ArugamBay PodBay

Nature and food were awesome, and I really liked the experience. The staff was fine and supportive. It is located in the hub of Arugambay and possible to engage with the sea view at any time you want. Security has also reached my expectations. Yes. Obviously, it was a good time with peace and relaxation.

We stayed at PodBay Arugambay for 5 nights, splitting our stay between a Nap Pod and Bay 3. Bay 3 was definitely more spacious, while the Nap Pods were new and modern.Overall, it was a very pleasant stay. The swimming pool was a huge plus, especially with the hot weather. The staff, including Kobbe, were extremely friendly and always ready to help with anything we needed. Breakfast was also great, with plenty of options to choose from.Highly recommend PodBay for anyone visiting Arugambay!

Staff were pleasant and helpful. Very convenient beachfront location. Swimming pool is well maintained. They served a delicious breakfast.

Outside appearance looks dated and rundown. Rooms needed better upkeep but everything worked fine.

The location, the accommodation and the people who works there

In the pod bay, I like everything, the specialty support of staff They do everything with a smile, very helpful? The pool is great and the atmosphere is also very nice just a walking distance to the beach, You just have to pass the gate of the hotel you will be on the beach.Watching sunrise was awesome and arugambay is the ideal place to watch the sun rise today there is no clouds, sun is very clear.??

Located right on the beach, and has a nice swimming pool with a kids area.

We left after one night, and would have left the same day but it was too late in the evening after we'd arrived and had some food to move somewhere else. 1. The room absolutely stank of piss. This was helped a little by shutting the bathroom door but not much. The bathroom stank like a men's toilet I couldn't bare to be in there for any amount of time and had to cover my face when I was in there. It also wasn't very clean and there was old gross soap. 2. The room also stank of damp and there was mold on the walls. I think this was from the air con which was over the head of the bed and dripped on you constantly making the pillows wet. 3. There were so many mosquitos, the most mosquitos I'd ever seen whilst being in Sri Lanka for a whole month. This was particularly concerning for us as we had a 3 months old baby. Mosquito net did not come automatically with the room, you had to pay extra for this. 4. The shape of the room was like a shipping container and it was all white with very bright lights, it felt like being in a hospital room and was impossible to relax in, that also absolutely stank of piss. It was just horrible. 5. The Aircon seemed to only have one temperature which was actually too cold, despite us spending a long time playing with the settings. 6. The pictures on booking.com are of the cabins not the pods, and is very misleading of what the actual rooms look like.I would not stay here again and I would recommend people did not either!

Excellent location in town walking distance to restaurants etc, pool a bonus as sea dangerous for swimming.Kobi and team were very friendly and helpful throughout our stay.

Bathroom could do with a freshen up, carpet on floor in pod a little dated.

Location was just great

We stayed at the "bays". They are a bit worn out. Mosquitoes were a problem

We we re a group of 8 consisting two families. We reserved four Pods for four nights and were allocated with Pods 4, 6, 7 and 8, that were close together as per our request. We enjoyed the open sitting area by the pods 7 and 8 and also the sun beds by the beach for relaxing, drinks and snacks. The pool was clean and well maintained allowing us a couple of hours of peaceful dips every evening. The staff was great and helpful. Breakfast we selected out of the local menu was delicious and reasonably priced.

There was some strong odour in the wash room of Pod 7. This was immediately attended by the staff after informing and seemed to have done whatever they could to minimise, without much success though.

The fact it was on the beach and they had a pool which was cool. The staff were very helpful. Aircon was the best Aircon we’ve had

The amount of bugs in the room and on the bed was astonishing. We didn’t know where they were coming from but they found their way in somehow.The bathroom was pleasant if you are not fussy. It does have a weird smell to it. The shower also floods the whole bathroom so you’ll be stepping in puddles after washing off. The bathroom never seems to dry.

Absolutely perfect location and super friendly staff who looked after us with huge smilesPool very clean as was the accommodation

Friendly staff, nice location, and simple accommodations.

More attention to be paid for maintenance and a clean environment with waste bins, Dryers for the clothes, improved cafeteria with more options.

