Outdoor pool, pool umbrellas, sun loungers
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Reviews of Mahaweli Reach Hotel

5 out of 5
Mahaweli Reach Hotel
35, P.B.A.Weerakoon Mawatha, Kandy

Reviews

8.0

Very Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 38 out of 99 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 36 out of 99 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 13 out of 99 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 7 out of 99 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 5 out of 99 reviews" "

8.2/10

Cleanliness

8.2/10

Staff & service

6.6/10

Amenities

7.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

5.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

8/10 Good

Thomas

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

4/10 Poor

Nguyet

Traveled with family
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disappointing stay!
This is not a 5 star hotel. Porter were not available on arrival to assist with lugguage. Overall, hotel need a refurbishment as it is tired. We were given a accessible room, and when we have a shower the whole toilet was flooded - a plastic curtains was the shower door. Towels were old and smell. Room also smell damp and moulded. We could hear the people in thr next room and anyone walking in the corridor. We checked in at around 4pm amd checked out at 8am - not an inviting hotel that you want to hang around.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023
Response from Mahaweli Reach Guest Relations. on Jan 19, 2024
Dear Guest, Ayubowan and Greetings from Mahaweli Reach! It is with great remorse we note the concerns as detailed by you. Mahaweli Reach is renowned for its service excellence by both our local and international patrons and it is our team's constant endeavor in upholding ourselves. to the highest quality standards adhered to. As such we regret that you've found this to be otherwise. All facilities made available in our disabled rooms are in facilitating the ease and convenience of our patrons, as such the washroom has been accommodated with shower curtains instead of a glass door. We regret you had not been satisfied with same. The concerns detailed have been addressed with the relevant departments and remedial action taken in preventing a recurrence of similar nature. Assuring you of continued service excellence in the future. Thank you. ,

6/10 Okay

Janelle

Traveled with partner
Disliked: Amenities
Does not live up to its 5* rating but staff very friendly. Buffet only average in terms of quality and choice.
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2023

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveler

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Avoid at all costs
Avoid at all costs. Pros: Service at the spa and restaurant was good. Cons: Old hotel, old furniture, mattress was hard and has that little ledge on the edges, like your parents mattress from 40yrs ago. Sheets were tired, I felt disgusting lying there and thankful that it was only 1 night. Air con was not effective. Poor service and communication. When I checked in, I asked for a late checkout, they agreed 12pm and wrote it down. At 11.30 the next day they called, asking why I hadn’t checked out. I told them I had a late check-out which should be in their system, and can they send someone up in 5mins to take my bags. No one came. When I checked in, I asked would there be a spa menu. They said yes it is in the room. It wasn’t in the room, I called reception, they told me to call the spa, the spa told me to ask reception. Seriously, get your act together guys, I want to spend money at the spa and you don’t even want it. The guy at reception told me contradictory hours for the spa service times. Service wise- whenever I had to sign something, they put it in front of me and didn’t say a word- never experienced such rudeness at a hotel. It was a horrible stay and when I checked out, the lady asked how my stay was. I told her that I was disappointed, and the reasons why. Then to sort my payment, she directed me to another lady (whom I thought was more senior), who didn’t say a thing or ask how my stay was, simply printed the invoice for signing.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2020

8/10 Good

Nihal W.

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good food and great service,
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2020
Response from Mahaweli Reach Hotel on Feb 24, 2020
Dear Guest, Ayubowan and Greetings from Mahaweli Reach! Thank you for taking time to recount your stay at Mahaweli Reach. It's a pleasure to note that the services rendered by our staff, the facilities provided and the wide array of food offered at Mahaweli Reach met your expectations. Looking forward to welcoming you again at Mahaweli Reach! Thank you

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The Mahawell Reach Hotel was a welcome respite after many hours of driving. Large comfortable rooms with all the usual 4 star hotel inclusions. Great bed. The shower was over the bath and quite deep so if you have mobility issues I would recommend asking for a room with separate shower. The breakfast was the usual but nice buffet style (excellent omelette). We stayed two nights and this hotel was good.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2020
Response from Mahaweli Reach Hotel on Feb 24, 2020
Dear Guest, Ayubowan and Greetings from Mahaweli Reach! Thank you for taking time to recount your stay at Mahaweli Reach. We are glad that you found the welcome at Mahaweli Reach refreshing after your long drive. Being The first five star hotel in the region we constantly strive to maintain the highest standards, thus its of great pleasure to note that you were satisfied by the amenities offered at Mahaweli Reach. Looking forward to your next visit! Thank you.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The setting overlooking the Mahaweli River is simply beautiful. Lovely sunsets!
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2019

