Yoho A4 Holiday Inn Hotel

I left that same night without staying. I had come from Colombo at about 9 pm after seeing the lovely photos, and the front with the pool did look nice. But the rooms were filthy and smelled bad, the bathroom was dirty, and the sheets weren't clean. The receptionist had on only a sarong. The property looked badly neglected. Very ugly 😷😷😷. Don't stay there.

I was brought here by my airport taxi driver because I needed somewhere nearby, and the airport is only about five minutes away by car. Locals seem to use it when taking friends to or from the airport, and I saw a manager let a local family with children use the pool for free because it was extremely hot, even though they had offered to pay. The mother insisted on giving some money, so five stars for her 😉. The pool still looks nice, but the Maps photos are old and the property hasn't been maintained. This seems better suited to locals than tourists. There was no mosquito net, and the A/C wasn't working. The walls were mouldy, and I found a nest of ants behind the bathroom sink. They cleaned the bathroom, but there was no toilet paper. It took a few hours to get a roll because they had to buy one, even though shops were five minutes away. I don't really understand that delay. They asked 25,000 for two nights, which is an absurdly high price. The local rate is 5,000 LKR for one night. I don't mind paying more, but there wasn't much service, and even toilet paper was missing. I offered 15,000 for two nights, which seemed fair. I hadn't been in Sri Lanka for a year and knew the country had financial difficulties, so I paid 18k. Looking back, that was too much. 15,000 would have been okay.

We switched to another hotel after just a few hours. Our flight had been canceled, and someone at the airport offered us a room for 5,000 LKR, so we went along. We thought we'd manage one night, but the room was extremely dirty, stained, and full of bugs. The pool was so filthy we didn't use it. The shower and sink leaked badly, and the bathroom stench filled the room. Used toothpaste, soap, and a toothbrush had been left on top of a filthy mirror. There was no mosquito net, and when we asked how to turn on the A/C, we were asked for more money. People were talking just outside the door, and others kept trying to look into our room, so there was no privacy. Bugs crawled over the floors, walls, and furniture. We cut our losses and moved to A4 transit lounge, which is run by someone else and seemed to care about its guests. Do not stay here. It's a trap.

The room was spacious, and the bathroom was clean and tidy. For what I paid, the facilities were decent: A/C, a fan, and hot water. The staff were friendly, the place is easy to find just off the main road, and it was good value for money. As a local guest I had no language issues, so I can't say how foreign visitors might find it. A few things need fixing. The pool wasn't clean or usable, even though swimming was one reason I picked the hotel. The room tiles were lifting, there were no blankets, and the damaged door hadn't been repaired properly, leaving a gap that affected privacy. The TV was damaged and didn't work either. Aside from those problems, everything was fine. I hope management fixes the defects.