ARA Beach Resort Mirissa

We had a lovely big corner room with sea view. It was very peaceful; just the sound of the waves. It's a good base for exploring Mirissa, but is about a 5 minute drive from the main area. The lunch we had was nice. The staff were friendly mostly. The woman who seems to run it is particularly helpful and friendly. Our air con broke briefly but was all sorted very quickly and didn't break again the rest of the trip.

The breakfast wasn't very good and they don't tell you that you need to order the Sri Lankan breakfast a day in advance. Some of the fruit was quite warm. The area around the pool is very tired and needs a bit of TLC. The room wasn't as clean as it could have been, in particular the bathroom. We asked for some food to our room. They took the order but then called us down to collect it instead of bringing it up, saying they don't do room service. But then they accompanied us up with it anyway. So was unclear on why they didn't just bring it in the first place. It was a lot of faff for some noodles and rice, although the food was very tasty.

Not much, left after one night with an initial booking for 3 nights. Only the receptionist was very sweet in helping us get our money back, however she was shoved in front of us by the owner who didn’t care to meet us to discuss our complaints and request for money back.

The room was dirty, bedsheets and towels were not clean. Everything was run down and needs maintenance.

Staff were beautiful people and very welcoming but we left after first night as did not meet our standards. location is good if you like surfing. Not a swimming beach.

Rooms dated and sheets a bit stained and we lost power for 3 hours in the nighttime so was very hot, then hot water was out in the morning. We decided to move hotels but the staffed helped us and we got a partial refund.

Lovely room and lovely staff

Pool wasn't very clean and no bar, It was a lovely hotel but it just had no atmosphere or soul.

We loved being right by the beach, although it is a bit rocky to swim. (You can swim a short walk away). We had a big corner room which was worth the extra cost - spectacular sunsets. The staff were helpful and friendly, and the lady on reception took time to find train times for us to reach our next location. Beds were big and comfortable, and the hotel interior is very clean (not quite so good by the pool though).

The area around the pool is a bit tatty. There were couple of broken sun chairs and some old shoes there for days. It would be so simple to make this area lovely as the pool is a good size and it is by the beach. They were painting the fence so maybe this is work in progress? There is a large communal room by the reception, but strangely there are hardly any chairs! This could be a lovely area as it has big windows onto the pool.

Hospitality of the staff and their more than welcoming and attitude coupled with beach front view made our weekend memorable

Breakfast buffet needs little improvement maybe fresh juices would be a good addition