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019

8/10 Good

ARUN

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
great hotel and location
great hotel and location
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2019

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Nice amenities, far from anything fun , okay to chill on the property
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2019
Response from Mahaweli Reach Team on Feb 28, 2019
Dear Guests, Ayubowan! Greetings from Mahaweli Reach! We are happy to note that you enjoyed your stay with us and appreciate the time you took to recommend our property. It was indeed a pleasure to have served you and we are glad that our location and the overall experience contributed to a memorable stay. Looking forward to welcoming you again to the Mahaweli Reach! Thank Yoiu

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The staff was very welcoming and helpful, we had our itinerary discussed and we also learned about the places we could visit in a better way. Cleanliness and maintainance 10/10 Very Polite staff The menu can be
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2018

10/10 Excellent

Chandana

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2018

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Staff & service
lovely staff.... tired hotel but still good
Staff were lovely. Hotel is old. public areas like the pool are gorgeous. rooms are tired but big. Walls are very thin and can hear everything. Breakfast was mediocre. Easy to get tuk tuk to town. Staff are fantastic
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2018
Response from Mahaweli Reach Team on Nov 13, 2018
Dear Guest, Ayubowan! Greetings from Mahaweli Reach! Thank you for taking your time to send in your feed back relating to your time spent with us at Mahaweli Reach. It is heartening to learn that you appreciated the services rendered by our colleagues, the spacious room, the sparkling free form pool and the view that you capture from our sprawling gardens on the banks of the Mahaweli River. All the same it is with concern we note your comments and observations and shall certainly take all corrective measures since we endeavour to maintain high standards of facilities and services across our property.

10/10 Excellent

Pratap

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
All excellent
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2018

8/10 Good

Simla

Kandy property not the best but city is awesome 👏
Property is very average and our room had to be changed as the shower was broken .. would not recommend this property to anyone .. they have river cruise which was very depressing :-((
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2018
Response from Mahaweli Reach Team on Nov 13, 2018
Dear Guest, Ayubowan! Greetings from Mahaweli Reach! We sincerely appreciate you sparing your time to review our property and services furnished to you whilst you were with us at Mahaweli Reach. We sincerely regret that certain aspects had not been up to your expectations and shall definitely take all remedial measures since we strive hard to ensure a pleasant and memorable stay for all our guests.

10/10 Excellent

Mario

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Really great service from all the staff.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great place to stay
Great comfortable stay at this hotel about 3 km outside Kandy but be aware the roads are very busy so can take a while to get into town
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2018

10/10 Excellent

Ahmed, Lebanon

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing Hotel & Awesome Staff!
We absolutely love this hotel! The hotel itself if amazing and the staff were exceptional. Ask for Damith, he is an amazing person with a lot of attention to detail. We strongly recommend this hotel to everyone. We stayed here one night only and we should have booked at least two nights. Wonderful hotel, amazing food selection between all the hotels we stayed at in Sri Lanka. Very well done, good job to everyone!
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2017

10/10 Excellent

Ross

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful gardens and swimming pool. Fantastic food. Attentive, friendly staff.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2017

10/10 Excellent

Richard, East Sussex UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good location on the river
Lovely location on the river, a little away from the centre of Kandy but only a short tuc tuc ride so no real problem. Very good buffet breakfast & evening meal. Pity there was no beer over the New Year period!

10/10 Excellent

Ijaz, Dubai, UAE

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
5 star hotel by the longest river in Sri Lanka
Hotel located in a scenic area (had some time locating it as decided to drive on my own) but wouldn't be a problem if one hires a local taxi. Hotel staff were very courteous right from the reception till the house keeping / engineering staff. Food was awesome (at least to me) as I gorged myself on Sri Lankan food - sea food, hoppers, rotis, sambols, etc simply put a wide variety of international and Sri Lankan food. Lots of things to do - boat rides, swim in the pool, visit the historical botanical gardens located a few kilometres away, visit the heritage sites (Dalada Maligawa - Lord Buddha's relics are kept and venerated by the Buddhists) and lots more. Certainly was a change from the humid weather one found in Colombo and the towns we visited on the coast - Galle, Kalutara etc. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend this hotel to all my friends. Keep up the good work of and all the best, Regards Ijaz

6/10 Okay

Johannes

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Response from General Manager on Mar 7, 2017
Thank you,

8/10 Good

Ahmed

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Response from General Manager on Mar 1, 2017
Dear Mr Ahmed, Thank you for rating us on expedia. Best regards, Rodney Armstrong Resident Manager

