Nico Lagoon Hotel

Important note. I did not stay overnight at this hotel but spent several hours there before my flight. I've rated it based on my expectations considering the price I paid. The pool was lovely and overlooks the lagoon. I also had a very pleasant lunch. Good WiFi and Aircon.

Only one towel was provided. No hand towel, no pool towel and no evidence of a hair drier. I actually would not have stayed the night having seen the state of the pillows on the bed.

Lovely owners, they were super helpful and even got us takeout food our first night as we were tired. Pool was very nice facing the lagoon. Bedroom was very big.

Mattress was not the most comfortable but was fine. Location was slightly further from restaurants but we had Tuk Tuk so was fine too.

Nico and his team are great. I arrived a couple of days after Storm Ditwah and they had had some issues but worked hard to get everything ready for their guests. The team are know the local area and helped me book a train for my onward journey.

Nico Lagoon is situated in a nice quiet area next to the lake. The rooms are clean and spacious and the small pool is lovely and clean - great for soaking away some of the heat. On arrival we were presented with a nice cool fruit juice, and the breakfast was filling and tasty (go for the Sri Lankan breakfast, not the Western one....). Nico himself is friendly and happy to explain the trials and tribulations of his hotel, and the whole hotel is peaceful. There is a bar located in the new restaurant that is being built (although we didn't actually use it so can't tell you what it is like - but it did seem popular with some of the locals). It is also within walking distance (just) of a few eateries such as Dutch Trails etc. Nico is also more than happy to arrange airport transfers. It is underneath the flight path - but it is not disruptive during the day and not noticeable at night.

Unfortunately when you turn up it feels like it is a bit of a building site - but, to be fair, we were out of season and works must be done sometime. However the rear of the hotel and around the new restaurant could maybe be a bit tidier. As we were out of season it is possible that some of the facilities were unavailable - I suspect that the water sport hire wasn't applicable, and the restaurant seemed for breakfast only. Having your own transport is a blessing here too (although presumably they can arrange a tuk-tuk etc if needed). Overall it feels like the hotel just needs that last push on the investment and building front, but this shouldn't put you off.