenishing the supply of drinking water: two bottles of 0.5 per room.
Beach.
Clean, "combed": uncles scratch it daily with a rake : ) Wooden deck chairs, towels, mattresses - everything is free and clean: ) Except for mattresses: the result of the digestion process is often left on them by noisy and annoying Sri Lankan crows: )
Kitchen.
To be honest, I thought that I would miss our native food there, but the opposite is true. After returning from vacation, I missed their dishes. Well, very tasty - it's nothing to say. A variety of meat, chicken, fish, vegetables, salads, side dishes, soups - every day we were surprised with something new.
There were always fruits on the buffet table: pineapple, papaya, watermelon; sweet. And the service at the level of the restaurant: tables served according to the standard, serving tea, water - all this was organized by the attendants. There was a lot. Whatever food ran out was replenished with new portions. As for freshly squeezed juices, it's better not to experiment and drink them in a hotel. For the price, they are not much different from those offered in local cafes. But! There is one but. As our experience has shown, in cafes they are usually diluted with water. The hotel will bring you 100% fresh.
In a word, I highly recommend.
As a travel agent, it is doubly difficult for me to choose a hotel for myself, all the hotels in Sri Lanka have been studied by me and repeatedly visited by tourists. At the time when I was planning my vacation, Pandanus at that time had just opened after a major overhaul, when the hotel was new, furniture, plumbing, etc. , in practice it would be nice to relax, and when the hotel is just starting to gain customers, positive reviews, the staff tries to please their guests, the Induruwa coast suited me, it takes about 3 hours to drive from the airport, there are hotels that are located 6 hours away, but there were few days, I didn’t want to waste time on the road. Induruwa is a village, you can get to the city of Bentota by tuk-tuk for 2 dollars, if you wish, you can buy fruit, but it is advisable not to go at lunchtime, it is very hot so as not to get a heat stroke.
The hotel is small, very cozy and comfortable, all rooms overlook the sea, we lived in a superior room near the pool on the first floor, you could always sit on the balcony and enjoy the ocean. The food is good, I recommend booking breakfast + dinner, in principle there is a place to go out, but the prices are not quite cheap, as we imagine, for 5 people we dined for 140 dollars and this is without alcoholic drinks, lobsters, we just ate fish)) later we dined either fruit or ordered at the hotel, the cost of lunch: shrimp 9 dollars, spaghetti with seafood 6 dollars. If you don't drink a lot of alcohol, it makes no sense to book all inclusive, you can always order a drink at the hotel. The food at the hotel is good, the choice of dishes is sufficient, the food is not spicy, there is a hotel spicy table.
The tour was ordered from Lyudmila, they are located next to the hotel, if you leave the hotel towards the ocean, turn right, I also contacted her on recommendations and reviews, we were satisfied who I need to give her number to.
The beach is gorgeous, large, the entry into the sea is gentle, a little to the left there are stones that act as breakwaters, but we swam near the hotel on the waves, we liked to jump more when it was calm, it was even boring) Umbrellas and sun loungers are located on the territory of the hotel, since in Sri Lanka, all the beaches are municipal, which is good, you will not see the locals there, except for those who sell coconuts, but the beach is clean.
There is no animation in the hotel, but live music is played in the restaurant in the evening. WI-FI is free throughout the territory.
But we think the staff will think of placing a beautiful girl of local nationality in a national dress near the door.
On the third floor there is a very cool rocking chair, a lot of very good simulators (for free).
They make a bar on the roof, it will probably be fun to sit and drink beer in the evening.
There is a beautiful pool in the yard and there is a children's pool, but maybe we were and the water heating was not turned on, but it seems to me that it is not there at all, so sit there yourself before letting the children in because it is cold and cool.
Near the pool there is a bar and all dishes are paid.
The ocean is beautiful, be careful not to swim for a long time, everyone burns their nose, shoulders. (To wounds and imperceptibly)
At the exit from the hotel to the ocean there is a young sinegal, his name is Damid, he speaks a little Russian, but among those whom we know he is adequate and he has normal prices, he also conducts excursions, we really liked the boat ride on the river, and you can tour the fortress in gala combine with a trip to a turtle farm (you need to have small money with you in a hundred rupee bill for tips) when buying fruits, tea, souvenirs, etc. you don’t get change from them, it’s considered a gift, also Damit will take you to a shop where you can buy fruits (coconuts behind the fence for 30-50 rupees and on the territory of the hotel 300 rupees, so think for yourself from home you definitely need to take a normal knife if folding then with a latch because if you want to cut a coconut and try milk with a small knife, it won’t work, you can grab tubes from home to drink juice from coconuts so as not to ask at the bar) you can go to the store with Damid and who wants to try their alcohol, then buy white and red rum there 1450 rupees bottle 0.7 and cola 2.250 and in the bar 25gr with cola 650 rupees.
Lunches can be bought next to the left, a small type of restaurant, very tasty barracuda fish 1 pc for two is enough for 10 dollars and lobsters for 450.2 pcs cost us 50 dollars for two with a side dish very tasty.
There is no entertainment on the territory, there is no peace and quiet, there is a lack of billiards, but the problem is who was the first to play the records, there are no tennis tables, we were given chess, there are no backgammon, take cards with you to arrange tournaments. Rest calm without discos and noise. We liked the hotel do not sit visit all kinds of excursions