2/10 Terrible

Howard, Charleston, SC

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Refused to honor reservation
Would not let us through the gate. We had paid in full through Orbitz. They couldn't find it. We asked if they had a room. They said yes but we could not have it because all arrangements had to go through Colombo. We had driven 4 hours from Kandy and they left us without a place to stay. AND THEY HAD A ROOM!@!!
Response from Rodney on Feb 6, 2017
Dear Guest, Ayubowan! Dear Guest, We regret any inconvenience caused to you, though as a hotel based in Kandy, we carry out all transactions in Kandy and do not require arrangements to be made in Colombo. Further, the property remains open to visitors. Thank you,

10/10 Excellent

gurhan33, Istanbul

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Paradise
Although i checkek all reviews i was not expecting sort of warm welcome and kind servie shown during our stay From the reception to house keeping,from the bar to resturant, feom the concierge to spa bali massage all excelent left there with good Memories thank you all
Response from Rodney on Feb 6, 2017
Dear Guest, Ayubowan! Greetings from Mahaweli Reach! We are truly happy to have been able to provide you both a memorable stay for you both and take this opportunity to express our sincere appreciation of your gracious recommendation of our product and services. It was indeed a pleasure to have served you and to have had you as our guests. Thank you 

4/10 Poor

G L F, usa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Older hotel needs renovation. Beds are very hard. Lots of Asian tour groups and large weddings take over hotel. Too far from town. Expensive food and drink. Service ok, but very slow. Spa was excellent but expensive. Beautiful flowers around pool. Would stay somewhere else next time.

4/10 Poor

DLMR, Washington DC

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Let down
Nice hotel- beautiful landscape. Focused on Asian tour groups. Unfortunately, the restaurant was closed for our stay and we were forced to eat in their conference center for breakfast and dinner. Construction noise at pool during day. All that dampened our stay. Hotel is far from Kandy center. would choose another hotel next time.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Good, but no view The bathroom was not clean Bedsheet not clean

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent hotel in Kandy (not in downtown),
Good hotel on the river with a good restaurant. The fitness center was a bit run down, but the rest of the hotel and the staff was excellent. Good price.

8/10 Good

Michael, Byron Bay

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Remedy was forthcoming.
Had a very uncomfortable first night but for the next the room was upgraded which solved the problems. Pity they didn't fix the aircon and hot water in the room before giving it to me on arrival

4/10 Poor

Verified traveler

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Overpriced and falling apart!
for the price this hotel is exorbitant and does not meet the standards expected of even a 3 star hotel. the bed linen had holes and the walls and the beadings were all falling apart. The wifi worked only outside in the swimming pool area. I have enough pictures to support this. Overall, I would select this hotel if i had no other choice which happened to be the case in point for us.

6/10 Okay

Anthony, Charlotte, NC

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
A little far from everything
The hotel is to far from all the attractions that Kandy has to offer. Even though the other hotels are not as nice, they would be better for time management. My girlfriend and I both got food poisoning from the restaurant at lunch time and that ruined the night and most of the next day. I'm sure that doesn't happen often but when it does it is not good.

6/10 Okay

Chen, Beijing

Liked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Don't like the services
The place is well located near the river in a quiet location - far from the city centre. The services are terrible though

6/10 Okay

Steve, Bath, ENGLAND

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Old colonial charm with nice staff but dirty
This is my fist time to Sri Lanka and you are not sure what to expect. However, you do expect a room to be clean and tidy and in good repair. This is a hotel with lots of staff and there are lots of good points that should be noted. Kandy is in the centre of Sri Lanka and a good spot to stay, the hotel has 11 employed drivers which can safely take you on excursions. If you like classic cars there are lots on display to look at. The Ceylon Spa is very good. The breakfast and diner good. The hotel did get taken over by a huge wedding, which on one side was nice to see, but did overrun the hotel. The rooms were also quite large. The hotel has lots of old charm and hospitality but the rooms were not clean and the hotel needs to be refurbished about 10 years ago. An annoying thing is that you ask one memeber of staff and you get one answer, ask another and you get another. You end up having to ask lots of people to try and work out what is correct. I wish the staff would simply say that they don't know the answer rather than giving you their opinion !!

10/10 Excellent

Traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great outdoor area to relax
Definitely more than 4 stars, it's better than another hotel I stayed in that is 4.5 stars. Rooms are extremely spacious. Location is very relaxing.

10/10 Excellent

noel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Ryan, Canada

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Would stay again
Beautiful hotel with grand rooms. Great pool. Very attentive and polite staff. Gay friendly. Not a cookie cutter franchise.

