After doing the Kuoni Sri Lanka Tour we finished up at this excellent 5 star hotel. The rooms, service, food and facilities were superb. The staff were so attentive to detail and did everything to make our stay memorable. For us it was a once in a lifetime trip - we'd love to do it again!

We stayed 2 nights at this hotel. After a 10 hour flight with a young child, it was great that the hotel was only a short distance from the airport. The hotel is 5 stars but minimalist charm not the grand splendour some would expect from a 5 star hotel. The food on the first night was fantastic, very good quality. There was Japanese sushi and Chinese food made to order in addition to the Sri Lankan ready made buffet. However, on the second night the food was average. The rooms are comfortable with own Jacuzzi and separate shower room made of clay.The pool side is very relaxing and there is free internet access.

All in all we had a great stay.

Well firstly I must ask what are some people on when they explain the Jetwing Beach Hotel and the bad reviews they give it. Just beyond us how they slate the rooms, people, attention to detail, and food !!

Our decision to stay at The Beach Negombo was an easy one as we had read the rave reviews and recommendations from our tour operator - the big thing for us was the decision to get married abroad along with my sister and her now husband. We travelled with Kuoni as they have the reputation of being the best at overseas weddings.

On arrival at the hotel we were greeted with cold towels and a choice of refreshing drinks, check in was simple and smooth with no hassle at all. We were taken to our rooms and given advice on the room and how it all worked. No tips were asked for or given.

In order to simplify this report we will head each section

Rooms
Spacious, clean and very modern - maybe not a UK/European 5* but certainly that grade for the area - this is the best hotel in Negombo. Linen was changed daily and a night time turn down service was offered every evening, beds that were turned down were decorated with flowers etc .... The Bathroom was first class - one small issue that may arise is the fact that the WC is in full view unless the blinds are closed around the Bathroom - this was not an issue for us!! There is a DVD player in the room - you can get free DVD hire from reception. On the second week of being there we upgraded to one of the three suites within the hotel which was spectacular - Butler service, sun deck area, outdoor jacuzzi and rainshower, seperate sitting room, just the most wonderful experience, well worth the extra per night.

Service/Staff
From arrival we were treated like royalty - treat people how you would like to be treated! Just to ask how their day is going and have a conversation this means alot and they love the banter. Everybody during our stay was polite - 'no' was never in their vocab. Hyacinth the General Manager took time everyday - day and night to talk to guests and make sure that their stay was most enjoyable. From pool attendant - Malcolm - to the heights of Hyacinth everybody was there to ensure you were enjoying your stay at the Beach. My husband even managed to have a chat to the Owner/chairman (who was visiting the hotel himself) who was very appreciative of the comments but gave assurrance that they are always looking to improve.

Wedding
Well what can we say it was the best day ever. We had a designated Wedding Co-ordinator (who could make a fortune in the UK!) Nilanthi she was fantastic. Organisation was well drilled and we did not have to worry about a thing it was all completely under control. As I stated at the beginning both myself and my sister got married on the same day which made the experience that extra special occassion - attention to detail was the same for both of our weddings. Please if you are thinking about getting married in Sri Lanka - I would truly recommend this hotel

Wildlife!
Being in an exotic country you are bound to have the odd unusual animal around. Yes there are Chipmunks around but will not generally bother you unless you start to feed them, we found that they were very nervous and would not approach the table unless goaded. The hotel do have polite notices stating not to feed the chipmunks but we did notice some residents not taking much notice of this and still feeding them! In our 19 day stay at this hotel we saw 1 cockroach, not an issue for us! Birds - yes there are a few birds around but again the restaurant is open plan (which makes it that more magical) which sometimes can lead to a cheeky bird taking a chance and pinching from the tables - generally the staff were very good at chasing away any unwanted breakfast guests!

Food
We have read in reviews that the prices for food at the hotel were expensive - yes they are expensive but only against the prices down the street. We paid on a couple of occassions for a 3 course meal with drinks (beer and soft drinks) approx £20 per head. The breakfast was outstanding with so much choice from fresh fruit to the native freshly cooked curry and hoppers - has to be tried. You can request from the menu for breakfast - crispy bacon, poached / boiled eggs what more do you need!? Evening meal was usually a set theme which we thoroughly enjoyed on the nights we stayed in the Hotel. Try the room service on the nights you are just too tired to go out very cheap and plenty of food.
We did venture out a couple of nights and found that Bijou - a must, the schnitzel and steak is to die for! Lords - plenty of food and well presented - you will get a decent meal in both of these restaurants for about £20 for 2 to eat including drinks. The cheapest night out was in the Pheonix - very basic food but tasty £14 for 2 including drinks.

Trips
We were pretty organised before we went over to Sri Lanka and had arranged a tour guide. Madura (if you want his number email us and we will give it to you) who was all you could ask for. We visited the Elephant orphanage(got to be done), rubber plantation, tea factory and plantation, herb and spice gardens (this is herbal remedies rather than food!)
Near the pool at the hotel you will find Anthony and his son Sangeeth offering trips on the dutch canals and also fishing - take time out to do this, Sangeeth is a very remarkable person, he made our time at the hotel very interesting with the trips out on a tour around Negombo (Jude the Tuk Tuk driver Thankyou) Fishing on the Dutch Canals and also a reef fishing trip.
What we will say is that you will pay 4x the price on a trip with Kuoni or other tour operators when you have guys which are local and trustworthy.

