Cinnabar Resort

A unique design, a great pool and a fan room with good ventilation. It has a jungle feel right in front of the beach. Staff could use some hospitality training, but we had a wonderful stay.

We stayed in the Cinnamon Tree house, with a private balcony and a stunning sea view. The outdoor bathroom also looks out to the sea. You can stay barefoot here without worrying about footwear. The design is stunning, with a sustainable chic style and superb attention to detail. Tree houses, walkways among the trees, sandy paths, palm tree style showers and reclaimed wood furniture throughout. There’s a beautiful pool, and the food from the open kitchen was amazing. The smell of cinnamon is everywhere. This has to be the best hotel in Sri Lanka. Check this place out!

We ended up staying all six nights, and I’m glad we did. After two days we nearly moved because of one waiter’s attitude, but the place itself is so beautiful and relaxing. The luxury treehouse we booked was fantastic, though some of the ones lower down looked dark and unappealing. We booked directly with the owner and saved a considerable amount compared with Booking.com. The setting is superb. The treehouses fit into the jungle, and the restaurant overlooks the beach in an idyllic spot. There didn’t seem to be enough wooden chairs, and only half had cushions, which you needed. Cleaning staff were really friendly and polite. Serving staff were hit and miss: most were pleasant, while a couple should ‘never’ work in hospitality. I know life moves more slowly in Sri Lanka, but some servers took that to the extreme. The owner doesn’t live on site, and the manager in charge, though a very nice chap, seemed far too relaxed about how things were run. The food was very good, most staff were nice, and our room was lovely. It was a shame the cleaning staff weren’t doing the serving.

The location and pool are excellent, and breakfast was very nice. But the hut felt like a dungeon because it was so dark. The soap didn’t clean properly, and the pebble stone shower was uncomfortable. We woke up with unexplained bites and wondered if there might be bed bugs. Disappointing, especially as it was the most expensive place we stayed.