Club Hotel Dolphin

“Incredible”

Arrived here on 28/11/2024 the hotel immediately had a fabulous feeling, we were shown to our rooms but unfortunately ours was not what we requested, I needed a ground floor close to amenities due to me having copd, immediately this was rectified and I was given a villa with sea view with no extra … more

Arrived here on 28/11/2024 the hotel immediately had a fabulous feeling, we were shown to our rooms but unfortunately ours was not what we requested, I needed a ground floor close to amenities due to me having copd, immediately this was rectified and I was given a villa with sea view with no extra charge. Everything in the hotel was immaculate, the choices of food where excellent and very tasty, every member of staff greeted you with smile, two of the restaurant staff Thiwanka and Yomal looked after our group way and above our expectations (thank you guys for a wonderful holiday). I would highly recommend this hotel to everyone and hopefully be back soon

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“Good food and service”

We stayed in 2 rooms for 2 weeks over Christmas and New Year. We are a party of 4, my Mum, myself and my husband and our 12 year old son. Rooms: Initially we were given 143 and 142. 142 is nice. 143 is very tired and greatly in need of redecoration to the point it has holes in the plaster and bar… more

We stayed in 2 rooms for 2 weeks over Christmas and New Year. We are a party of 4, my Mum, myself and my husband and our 12 year old son. Rooms: Initially we were given 143 and 142. 142 is nice. 143 is very tired and greatly in need of redecoration to the point it has holes in the plaster and bare screws sticking out of the bathroom walls. It also isn’t a poolside terrace which is what we had booked and paid for, as it isn’t next to the pool. We managed to move to 141 after the first night, keeping my mum in 142, and that has been much better. Nice rooms with good outside space and excellent housekeeping. One warning- if you book an extra rollaway bed check it very carefully. The first one we were given was dirty and had a lot of mould. My mum spent one night (NYE) in 73 which is a garden villa over by the quiet pool. That was newly refurbished and beautiful. Hopefully the whole hotel will be up to that standard soon. Food: The main (buffet) restaurant is very good with lots of choice. We liked the live cooking stations, especially for eggs at breakfast and prawns at lunch. The snack bar has a few good dishes but it’s very variable and the service is slow. We did the seafood market on Boxing Day. The actual food was ok but not really worth paying extra for- it’s the same stuff as the restaurant. We ordered crab and they did not bring any crab crackers, pickers or finger bowls. We asked and they still did not appear, we were told to eat it with our fingers! Eventually after asking about 5 times we got 1 cracker and finger bowls. The management has taken it on board though. Finger bowls keep appearing when they serve shell on prawns in the main restaurant which they didn’t before! Staff and customer service Everyone is so friendly and welcoming. They really can’t do enough for you. Any problems and maintenance issues -of which there were quite a few- were listened to and actioned quickly. Christmas and New Year: They had tried hard with the decorations and lights throughout the hotel. They did things like Christmas songs before dinner on Christmas Eve which was sweet and festive. Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve gala dinners were amazing, they really go all out. The organisation isn’t the best, on Christmas Eve we were sitting over by the shops which as my mum struggles a little with her mobility was not ideal. They did move us when asked. We had no sleep at all on New Year’s Eve. We expected fireworks at midnight - this happens the world over. We did not expect banging rave music until 3.30am. Awful! Such a shame as they worked so hard on the gala dinner which was beautiful and the band were great. If they had played until midnight, fireworks at midnight and music curfew of 1am it would have been much better- it’s a family hotel! However I did ask in advance what we could do for my mum as she sleeps early because of her medication and they gave her the key to 73 - villa over by the quiet pool. She couldn’t hear the music from there. Excellent customer service. Dogs If like us you are nervous of dogs (and rightly of rabies and the other diseases they carry) be reassured that there are only about 3 who are a regular feature. There’s a mum and puppy who are blonde and a brown one. It is unsanitary as they wee all over the place but they aren’t aggressive and can be “shooed” away easily enough. There are stray dogs all over Sri Lanka. Trips We went to Kandy and to Sigiriya with See Lanka. Highly recommend Nipun and his team. Overall We have had a good holiday. We wouldn’t return to Club Hotel Dolphin but if you are booked to go do not worry, you will have an enjoyable time. We loved Sri Lanka, it’s so beautiful and the people are so friendly!

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“Not our favorite hotel…..”

This hotel was the first one we experienced in Sri Lanka. The staff were super friendly and very helpful and the food in the evening and at breakfast was of high quality and a huge selection. However, our room seemed rather tired and dingy and certainly not a reflection of the other reviews that … more

This hotel was the first one we experienced in Sri Lanka. The staff were super friendly and very helpful and the food in the evening and at breakfast was of high quality and a huge selection. However, our room seemed rather tired and dingy and certainly not a reflection of the other reviews that I have read so we were disappointed to have this experience. The door lock broke but this was fixed fairly quickly. Although the bathroom was clean, it was the same, tired and uninspiring. We did treat ourselves to a massage treatment which was very nice so no complaints there. The pool area is well looked after and lovely to sit around.

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