Amari Hotels in Colombo

I chose the newly opened Amari Hotel (Amari Colombo) for my first two nights in Colombo, drawn by its reputation for sea views. The sea view from the room and the rooftop infinity pool were huge plusses, and the service was good, but there were quite a few flaws. I stayed in a Deluxe Sea View King Room on the 16th floor. The room's large floor-to-ceiling windows directly faced the sea, offering a great view and easy sunset watching. Unfortunately, the popular Grabbell Hotel partially obstructed the view to the left, making the angle for admiring the sea from bed not ideal. The room itself was very new, but the design had numerous illogical aspects: ① The 'king' bed was actually two single beds pushed together, with a gap in the middle, making it very uncomfortable to sleep on. ② The bathroom wasn't a 'three-fixture separation' (toilet, shower, sink in separate areas), and opening the bathroom door completely blocked the toilet, leading to poor circulation and accessibility. ③ After the main light switch was turned off for a period, the power outlets also shut off, preventing phone charging. If the main switch wasn't turned off, some lights couldn't be switched off individually. ④ The curtains required pulling cords on both sides to operate, and there was no corresponding instruction in the room. I only discovered this after struggling to pull the curtains for a long time. I was quite surprised to find such design flaws in a hotel that had been open for two years. The hotel service attitude was generally good. Checking in at 1:30 AM, the concierge was still on duty, helping with luggage from the car and later delivering it to the room. The front desk staff were also very friendly, and I didn't experience any discrimination. The rooftop infinity pool on the 26th floor also directly faces the sea. The pool isn't large or deep, but it's sufficient for leisure. There's also a bar by the pool, offering panoramic views of most of Colombo, with particularly stunning scenery at dusk. Breakfast, located on the 5th floor, featured strong local characteristics, with an array of various curries spread across the buffet. Opinions were sharply divided; my wife loved it, while I couldn't get used to it at all. Overall, to fully enjoy this hotel, you need to book a sea-view room and comfortably watch the sunset from your room or the rooftop pool. Otherwise, it's just a slightly flawed, but generally acceptable, four-star hotel.