Taru Villas The Long House - Bentota

Boutique style, staff attentive, fantastic

Nothing

The villa and the property were absolutely fantastic. The design and space really set the place apart from other locations. The breakfast and restaurant in general were high quality, and you had both local and continental options for food. Staff was really helpful and kind. We'll especially have to thank the Assistant Manager at the villa, Mr. Sameera. The staff takes care of your needs and help you on your whole stay in Sri Lanka, not just the hotel related matters.

WiFi coverage was a bit spotty in some corners. Many people mention the train track passing by the property as a problem. This is unfortunately the reality with ALL of the properties on the coast, as the railway closely follows the coast line.

Very good food, lovely staff. Very peaceful and quiet. We were initially in family suite, which was a bit noisy and light so we were moved to different rooms which were lovely and spacious with great outdoor sitting spaces. The beach was beautiful but a short walk away across the train track, which was a bit surprising as not exactly beachfront as we expected but there were not many trains passing.

Swimming pool was lovely but very shallow and you couldn’t swim all the length. Very small umbrellas over loungers so you never really had shade and no sun loungers on the beach which was a shame. It would be nice to have some gardens/vegetation by the pool, especially by the right wall.

It was a lovely, small secluded property. Our room was lovely when we arrived. Nice pool.

Unfortunately there was a fly infestation that took us asking for the room to be cleaned a second time for anything to happen. We were assured after the first clean it was fine only for us to still find them in the room, curtains, bed, sink, etc. Management did not handle this appropriately and staff started to panic when we took photos and videos. As it is all open air there was nowhere else for us to sit except for the restaurant for 4 hours whilst they cleaned the room and there was no alternative room to move to. We weren’t offered water and we were charged for this upon checkout. Only when I asked to speak to the manager did he offer wine which we did not want. The restaurant has limited options and portion sizes varied with no options nearby so I’m glad we only stayed for 2 nights. Staff ask for orders in advance and they forgot we ordered the Sri Lankan breakfast on our last morning and it took ages. Jacuzzi part of pool stopped working. The fly infestation and managements response really ruined the end of our three week trip in Sri Lanka. The cost and lack of hospitality means I would not recommend this hotel.