The focus of our article today will be the four-star Bentota Beach Hotel. Cinnamon Beach 4 * - this was the name of this hotel until two thousand and thirteen. Taxi drivers, minibus drivers and even locals still know her by that name. Hotel management is part of the John Keels Hotels Group. The former name of the Cinamon Beach Hotel (Cinnamon Coast) is very romantic, but Bentota Beach is more accurate. The hotel is located at the mouth of the Bentota River, not far from the town of the same name. What are the conditions at this hotel? We will talk about this in our article. We took information not only from the hotelier, but also from the reviews. Photos attached to our report will be additional confirmation.
Who is this hotel for? Judging by the photographs that tourists leave, it is safe to say that nature lovers will feel good here. Cute chipmunks run around the hotel lawns, peacocks proudly walk, small monkeys jump on the trees and exotic birds fly, and on the river bank you can see sunbathing turtles and monitor lizards.
How to get to Bentota Beach (Cinnamon Beach) 4 *
Sri Lanka accepts foreign tourists at Bandaranayike Airport, which is ninety-five kilometers from the hotel. The village of Bentota is located on the southwestern tip of the island. It is between the capital of Colombo (sixty-five kilometers to the north) and the commercial city of Galle (56 km). You will have to travel more than two and a half hours from the airport with a shared transfer. A taxi can also get you from Colombo airport in an hour or so. The hotel is located on the northern outskirts of Bentota and on the banks of the river of the same name. A ten minute drive away is the tortoise farm and the luxurious Brief Garden. Tourists should not have any problems finding a hotel Bentota Beach (Cinnamon Beach) 4 *. Bentota is a small village. The hotel is adjacent to the Ventura Beach Hotel and the local Hindu temple. From the side of the Indian Ocean stretches the magnificent three-kilometer beach Paradis (Paradise).
Hotel Territory
In a huge tropical garden, among luxurious flower beds, paths, green lawns and coconut palms, stands the only residential building of the 4 * Bentota Beach (Cinnamon Beach) hotel. Photos of the territory and the views coming off the balconies of the rooms always accompany the enthusiastic reports of tourists about the rest. The three-story hotel building is built in the style of the Portuguese fort. In the photo it seems that he is surrounded by a common balcony. But this is not so. All balconies are individual, separated from each other by partitions. The windows overlook the ocean. There are rooms that "look" at the Bentota River - vacationers were pleased with them. Nobody had to pay extra for the "sea view". Guests are welcomed at the reception, which immediately amazes new arrivals with its beauty. The ceiling and walls are painted with Tamil patterns. The territory of the hotel, as some romantically inclined travelers claim, reminds Eden before the fall of Adam and Eve. Everywhere peacocks and other representatives of the fauna. Tourists warn of nimble lizards that can enter the room. Do not be alarmed - there is no harm from them.
Rooms
Most of the guest rooms at the Bentota Beach (Cinnamon Beach) 4 * hotel belong to the Standard category for two or three people. It is noteworthy that the design of all rooms is also inspired by the ancient culture of Ceylon. White walls are in good harmony with bright linens and colored furniture. The rooms - even the standard ones - are quite spacious. A double bed is complemented by a desk, a TV with satellite channels (two of them in Russian), air conditioning, a safe, a minibar and a set for making coffee and tea. The deluxe rooms, in addition to the bedroom, have a small living room. The suites are equipped with unrivaled modern amenities and offer magnificent ocean views from their terraces. Tourists were satisfied with the cleaning. Every day they wash the floors and wipe the dust. Towels are changed even twice a day - in the morning and in the evening.
How to feed
Hotel Bentota Beach (Cinnamon Beach) 4 * does not limit its guests in the choice of diet and does not impose anything. The price includes breakfast. It is served at the Peacock Restaurant. This breakfast, as they say, is English, that is, very hearty, with a large selection of salads, snacks, and hot dishes. Reviews mention a huge amount of fruit. You can order half board or three meals a day. Already upon arrival, you can officially pay extra for the “all inclusive”. Some tourists recommend this. Such a holiday you will not soon arrange for your stomach! In addition to "Peacock", you can visit the restaurant "Aralia", which serves dishes from the chef to the accompaniment of fine European wines. Good alcohol for guests with all-inclusive is poured in the lounge bar. And you can have a snack and drink soft drinks in "Suriye" near the pool. Those tourists who ordered breakfast only say that near the hotel there are many cheap cafes where food is also very tasty. Just a selection of dishes there is not rich.