Overall
Beach sellers - yes there are beach sellers but there are pots located at the edge of the sunbeds which they are not allowed to come past - security is located at each end of the hotel beach area. If you do not want anything then just ignore them - dont say to them tomorrow because they will remember you and be back the next day - bearing in mind this is their living - just like any sales person in the UK!!
On arrival you may be shocked by the living conditions and also the way of life over there but bear in mind that this country has been through an awful lot over the past few years - War, tsunamis and lack of tourism due to these factors.

We do get really and honestly protective over this hotel as we have made dear friends and have vowed to return as we fell in love with both the country the hotel and the people who made our stay so very very special. The wages in these places are minimal and yes they do rely on tips but having said that we were never expected or asked once for a tip by any of the staff at this hotel. We would like to mention the following as they did go the extra mile
Hyacinth - General Manager
Imran - Residential Manager
Nilanthi - Guest Relations - Fantastic Wedding Planner
Emmanual - Reception Manager
Malcolm - Pool Attendant - Fishing Advisor!
Sangeeth - Boatman - tour operator
There are many many restaurant staff and restaurant Managers who bent over backwards to make sure all was ok during meal times. We even recieved Wedding presents and cards from some staff which was amazing.

One negative (yes a negative) about this trip was with Kuoni themselves - the rep was dire, we saw him twice (one of those was unintentional) so one meeting on arrival and that was it over 19 days - he did not even make an effort to drop by on our wedding day!

If we can help you with any questions or queries with reference to our trip to Sri Lanka please do not hesitate to contact us

Arriving at the Beach for our 14 night break -after twenty hours in transit on an over-cast and wet morning – first impressions were not good. This is not a glitzy smoked glass and chrome 5 star hotel as we have come to know in Europe – but there again it does not advertise itself as such. As an eco-hotel they pride themselves upon the use of sustainable materials and blending with the environment – a strange concept but one that grows as you fall in love with Beach.
Native timber fittings and furnishings waxed / painted plastered walls and floors rather than the opulent decor of European equivalents five star hotels are readily acceptable. As stated by many reviews the rooms are expansive and exceptionally well cleaned .the beds are large and comfortable and the bathrooms are superb and the blinds to the glass walls work well – our only complaint was a shortage of coat hangers which was rectified in minutes.
The grounds, pools and sun bathing facilities are all first class, the Hotel is however lacking in a covered seating area for an evening drink.
The high point of the Beach is undoubtedly the staff – some of the friendliest and obliging we have met from reception to pool attendants it would be unfair to single anyone out as they are all excellent. Be prepared for the daily greeting of “Ayobowan” and be prepared to bow.
Members of the management are always in attendance asking for your opinion and what improvements they can make – ask for a look at the suites they are superb,
We were bed and breakfast – the breakfasts were more than sufficient with a choice of European or local and an abundance of fruit.
We only used the restaurants Sands and Black Coral a couple of times and they were good and priced as hotels rather than the street costs which are significantly cheaper.
Eating out is inexpensive we tried a number of the restaurants where a low end of the menu and a couple of drinks for two is as inexpensive as 2-3000 rupees and even going to the high end you would be struggling to send more than 6000 rupees.
The restaurants /bars we tried were :-
Lords – run by Martin from the UK great welcome exceptional food and 70s music plus an art gallery – this would do well in any UK city centre
Bijou – excellent welcome and food another one that would do well in the UK
Rodeo – cheapest we found – busy and noisy in the evenings but excellent in the late afternoon for a beer and a plate of chicken and rice to watch the world go by.
Dolce Vita – part Italian run coffee shop with very nice coffee and pastries.
King Coconut – must be good because the locals use it
Kamilo – nice food
White Rose and Sherryland – OK but not special
Maxims – friendly for a drink
- but there are a lot more that we did not try.
A number of these reviews comment on the beach vendors and street traders –personally we enjoyed talking to them as they are actually both interesting and well informed however a handshake and a firm “no thanks” was normally all that was required to end a conversation If you do enter into negotiation with a beach vendor if you cannot half his price you are paying to much – look out for Rafiq an excellent tailor and Mary the sarong seller.
We used both our travel agent (Hays and Jarvis agent Aitkin Spence) for a two day trip to Kandy our guide Lal was superb – the Elephant Orphanage is a must but forget the Kandian Dancers and local Negombo tourist registered guides for local trips and one to Galle . If you are approached by a driver on the street make sure that he is appropriately registered and if asked for money up front back off the legitimate guys do not expect to be paid until the end of the trip. We found Jerome very reliable,(jeromewilliam136@hotmail.com)
One thing to watch out for check your prices in restaurants and hotels, no two establishments seem to do it the same way - some are what you see is what you pay – some charge +10% Service charge and no VAT some add VAT and some add Service and VAT with VAT at 20% you could end up paying 30% more than the menu. We also had VAT charged on a Service charge – street restaurants seem to absorb VAT and some add a service charge – Hotels seem to add both.