Thaala Bentota

Rooms, landscaping, F&B….all excellent

Totally disappointed

Our stay at Thaala Bentota was extremely disappointing and nowhere close to what is shown online. The property does not look or feel like advertised.The staff felt inconsistent and selectively attentive, which made the service experience uncomfortable and far from welcoming.The food quality was very poor, especially in their restaurant. They had false promises of “better food” and “special dishes,” but nothing was delivered. Even the in-room dining options were extremely limited. Professionalism and hospitality is lacking in Thaala for sure!Overall, the stay did not feel good or worth the price at all. It is overpriced and definitely not value for money. We stayed at Taj before coming here for four days, and the difference in service, hospitality, and food was huge. We genuinely regretted shifting from Taj to Thaala.Not recommended. Choose Taj instead for a far better experience.

Lovely hotel, well situated. It was really nice to be able to just go have a walk by the beach. The food was great in the main restaurant. The spa therapist was amazing, had the best Ayurvedic massage. It is a cute lovely hotel.

Overall clean but would have preferred a little bit more attention to detail in regards to this. Slippers and dental kits were not available in the room. Had to ask for them.

A fabulous stay at this gorgeous hotel to end my month in Sri Lanka. From the lovely traditional welcome with drumming, flowers and lighting the oil lamp, to the friendly and helpful staff, it was absolutely perfect. The breakfast and dinner buffets are excellent, with lots of variety. Both pools are lovely and the beachfront location is stunning. I will definitely recommend it to friends and hope to come back some day ??

The beach access and the park

- No elevator - old Furniture - very noisy ( you can hear the train passing near your room )

Location, room, food. We also liked it for its laid-back but comfortable atmosphere.

We loved the Geoffrey Bawer design. Staff were helpful and friendly. The rooms were beautifully appointed, room attendants Saman and Naveen kept our rooms clean, and picked fresh flowers each day. We enjoyed the great selection of meals. The pool was divine.

Smoking all over the resort, around the pool and in eating areas was awful, we didn’t find this in any other hotels in three weeks of travelling around Sti Lanka. One day the hotel hosted a corporate group who took over the resort and pool leaving cigarette butts and rubbish when they left, as a result the pool was closed all the next day for cleaning.

Comfortable rooms and we can just walk out to the pool and beach. The breakfast was good too.

Pool closes at 7 if it was 8 we would be happier.

Romantic view by the pool at night. The lights in the coconut trees were so beautiful

I didn't like the fruit and vegetable shots at the buffet

I was very pleased with the cleanliness of the hotel during my stay. A special thank you to Samon and Tharanga, who took excellent care of the room. Everything was spotless, well-organized, and refreshed daily with great attention to detail. Their hard work and professionalism truly stood out. Thank you for making my stay so comfortable!

Amazing foodClean roomFriendly staff

Food was amazing.Nice location.Beach vibes #Friendly staff. 100%

Resort is near the public beach which is very beautiful and the grass area and pools are really good.The guest relations especially one lady understands some of our concerns about unpolite staff and gives us great favours. Bentota resort is a good place to stay unless there has to be a small improvement to focus on staff guest relations.

What I don't like is the restaurant management, they give the same price for an open buffet but guests mostly prefer the restaurants near by wih more authentic food and drinks. The more authentic food and kind staff may change all positive.Some staff is not kind enough in simple incidents and do not try to make emphaty with the guests. However guest relations management and manager ladies handle the situation very professionally.

Thaala's is a big hotel yet manages to create an intimate vibe. The surroundings are serene. A quiet beach just in front of the property. The sunsets are gorgeous. A gentle walk leads to the Bentota river. Many restaurants nearby - the in-house restaurants are also very good. There's also the utterly quaint Bentota railway station near the hotel - designed by Geoffrey Bawa himself. We were also quite lucky to see turtles being released into the sea - there's a small hatchery by the lighthouse near the hotel. If you're looking for a relaxing getaway, just head straight to Thaala.

If you're a light sleeper, I wouldn't advise staying in the rooms right next to the reception area. There's quite a bit of noise. Also, guests are welcomed by a drummer. So, you can imagine.

The breakfast was excellent. The staff was very friendly. The location is exceptional and very clean. The overall feel of the resort is serene and calm.

The service sometimes was bit slow. Probably understaffed. We were unhappy with the SPA though. Not a great massage experience. Also the Suana & bathrooms there were not great.

Very poor service. Food is average. There is nothing around the resort to doVery overpriced for what they offer

Thoroughly enjoyed the two nights we spent relaxing here in the pool as well as the beach with direct access from the hotel. Amenities in the room like slippers n toiletries could have been better. The only nuisance was the continuous noise from really loud speakers inside and outside the hotel. When we pay for a resort, we don't expect loud noisy events.

PoolBreakfast food choice but no choice on tea/coffeeStaff were friendly and welcoming

Price was too high for the services provided. Example for such a big hotel I would expect slippers and bath gown in the roomAt breakfast, coffee was low quality and no choice on type of coffee which is what I would expect from a big hotelFixtures and fitting were poor and Furniture looked tired and old.

Very clean, friendly & tranquil hotel in a great location next to beach, with 2 pools and very good buffet breakfast and dinner choices. Lovely staff who were very willing to please. We stayed a further 3 days.

Wonderful hotel! We had an amazing ground floor room with direct access to garden, pools & beach. Really well appointed room, very comfortable bed, plenty of storage, tv, great shower etc. Breakfast was plentiful and delicious with Western & Asian options available.Also The Loft cocktail bar was great for watching the amazing sunsets.Staff were professional, helpful, friendly and very attentive.Fantastic location on Bentota Beach. Huge expanse of golden sand & blue sea, perfect for early morning walks & swimming & beautiful sunsets.

Everything was great!