Top 5-Star Hotels in Colombo

I have booked this hotel on Ctrip many times. Safety! The hotel is very grand and the service is first-rate! The breakfast has a variety of varieties, especially the fresh fruits are many and sweet, and the coconut juice is great 👍

The hotel has a beautiful view of the ocean from the roof top pool as well as from many of the rooms. The staff were very welcoming, even though we arrived before 2pm they made an effort to get our room ready quickly and let us check in early, which was very nice after an over night flight. Its easy to walk from the hotel to a number of restaurants, casinos, as well as to some of the popular attractions in the city. The restaurant in the hotel has a nice buffet, as well as a rooftop bar. The hotel was so nice that when we passed through Colombo when we were leaving Sri Lanka, we stayed there again.

My friend and I travelled to Colombo in January from the UK. The hotel is large, modern, well appointed. Comfortable bedrooms, ample choice at breakfast (which can get busy). Our room had a Lakeside view, pretty enough, but it also overlooked the poolside bar/club which had loud music playing till the very early hours, rendering sleep a challenge. I would recommend checking this, before you book, or stay on the other side of the hotel. However, what soured our stay was that the day after we checked in at the hotel, we were victims of a scam. As we left the hotel to walk to the local temple in the morning (still jet lagged), a man claiming to be a hotel employee started a conversation with us. He claimed his name was Sangha Perera. He appeared to be helpful, giving us directions. As it was raining, he advised us that taking a tuk tuk around the main tourist attractions would be easier and cheaper. As he was connected to the hotel, we trusted him. He 'found' us a tuktuk, and even joined us acting as an unnoficial guide. Eventually he ended up taking us to an 'officially credited' government approved jewellery shop, which had 50% off,  he even told us a percentage of profits would be donated to tsunami orphans. We were pressurised by the shop management (all men) into purchasing items.  After that the tuktuk driver told us the ride for 2.5 hours would cost equivalent of £100 in rupees, and things got very heated until we paid up. We reported the matter to the Jeevani Perera, Lobby Manager at Colombo Cinnamon Lakeside hotel. She told us the man did not work at the hotel, and an identical incident had happened previously. We also spoke to the hotel security officer, who said he would check hotel security videos. Later we even sent them photos of the man claiming to be an hotel employee and the tuktuk driver. We were disappointed to receive no response from them. BE WARNED if you stay at this hotel. Scammers are working around there, and the hotel seemingly turns a blind eye, without advising guests checking in! (SEE PHOTOS OF SCAMMERS ATTACHED). Am sure the same thing goes on outside other hotels too... We eventually went to the local police, who were helpful, and they went with us to get our money back from the jewellery shop (Lanka Sapphire Lapidary PVT Ltd., no 83 Dharmaphala Mawatha, Colombo 07), but it was not easy to do so. A salutary lesson.

Location of this hotel was excellent but unfortunately service lets it down. At the breakfast buffet the first day was excellent after that it was a steady decline. We had to ask for a cup of coffee numerous times from different waiters before getting one minus sugar, saucers & teaspoons. One morning one of the managers in yellow tie picked up our plates unfortunately I hadn’t finished & had to grab my good before the plate was taken. With room service one time we had no hand towels that was no big deal the next day they cleaned the room & left no towels they told us they would be back in 5 mins with towels one & a half hours later we had to ring reception to be told they would send someone up straight away, over 2 hours later we finally received our towels. In the cafe we sat at a table had to ask for menus waited over an hour & a half but no one took our order! Not to mention our room bell rang at 11:10pm & someone trying to open our door when we shouted out they said they were bringing us water!

This hotel is right next to a pharmacy as well as next to a market . However , it really isn’t close to the sites I don’t think. Considering it to be a third world country in a sense , the hotel itself wasn’t that bad. The service hotel service was timely and everyone was friendly . Really enjoyed the pool area

The room's condition did not meet the expected standards. The walls were in poor condition, and the shower door did not close properly, requiring me to hold it shut while showering. Additionally, the duvet cover was torn. As a five-star establishment, we anticipate a higher level of quality and were disappointed with the current state of the room.

This is the worst Shangri-La I have ever stayed in. The various room types are confusing. It is very unfriendly to guests who want to extend their stay. You cannot check in directly at the front desk. You must book online. Even if you book the same room type and price online, you will be forced to cancel and pay the cancellation fee before you can check in.

Always a pleasure to stay at Taj Samudra. Great service and a fantastic Breakfast Buffet. Some of the pricing e.g Fresh Orange juice in the Lobby cafe was extortionate, maybe an oversight

Great location, beautiful surrounding atmosphere, great staff. Most friendly and helpful receptionist and staff ever, lovely and great first impression of hotel. Everything about the hotel was exceptional. It was clean and stylish. Food was good and great value for money and service was attentive and efficient. Room itself was well equipped and comfortable. I was very pleased with my stay. I hope to be back for a longer visit in the future.

Tried to book a night, the location in the city is good, very close to Ministry of Crab 4, the hotel front desk was very welcoming, upgraded the room, the room was very clean, but the soundproofing between the rooms was poor, a lady next door (not Chinese) kept talking on the phone until 12:30 in the middle of the night.