Arugambay Podbay resort was a truly relaxing experience. From the moment I arrived, I was impressed by the hotel's peaceful atmosphere. The resort's location is ideal, with direct access to the beautiful Arugam Bay beach. The rooms were very clean and comfortable, and I particularly enjoyed the direct access to the beach Infront of the hotel. The staff were incredibly friendly and helpful. The overall atmosphere was very relaxing. It was the perfect place to unwind and enjoy the beach. I highly recommend resort to anyone seeking a relaxing beach getaway. I would definitely return. No pool restrictions

The staff/ manager were welcoming and friendly. The pool is a nice size and clean. The property is directly facing the beach and sea and close to many restaurants, cafes and shops.

Basic cleanliness/care of the property. I have travelled widely in Sri Lanka 8 times since 2009 for 1-3 months. I appreciate the economic pressures on businesses/people 2022. We paid $59.5 a night for a cabin in the low season for 7 nights. The Podbay website says ‘Relax into our luxury’. A clean room and facilities are a basic requirement and not luxury. We arrived c3pm and approach to reception were clean. Beyond reception was a different story. The cabin we booked had a poorly repaired hole in the wall and a damp carpet beneath. There were three beds for 2 people which made a small room even smaller with blocked the sockets bedside table which was outside on the balcony) the only way for one of us to get out of bed was by climbing out the end of the bed. Our ‘sea view’ was blocked by a large tree. The manager offered to properly repair the hole in the wall and remove the lower branches. I asked if another cabin without a hole or obstructed view were available and was told that there would be an extra cost. The main reason we decided to move to another hotel after 1 night was the poor cleanliness of the shower area and room surfaces. We bought some tile cleaner and after cleaning the tiles/shower head there was still dirt coming off tiles. This was poor cleaning over a sustained period. The photo shows the tiles after we had cleaned! The inside window and cupboard surfaces were also dirty. Outside we used the clean pool but the pool shower areas were dirty. The beach in front of the property was litter strewn. Previous comments on poor cleanliness and maintenance have received responses that the customer should have said which implies the owners don’t know what basic cleanliness and maintenance look like! They offered a free breakfast and move to another of their hotels which we rejected. We wrote off $350 as they didn’t offer an unconditional refund and stayed in a beautiful clean hotel,the Spice Trail for the remaining 6 days in area.

It offers great value for money. The staff were friendly, and the location is excellent.

The cleanliness of the site could be slightly improved.

Nice sea view.Safe place Easy to entry PodbayEasy to access places

One of the staff members Gopi was jumping up in joy the moment we arrived (10 pax) did a quick check in etc., Gave us a good briefing. Showed us the cabins which he has already earmarked but gave us the choice to take whatever cabins we wanted. Gopi was extremely helpful. He also mentioned that the restaurant was not ready for our meal preference (The whole Arugam bay was empty due to off season) and he suggested a few places which was good. We were leaving by 6.00am to Kumana next morning and Gopi was glad to give our morning tea/coffee at 5.30am. A great gesture. The water flow in the shower was low during night and morning. I had to request a staff to look into it which was attended promptly. Gopi had all qualities what a guest relation officer should have.

There is an exhaust fan fitted in the toilets and the plug is quite close to the shower and the circuit breaker trips off when you operate the shower due to water spraying. A simple water proof cover should solve this issue.

Very clean, good location and the staff are very welcoming and helpful.

beautiful design , good ambient very easy going and welcoming

it’s not clean, a bit old and not maintained

We stayed in the cabana huts right on the beach front, the view was priceless . We were able to leave our hut and walk straight onto the beach for a swim. The hotel was only a short walk to lots of restaurants and bars. The staff were so helpful and seemed genuinely happy to have a chat and get to know us. The sun beds around the pool were perfect to chill at during the midday heat. It takes about 15 minutes to walk up to the point for a surf or just a 300 rupee tuk tuk. This place was good for the price, it was comfortable, working air conditioning with a comfortable bed. We would stay here again for sure.

It was a little bit noisy at night only because of the local bars. There were bright lights on the palm trees that shone into our room at night. We asked staff to turn them off at 2130 which they were happy to do. We stayed for 4 days, the only thing I would recommend is a little clean and restock of the room half way through our stay.