Cape Weligama - Relais and Chateaux

An absolutely faultless stay for all of us. The rooms, pools and general facilities are brilliant. We had the best breakfasts and dinners here, a must to fully appreciate. The half moon pool is amazing, each room has its own pool. Had a great time

This was our first visit to Sri Lanka, which we were looking forward to as part of our winter tour including Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand and a return to the cold UK through Oman and Quatar. Our 25 yrs son spoke highly of his experience during his backpacker/surfer visits to Sri Lanka, but we were looking for a higher level of comfort. Cape Weligama is a member of the Relais and Chateaux hotel association. We have a friend amongst the management team at R&C whose advice I sought prior to our decision to book. I personally don’t enjoy Indian spices although my wife loves curry, hence the combination of western and local cooking at the resort was important. The resort scored perfectly well in that respect, overall, the food offering is very good. We had booked a King bedded Master Suite and were allocated one in the eastern beach side of the property at ground floor level overlooking the “family” swimming pool in the “Arthur C Clarke” building of 4 suites. The villa blocks are named after reputed writers, personalities, or navigators, coincidentally my wife’s maiden name is “Clarke”. We were a little disappointed with the view from our ground floor suite, the upper-level suites have more light, especially on the west side of the resort (closer to the adults-only halfmoon shape pool). During the first 24 hours there seemed an absence of senior management presence at the resort, but this significantly changed on our second day when having expressed our disappointment, the assistant Executive Director Mr da Silva met with us and expressed his objective was to ensure our full satisfaction. Since then we received an outstanding level of personal attention to our needs thought our stay. Two days prior to departure, we received a complimentary upgrade to one of the higher elevation villas – this was very appreciated and offered spectacular sunset and ocean views with an abundance of wildlife proximity. Should we return, this would be the sector of the property that we would prefer. The rooms are well constructed with good quality furnishings. Not quite the latest technology seen in more modern luxury hotels, but the internet connectivity was excellent, and everything works. The rooms resemble the earlier Aman properties we stayed in such as Amanpulo in Philippines. There is direct access to a small beach where the hotel has a rustic bar with limited drinks. We sensed that this area could be improved with more extensive cocktails and smartened up. As a guest you are assigned a “curator” or butler who’s role is as an individual concierge and point of contact with the hotel. Our curator “the Brilliant Brenden” was very attentive, and instantly responsive on WhatsApp, not only helping whist in the resort, but also being on hand and contactable during our off-property excursions. Another star performer in their team was Mr Senith, the restaurant manager. Each day we would discuss our bespoke menu, and which place and time we would like to eat. These intimate

Had a pleasant stay at the Cape Weligama in early January. Positives: Beautiful location and Spectacular views. Had Some of the best laid out rooms of our Srilanka tour Had Some of the best food we had in our Srilanka tour. Good access to the South region including the charming town of Galle. We enjoyed our time here. Negatives: Service Level was not in line with expectations for an ultra lux resort. Customization, be it tours or meals, was accommodated but after making it feel that you were being granted a "favor" , rather than a welcome and natural accommodation of the requests. Staff communication was not as expected. Hotel Senior Management was not at all visible, in contrast to all the other hotels we stayed at in our Sri Lanka tour. The biggest negative is the value and quality of the "experiences" offered. In my opinion massively overpriced in relation to what is provided The beach is tiny. If you are looking for beach access it may be better to stay somewhere else (maybe the nearby Marriott). All in all, this is a good hotel that could do a lot better by raising its service level and providing better value.