Pool and beach
Hotel Bentota Beach (Cinnamon Beach) 4 * is located on a cape formed by the confluence of the Bentota River into the sea. Therefore, hotel guests have a large selection of places for swimming. The very salty Indian Ocean (in which serious waves sometimes rise) can be replaced by a fresh river. However, only lonely tourists ventured into this waterway. After all, there are lizards that look a bit like crocodiles.
But the pool at the hotel is clean and safe. It is located at the hull. It is surrounded by a sun terrace, lined with sunbeds with mattresses. Beach towels are provided free of charge. The wide coastal strip of perfectly light sand enthralls. Sunbeds on Paradis Beach are reserved for hotel guests only. Rescuers are constantly on duty on the coast, although there are no buoys as such. Water sports are available at the beach. For hotel residents a discount of twenty-five percent is provided.
Hotel service
BentotaBeach by Cinnamon 4 * offers its guests a variety of services. Probably the most exotic of them is elephant riding. Those who monitor their health and tone can visit Intersport fitness club. And for those who wish to relax under the caring hands of a masseur, the Azmaara center awaits with a large selection of spa treatments. If you can’t sit still, you can rent a bicycle, scooter and even a car at the hotel. But, warn the reviews, be careful when driving the latter - in Sri Lanka, instead of the road, there is a “Brownian” traffic . The hotel offers vacationers lighted in the evenings tennis courts, squash courts, billiards tables. You can satisfy your passion for shopping without leaving the hotel. There is a souvenir shop with beautiful Tamil statuettes and works of local artists.
Entertainment
A well-coordinated team of animators is struggling and throughout the day trying to diversify the leisure of guests of Bentota Beach by Cinnamon 4 *. Since 40 percent of hotel guests are Russians and Ukrainians, all the service staff more or less speak Russian. Animators offer to do aerobics in the pool, hold competitions, organize beach volleyball games . In the evening, the administration invites local groups or dancers. For children there is a dedicated area in the pool and a well-equipped playground. But many parents left reviews and photos about how their child feeds from the hands of chipmunks and peacocks. In one of the bars, music lovers are invited to sing karaoke. The hotel has a small library. There you can get beach reading, including in Russian. A daily press is available daily. You can watch TV in the lounge.
Excursions
The hotel Bentota Beach (ex Cinnamon) 4 * has its own travel agency. Some tourists took advantage of his services. Mostly from Bentota they take to a river boat safari, to a tortoise farm, to an elephant school. Further excursions (for the whole day) visit the plantation and tea factory, the ancient fortress of Galle, the Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy, excavations of precious stones. Near the hotel there is a small airfield where you can ride a seaplane or a helicopter. A lot of Russian-speaking operators walk along the beach, offering excursions at a price much lower than in a hotel. Tourists claim that there is no fraud. The saturation and service of such a trip will be no worse than that of an excursion purchased at a hotel. Tourists recommend a trip to the Galapata Vihara. This complex was built in the 12th century and numerous paintings and statues of Buddha have come down to us. Those who can scuba dive will be delighted with coral formations not far from the coast. There are underwater caves, walls, abysses. But there are no dangerous currents, and visibility is excellent - up to thirty meters.
Bentota Beach (Cinnamon Beach) 4 *: reviews
Tourists were mostly satisfied with their stay at Bentota Beach. Many appreciated the decoration of rooms and the territory of the "five". Meals, if ordered half or full board, was beyond praise. Breakfast at the hotel was standard but very plentiful. Reviews often mention the friendliness and diligence of the staff. Many tourists, especially children, liked the wildlife that walks, crawls, jumps and flies through the mangroves and green lawns of Bentota Beach by Cinnamon 4 *. Reviews mention that the hotel provides electric fumigators, so there are no mosquitoes in the rooms, and you can sleep with the window open.