Marina Beach Passikudah

This was the worst hotel of our whole Sri Lankan trip. The beach was the one good thing, and they provided free beach towels. The food didn’t match the description or the photos, and there were no umbrellas by the pool. For what you get, the hotel is totally overpriced. At the end, they charged us a lot for water without having told us about the cost beforehand. We had to pay in cash, but they didn’t have change. Most of the staff couldn’t speak English properly. Worst of all, there were animals under the roof making so much noise that we couldn’t sleep for most of the night.

My wife and I recently stayed at Marino beach pasikuda on a half-board basis. The staff were friendly, the beach was nice and not too crowded or disturbed, and the pool was good. Apart from that, I can’t say anything positive. They seemed to have decided on their own that locals don’t order Western food. We were deliberately told the only dinner option was seafood fried rice. The meals weren’t good and weren’t worth the price. There was no intercom in the room. They charged extra for low-quality water bottles left in the room and also placed on the dinner and breakfast tables. There were no sugar packets, and we weren’t given any despite asking several times. Overall, it was a really disappointing, worst experience.

We rented a couch, or banana boat, to be pulled by a speedboat. The rental person was very rude. When we asked how long the ride would take, he said, “No time, enjoy!” Then he took us around the beach for exactly four minutes, according to my watch. When I asked why it was so short, he acted like a scammer or con artist, practically laughed in my face, and said, “I told you: No time.” Eventually he said he had banned us from his shop, as if we were going to come back. I hadn’t planned to write a review, but decided others should know about this. Avoid them. There are plenty of others to choose from! L.E. I’ve just realized I need to correct this: there are no other places in the area to rent skijets, SUPs, etc. That’s a bit strange. I guess that explains their audacity, and the nerve in the response below. They never explain the conditions of the ride, even when asked. Surely that’s deliberate. The employee could easily have said it lasts roughly 4-8 minutes. That might deter some people, so why mention it, right? Inviting us to look for services elsewhere when they know they have a monopoly in the area really beats everything. I guess captive tourists have to pay the price in a monopoly situation. Funny, if it weren’t sad.

The hotel itself is good. The rooms are nice, and it’s a short walk to the beach. Some staff are helpful, though at times the attention felt pushy and awkward. At breakfast, for example, they watched us intensely as we went to the buffet, which served the same food every day. The owner did a lot to make our stay pleasant, and I appreciate that, but he overdid it. Even after I left, he called to make sure I’d left a review, so here it is. Someone at reception asked for my number. That felt unprofessional and made me really uncomfortable. There isn’t much to do around the hotel, though you can go jetskiing, snorkeling, or diving.