Levels Unawatuna

The views, breakfast and room space were all five-star, and the stay was great value. The bathrooms are spacious, though they’re showing some age. Jungle beach and Japanese stupa are within walking distance. The place is about a kilometre from the main road, so plan ahead because tuk tuks charge extra to get there. You really need a scooter to get around. Also, please fix the card machine. This was the only place in Sri Lanka where our cards didn’t work, and it’s unfair to expect everyone to carry an equal amount of cash when the nearest ATM is a 20-minute walk away.

For the quality and experience, we felt the price was fair. We loved the food, the service and the beautiful views of the pool and beach. The Levels Hotel is a good choice for family get-togethers, especially with kids, though the experience may depend on what you need. Honeymooners or people wanting more privacy might have different expectations. We went to The Levels Hotel in Unawatuna for a family outing. After paying in advance, we were a bit discouraged by the negative Google reviews, but when we arrived we were pleasantly surprised and didn’t find any major issues to complain about. The staff were friendly, attentive and ready to help, and the food was delicious and came promptly. They also happily adjusted dishes to suit our dietary preferences. The rooms and bathrooms are spacious.

The owners need to take a serious look at how this place is managed. It may have nice views, but maintenance problems and worse management make it fall far short of a genuine 4-star experience. There was no apology or accountability, and our experience as guests seemed to count for nothing. We’d booked two suites, but found on arrival that the AC in one wasn’t working. Instead of apologizing or discussing a solution, the manager moved us into a smaller “superior” room without asking us. At checkout, she said the AC had been fixed 30 minutes after we checked in, but she had never told us during our stay. She blamed us for her losing a booking on the room she had given us. The checkout discussion got worse. She wouldn’t tell us the actual room rate and insisted the difference between a suite and superior room was only LKR 2,000, though it was really over LKR 12,000. After 25 minutes of insisting, she reluctantly gave us a bill that still charged us for the suite. She was rude and defensive throughout, and even said they had “lost out” on another booking by giving us a smaller room, as though that was our fault. She explained that she hadn’t told us about the repaired AC because she “thought we were comfortable” in the much smaller room with our 3-year-old. How she became manager of this so-called 4-star hotel is beyond me.

The stay was stressful instead of relaxing, and with the high prices I’d never recommend this place. Getting around isn’t convenient either. We booked a Larger Deluxe room for two days because we were travelling with a baby, but when we arrived they gave us a smaller Superior room. We only learned the difference in size the next day. Before check-in we had repeatedly asked staff if the two room types were the same size, and they said yes. The room was in poor condition too. Caps came off the taps, one of the four lights didn’t work and the lighting was inadequate. The photos were misleading, and the balcony was shared by four rooms. The staff all seemed new and didn’t know basic English. When we called to ask about laundry, they said they’d check and get back to us, but never did, so we had to call again. The hotel closed early, and at 10:30 pm nobody answered at reception or the restaurant when we called for water. Breakfast choices were limited and fixed, with no buffet. At first, the staff refused to swap the sausage or ham for two eggs because we don’t eat those. Only after a lot of insistence and speaking to senior staff did they give us two eggs. They didn’t provide any extra eggs for the baby.