Araliya Beach Resort & Spa Unawatuna- Where you meet the sea all year

The hotel was lovely but I honestly can’t say it was anything special- sorry.

There’s not one thing I could point my finger at but sadly it didn’t reach the standards of other places we have stayed in Sri Lanka and was probably the dearest.

The room was lovely. Great location.

Pool needs an upgrade. Beach was dirty. Too many people trying to sell you stuff on the beach. Pool was horribly dated. Buffet was very cramped. Upside bar which was advertised was actually shut.

It was by the beach and had a large swimming pool and the access to the rooms by lift was easily available Food was excellent and had a great choice Staff wonderful and very friendly Nice location

Had to hang around over an hour to do the check in.

We were a group of 14. 4 rooms. Mr Don - worst hospitality Manager I have ever come across. Rude, uncooperative, insensitive. Junior staff are more conscious than this gentleman who couldn’t care less about the property since he is packing his bags and going away anyway. I am surprised, Araliya allowed him that leeway.

Dreadful experience at Araliya Hotel – do not waste your time or money. We arrived late on our first night to find visible holes in the bedsheets and a dirty sink basin, which was extremely disappointing and unhygienic. The breakfast area was consistently untidy, with food scattered across the buffet tables and floors. The food itself was dry, overcooked, and clearly left sitting out for too long. Beach towels were also filthy; although these were replaced after we complained, this should never have been an issue in the first place. We had an early morning trip and were due to leave the hotel at 7am. The evening before, we asked reception if they could pack a simple takeaway breakfast—just a few pastries—for our journey. We were told it was “too late” to order breakfast as the kitchens were closed. When I asked what time the kitchen opened, they confirmed it opened at 6am. I then asked if a message could be left for the kitchen, as there was a full hour to prepare a small box of pastries for collection. This was refused without any flexibility or attempt to help. Every time we raised a complaint, we were told that the reservation manager would contact us. It took five days for this to happen. On New Year’s Eve, Sitham, the reservation manager, finally spoke to us. We explained how unhappy we were with the overall experience, only to receive a half-hearted apology. To add insult to injury, we were offered access to the top-floor pool—on our last day. Overall, the service, cleanliness, and attitude towards guest concerns were extremely poor. This hotel does not deliver the standard it promises, and I would not recommend it to anyone.

Location - right on the beach with easy access. Room - big, spacious and clean with a nice balcony overlooking the beach. We were very happy with it. Infinity pool - a broken TV and kettle in our room meant that we were given complementary access to the infinity pool and bar which is beautiful and overlooks the ocean. Especially nice at sunset. However, what could be a very relaxing area was often filled with large groups and children. The hotel should consider making this an adult only area. Staff - all staff were extremely helpful and hospitable during our stay. To provide us with a free pass for the week for the infinity pool (you can normally only access this with a superior room or at 20 USD a day) was a really nice touch. The infinity pool area was our saviour as apart from the room it was the only part of the hotel where we felt that we could relax. Seafood Beach BBQ - We had a lovely meal at the hotel on our last evening, right on the beach

We stayed over Christmas and had an interesting stay! Not a bad hotel at all but this is a lively and busy resort so be aware. If you are looking for a quiet and relaxing stay, this isn't it! We felt that writing a fair and honest review of our stay would be helpful to others who are considering booking. Overcrowded - This is a huge resort, the hotel was at full occupancy and was very busy. The beach area in particular is very crowded with rows and rows of sunbeds crammed very close together. We avoided this area completely during our stay and opted to rent sundbeds elsewhere further along the beach. Too lively - the environment is not at all relaxing. Loud music from the beach club, large groups and construction. This again was a reason for us to avoid the hotel during the day time. A shame when we were looking forward to relaxing here. A la carte menu - The menu is very international and therefore the quality of the food isn't as good as it could be. Traditional Sri Lankan food isn't offered. Breakfast - not included in the cost of the booking which was a surprise. However, we were happy to eat elsewhere as had read some negative reviews about the quality of breakfast at the hotel and how busy it could get. Dated - The beach club / pool area in particular is dated and could do with a freshen up. Looking back at the rating on booking.com we are surprised by this. The resort isn't really comparable to others of a similar rating that we have stayed at throughout Asia.