5-Star Hotels in Colombo

We spent an unforgettable night at Ishq. It's a pity that we didn't stay a few more days because of time. We'll leave it for next time! The hotel is simple and elegant, the bedding and furniture in the room are quite tasteful, and the hotel has a very charming library. I really want to stay in it for a week and enjoy the quiet time of reading in the breeze; the hotel is well maintained and clean, and the bedding has a fresh smell of sunshine, which is very rare in a hot and humid coastal city; we enjoyed an unforgettable dinner in the exquisite restaurant, with dancing candlelight and cool breeze, which is so romantic! It is also worth mentioning that our housekeeper Darshana is very enthusiastic and professional, and provided us with a lot of help. Thanks to the Ishq team for providing guests with such a beautiful resting environment!

Manipati Hotel in Colombo, an old house built in 1906, was once the private residence of the Correa family. Stepping into the hotel, it feels like traveling through time and space, and deeply appreciates the texture polished by time. The hotel cleverly retains the original colonial architectural details and historical and cultural atmosphere. The hotel has only a few rooms, and my room was unexpectedly upgraded with a small garden. A chair and a small coffee table in the corner became a good place for me to read. In the morning, squirrels jumped between the trees, green parrots played on the white walls, and I enjoyed a quiet time in the swimming pool in front of the door. Thank you!

Kingsbury hotel is in a prime location closer to the beach activities. Some rooms are with sea view. Shopping mall is nearby that offers variety of shops and services. Restaurants provide wide selection of food options with local and international cuisines. The rooms are carpeted which emits old odour. The room furniture needs modernising. We experienced issues with booking. They couldn’t find our booking and gave us a room in a lower floor and the furnitures were old with smelly carpet. On my complaint, we were upgraded to a suite room in a higher floor which was classy and the view was excellent. Don’t know I can afford to stay in a suite. The staffs were helpful. I didn’t have a chance to use all amenities but I noticed there were many options. I will stay again if I am given a room in a higher floor or if I can afford a suite room.

Facilities: The facilities are very new, and the bedding is very comfortable. Hygiene: The hygiene is excellent. Service: The service is good, and the breakfast selection is rich. Environment: The environment is nice. The room offers direct views of the sea and the famous 'internet-famous' mini-train. Compared to some other five-star hotels, it's a bit further from popular restaurants and shopping malls.

It took about 40 minutes to get here from the airport by taxi with no traffic. The hotel shares security with the mall downstairs, which is very convenient for shopping and dining. As a Marriott Bonvoy member, I got a 20% discount on the buffet dinner, which came out to less than 100 RMB – it was incredibly rich and great value for money. The room facilities were new, and the bedding was clean. All the staff were very friendly.

The hotel facilities are great, but the atmosphere was a bit tense. Overall, the hotel itself is good; the rooms and service are all up to par. However, this experience felt a bit strange. We arrived in the middle of the night, and as soon as we entered the hotel, there were two layers of security checks: first, military personnel with sniffer dogs, and then the hotel's own security. Honestly, this kind of setup made me feel a bit tense and unable to relax. I was looking forward to the sea view when I woke up, but the weather wasn't great that day; neither the sky nor the sea were very blue. The advantage of the large floor-to-ceiling windows wasn't really utilized, which was a bit disappointing. After leaving the hotel, the street outside was full of tuk-tuks, emitting a strong diesel smell. It instantly pulled me from the vacation vibe back to reality. 😑

I needed to blow dry my hair after washing it in the morning, but the hairdryer plug didn't fit the outlet. I reported it to the front desk, and they said they'd send an engineer. After a long wait, no one showed up. I happened to hear a cleaning staff member in the hallway, and they took a look and said they'd get an adapter. It's truly speechless; it's the first time I've encountered a hotel where I needed to use an adapter for their own hairdryer. Once the adapter arrived, the hairdryer still didn't work, so they had to replace it. Three hours later, the engineer finally showed up to 'assist'! The pool also requires crossing a road to get to, and the shower room cleanliness was just so-so. This really doesn't live up to the five-star brand and high price point.

A beautiful building in a very pleasant area of Colombo; the architecture and interior design of the hotel are a joy to behold and the vast majority of staff are polite and courteous. Plenty of amenities nearby to suit all tastes and interests. The breakfasts were great both mornings (both the Sri Lankan breakfast and the Western style), and they really lived up to the high expectations we’d had from the Instagram marketing we’d seen. We were upgraded to the North West Suite, which was a larger room, for which we were greatly appreciative; a couple of issues with working plugs and appliances (coffee machine and hair dryer) were reported and rectified, although the wiring/plugs more broadly were temperamental and poorly placed (as expected, possibly, with the charm of an older hotel). However, the bed was comfortable, the hotel was quiet, and the bathroom was well appointed. Our only qualm was with the overzealous Head of Housekeeping, who seemed to not grasp the subtlety required for such a role, or the privacy with which guests might like to enjoy the beautiful hotel. It appeared that he lingered all too often in search of a tip, and didn’t quite appreciate the boundaries one might desire when paying a reasonable fee for each night. My wife and I took to speedily locking the door and placing the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the handle to keep his incessant interrupting to a minimum. His deputy was, however, an asset to the hotel, who seemed to comprehend the subtle art of providing high quality service for a luxury stay in a lovely hotel. All-in-all, a great choice for a hotel in the heart of Colombo, and hopefully, during a busier season, the aforementioned Head of Housekeeping might spread his overbearing attention across the many rooms of the hotel.

Family: 3 adults and 2 children The apartment 801: + The apartment is large and spacious; + The rooms and bed linen are clean; + The bathroom is clean; + The room was cleaned well, towels were changed every day (I left a tip); + Hair dryer, air conditioner, iron work well; + There are dishes, appliances, and a washing machine in the kitchen; - There is no frying pan and no pots. It is impossible to cook on the stove, there is no microwave. - The furniture in the living room has an unpleasant smell and is dirty; - The iron board is dirty; - The curtains need to be changed; Reception: + They are polite; + Check-in was quickly; Restaurant (breakfast and dinner): + The quality of the products is high; + Variety of dishes; + The chefs are great; - There are a lot of guests on Saturday and Sunday due to the holidays, the priority for hotel guests is falling; Guards and butlers: + They seemed competent and friendly to me; + The rest of the staff are friendly and polite; Swimming pool: + Good view; + The kids liked it;

Great location, close to a lot of restaurants, cafes, bars, and One Galle Face Mall. The hotel is well kept albeit old. The pool is great. Beautiful and cozy lobby and cafe. The greatest of all is the staff. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. Taj Samudra is the perfect home away from home whenever in Colombo. Will definitely stay here again.