Marina Bentota

Lanka Sport Reizen gave us a great diving trip. First rate.

The property is huge and could be maintained better, but the location is lovely: it's on a peninsula between Bentota Ganga and the Indian Ocean. They offer water sports on site, including scuba training and certification. I arrived at 10 pm and was greeted with smiles and a welcome drink. The staff were quick to respond to complaints. Breakfast came to the table, and the food was tasty and hot. They even made a few things that weren't on the menu that day and served them right away. Nice people and a nice place.

Our stay was horrible. We'd paid in full two months ahead, but after check-in the manager gave us tiny room #206, saying the hotel was full. Our travel agent had to make repeated requests before we were moved to #303 beside the restaurant, where other guests could see into the room. After asking again, we got #401. It had lots of mosquitoes, poor electrical connections, and no shower door. The manager said there was only one vaporiser for the room and no staff to buy another, then walked away. At the restaurant, we were restricted to one specific table because the rest were supposedly for guests who had arrived before us. The pool was small and poorly maintained. They blamed the crowd, though only about four people were in it, and it was still too cramped. It's mainly used to train water sports guests and isn't much use for swimming if you're staying there. The breakfast buffet was awful, with very few options and dead ants throughout the food.

The location was excellent and the rooms had plenty of space. The staff were courteous and helpful, but there weren't enough of them during our stay. The balcony door wouldn't close properly, the air conditioner was undersized for such a large room, and roof leaks made the corridor floors slippery. It could be a fantastic place if those issues were fixed.