8/10 Good

dee, uk

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice hotel but pool was freezing
Nice setting and hotel Service needs improving , waited 45 mins for a drink! In the end cancelled it! Pool is freezing!

10/10 Excellent

Hassan, Jeddah

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
nice hotel
very nice hotel, service was excellent, hotel amenities are great. highly recommend it

10/10 Excellent

Mary Lee, Abu Dhabi, UAE & Atlanta, GA, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Last night, luxury
We stayed at Mahaweli Reach the last night of our 10 day trip and it was fantastic to have a little luxury after staying in smaller guest houses in more remote parts of Sri Lanka. The staff was, however, just as personable as the hosts of the guest houses in hill country. I love Sri Lanka!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
clan and comfort room
Nice hotel and very Findlay staff .

10/10 Excellent

Malcolm, Stansted UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wish we could have stayed longer
Beautiful colonial style hotel with friendly staff, large spotless rooms.Lovely setting. Wish we could have stayed longer.

2/10 Terrible

Nizar, Lebanon

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disappointing
Not recommended at all... worst experience... to start by the positive point, the stuff are friendly buy the don't understand English well and non professional at all, they don't even know what time they serve the breakfast, and if you have a request every employee will transfer you to second one till you get bored. The worst thing that the room we got is totally different than we have seen and booked on expedia, when we asked why they did down grade, they said you booked deluxe deluxe room and this they call deluxe room. Food is terrible..

10/10 Excellent

Shelley, Lompoc, CA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great place to stay while visiting Kandy
We were a bit travel weary when we arrived at Mahaweli Reach in the late afternoon. From the moment we arrived my travel companions and I were treated with such welcoming hospitality that our spirits were lifted. We were escorted to our room by a member of the front desk staff and our bags arrived shortly afterwards. Our driver had nice accommodations as well. After seeing the Kandian drummers and dance performance at the cultural center we chose to eat our dinner at the hotel's restaurant. Each of our choices were beautifully prepared, presented and absolutely delicious. We returned to our room to find the beds turned down, slippers placed near our beds, a lovely bookmark and small bouquet of flowers on our pillows- a lovely touch of hospitality. It was nice to see that this older established hotel had both local clientele and travelers from other parts of Sri Lanka as well as foreign travelers. The hotel grounds are beautifully maintained and if you choose to wander through their gardens you will notice many of the trees and plants have botanical labels for identification. The area around the pool simply invites you to sit and have some type of refreshment and take a dip to cool you down after a hot day of sight seeing.

10/10 Excellent

Stephen, Massachusetts, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Quality hotel and dining
We thoroughly enjoyed staying at the Mahaweli Reach Hotel. The room was spacious and well-appointed. The food was delicious. There was a daily breakfast buffet with Sri Lankan foods,as well as international selections. The pool was large and very clean. It was so refreshing to take a swim after sightseeing each day. The staff was helpful and friendly. They arranged drivers for all our excursions.I would definitely stay there again.

8/10 Good

Flake, Abu Dhabi

Liked: Staff & service
Hotel staff pleasant, helpful, and the food good.
Our experience at the hotel was good, and the staff were very nice, and very helpful. We had a massage, which was very poor. Not clean, mosquitos, and an old dirty fan, no music, and a hard bed used for the massage, and no towel to cover you. Also they are doing some work for a new spa, so it was very noisy as well.

8/10 Good

Robyn

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

4/10 Poor

Verified traveler

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A DEFINITE NO NO
This hotel is terrible.Being so high up in the mountains,it has absolutely no character at all.The bathrooms are dire need of a clean up and renovation.In fact the entire hotel is in dire need of a renovation and revamp.The spa is a hot smelly dungeon,which is overpriced actually this hotel is by far overpriced.

10/10 Excellent

Raju, London

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent
Excellent hotel with brilliant ambience. Really friendly staff very proffesionally run.

6/10 Okay

honey, uk

Nice location
Attractive looking hotel, room looked a bit tired, grubby stained rug in room, bathroom needed updating, balcony needed a lick of paint, unable to open balcony doors, woken at the crack of dawn with staff letting off rockets to get rid of the monkeys, fridge in room very noisy had to turn it off, the mini bar was a disgrace, the chocolate and drink looked like it had been in there years, hotel front desk staff very helpful, too many staff in the dinning room,who were all the men in suits, they looked liked bodyguards, were they really nescessary, hotel buffet was very nice, but meals were very bland and boring, did not like staff telling you where to sit, given no choice. Swimming pool was lovely but the recliners were filthy. Overall first impression the hotel looked very nice, but once there you began to see all the flaws, this is not a 5 star hotel,