Kayaam Wellness

Great location with a magnificent beach, elegant design, kindness of the staff.

Room too small, not sufficient storage, restaurant a bit pricy

A new hotel that manages, despite the best efforts of its charming staff to get is slightly wrong. The hotel is reached down a long unmade track which would challenge the suspension of all but the hardiest 4x4. The beach is un-swimmable, for all but the best and bravest of swimmers, thanks to a sharp drop off and a rolling swell. The lakes behind the hotel are a breeding ground for particularly vicious insects. The architecture is Dubai meets Sri Lanka and lacks an understanding of the importance of proportion and detail Not bad, but not worth a detour.

As part of our 3rd trip to Sri Lanka, I selected this hotel on the basis of recommendations and reviews. I must say that I do not share the positivity of other guests. Fortunately we were only there for 3 nights. The main building is gorgeous and imposing. Contrary to the bedrooms, the common areas are extremely spacious and airy. The pool is large and the pool area and garden are nice and well equipped and tended. A proper foot shower to wash the feet after the beach would be an improvement. For such an hotel, the rooms are far too small. Lack of clothes storage makes matter worse. The bathroom is equally small and dark. The overall impression is one of a cramped and oppressive space which is most unusual in Sri Lanka. It is reminiscent of rooms in any large international hotel chain.The narrow balcony which is made smaller by the bath has only one bench chair to sit on rather than 2 chairs to relax in. The staff are attentive, friendly and helpful, so is the management. The food quality is good but variable, while some dishes are well executed while others are more disappointing. The menu is extensive but very expensive by local standards. Overall, if you are not bothered by the room size, there are some very good reasons to choose this hotel, but there are so many good hotels in SL that this one might not be first choice.

The garden front of this hotel is most attractive, and inspired by the Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa. The large pool is also impressive, as is the view beyond to the sea - although the water is too dangerous, given strong currents, for swimming. But the entrance elevation is another story. We paid a supplement to have a 'Palm View room' thinking that this would have a better, wider sea view than the cheaper Ocean Room. The pool is surrounded by palm trees, so this was the view we expected. But the description is completely misleading, despite the room costing more. The view is described as 'an uninterrupted view of the surrounding lush landscape'. This is a misrepresentation. The view is actually of a muddy car park, with ugly roof-mounted solar panels and dirty, debris-strewn adjacent roofs. See the pictures below. Next door there is a building site. So much for booking an upgraded room. We drove for hours to stay here, thinking that a memorable sea-view awaited us. We complained and begrudgingly they offered us alternative accommodation in a hotel 'an hour away' (hardly a realistic option) or complimentary food. We accepted the latter but the ugly view from our none-too-large room had already ruined our stay. It was then time for lunch. Amazingly only one white wine was still available - at a hefty $77 - and the rosé wine was sold out. Appalling for a hotel rated on the 'Best' List by Tatler. Had their reviewer even viewed the misleadingly-described the rooms at the rear, where hapless clients are confronted by dustbins and third-world filth, rather than the Indian Ocean? When we left, we accidentally left behind some vital medicine in our room fridge. Our driver made a two-hour return trip first thing the next morning to collect it. It had already been thrown away, without any effort to contact us. How extraordinarily irresponsible of the management - but perhaps not surprising , given our overall experience. If you stay here, ONLY book the cheaper (and presumably smaller) sea view rooms, and leave nothing to chance when you check out, as the management team here are unreliable. The access road is ugly but the sea view is undoubtedly good if you are lucky enough to have it. But there are many other hotels nearby which do not attempt to mislead their clientele, and which offer better value for money.

Very nice and cozy little hotel. Extremely service minded staff. Beautiful beach with (sofar) very few people, that is not suited for swimming due to strong currents. Generously laid out rooms (with a bath-tub on the balcony:)). Everything in minimalistic style. Enjoyed it very much. The only negative comment I have is that the pricing of the food and beverages is quite high. Also, the best dishes served are the local ones. Western style food is rather mediocre. Danger ahead: a lot of hotels are being built along the beach right now now, so in a couple of years paradise will be lost.

The staff were some of the best people we have ever met. They made the entire place feel like home and treated us like family.

Property was amazing - so calm and tranquil and wonderful food and staff. We loved it. They were very good at tailoring everything to my friend who had a gluten allergy and nothing was too much trouble. Very highly recommend for a unique experience.

We felt like it was a private villa, there’s no crowd on the beach. The staff was excellent and very helpful! The food was great as well. They provided unlimited water. You can also join the fishermen at the beach supporting them to pull the net from the ocean, they are very grateful in return 😉

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So, I preface this review with the comment that some of our reservations may well have been particular to our own experience. I think most people who stay here, love it and have a fabulous time. We did too but some of our particular experiences do colour this review. The hotel is pleasantly situated just back from the beach and you hear the roar of the waves at all times. On your first day you get presented with what I thought was a fairly grubby laminated multi page menu from which you are supposed to select your choices for your next meal, a meal time in advance. We were on a full board package and already we knew what we would be having for every meal for 4 days. No specials of the day or particular variation - albeit plenty of choice. It is a very small property which why I am sure they prefer to know in advance what to prepare but it was all a bit charmless. We came to the hotel from the Company’s other property at Ceylon Tea Trails but there was no comparison unfortunately in terms of service levels. The staff were all willing and delightful but almost without exception poorly trained and with low level English ability. This wasn’t a problem at all at Tea Trails, where service was outstanding and anticipatory, but the difference in standard here was significant -notwithstanding an ever present and eager to please manager. There was rarely a meal where they actually produced what we had ordered. Small issues but cumulatively aggravating. This is a great place for honeymoon couples - there were plenty, but there is literally nothing to do after dinner other than go to bed. The hotel has no lounge or bar area and we found ourselves wandering up the beach for sundowner drinks elsewhere, as the hotel doesn’t have any facilities on the beach itself. You can lounge adjacent to the beach but not on the beach itself. We did enjoy the cookery class we did one day where we helped prepare our own lunch with the chefs. That was a worthwhile experience. We also enjoyed a dawn birdwatching experience nearby that had been recommended by other guests. So, overall, good but could be so much better if they raised their game to the levels now being achieved elsewhere in Sri Lanka. When they do that, it will make for a magical stay for those who want a quiet few days away from it all.

Staff were super helpful and friendly. The property is well designed. Comfortable beds, fully stocked mini bar and comfortable room temperature to sleep in. They put the effort to celebrate Christmas and left thoughtful gifts/treats in the room. Beach was lovely. Restaurant was very good.

Although the food was tasty, they should have more local food options. Be a bit conscious when swimming in the sea - waves could be quite powerful.