Before you finish your sentence you probably will get a No!

We were greeted by a smiling gentleman at the entrance, but the front office staff were appalling! After flying 4:45mins and a driving 2:40minutes they tell us to take a room on the upper floor ( im with a pregnant wife). Else I had to wait 3 hours to get a room on the ground floor. So I asked if I could spend 3 hours in the room and then later move down. NO! Apparently if you check in you MUST stay in that room all days and cant leave! I managed to call my travel agent representative and surprisingly he managed to get it 15mins! Amazing... ( we later found out the occupancy level was 40%!)

Front office staff - possibly the worst I have ever seen ( I come from the customer service industry and with a catering background, besides being in aviation over 14years )

The property was maintained well, the pool was clean and of a descent size. Location wise the beach is an extension of the property so that worked well for us with baby. Room service was really poor. We ordered pasta - boiled penne with yogurt and some cream arrived!

We booked the half board occupancy and were amazed at the service standard. The staff were pleasant though many were tuned to just say NO all the time! - can we have a coconut water please? No! - well why not - because its not there! ( there were coconuts behind the waitress! ) . Finally we exclaimed " look behind you " - guess what ? Coconuts arrived. After repeatedly advising us that we would have to pay for them. Despite agreeing to this we were daily put through the agony of assuring them the coconuts will be paid for!
Buffet spread not a 4* standard possibly 2*

On day 3 of our trip the pool was closed due to some cleaning very disappointing. The dinner buffet was shut and we were asked to choose any one starter, main and dessert. This was shocking. We never liked one of them. It took me a while to convince them that it was my sons birthday and this was unacceptable. In a great attempt to service recover this, the manager Mahesh got us a separate menu and had our evening made special with his company and the chefs efforts to create a menu we could enjoy. This was much appreciated.

Overall besides the house keeping staff and Mahesh, it was not the best customer service in anyway. We took a day out and decided to pop by the Taj Bentota to have lunch there. Clearly the Taj is in a different league besides the food, property and standards being more superior. The YES factor was there, we were addressed by name, we were offered choices and staff that were so kind and helpful. The Taj ;executive chef Sunny blew us away with his customer service and his staff leadership. Next time thats where we go!

I would stay away from Avani - the no hotel.

Stayed there for a single night with family. Really enjoyed the ambience of the hotel. very seductive. Rooms are spacious with a small balcony. Lovely setting in the garden. Great swimming pool with a safe baby pool. Lobby is simple and elegant. Saff is way too nice some time you feel intimidated. Even the maintenance staff were very attentive.
Food was good, though I thought more spread would do good. But that doesn't mean it's not sufficient. I dn't think I have to elaborate on the super beach of Bentota.

I stayed in this hotel from the 15th of may till the 18th of may. I had a blast staying here and all the staff were very helpful and friendly. The hotel itself was amazing and very well maintained! The access to the beach was very easy and even the rooms were superb and super comfy. My only problem with the hotel is that during breakfast and dinner the variety for vegetarian food was very limited and hence I had to go almost straight to desserts. Plus the service when asked for water, spoons etc when we were at the buffet could have been better. Otherwise a great place to go for a holiday and would love to recommend it!!