Hotels with Bars in Colombo

I recently stayed at the Colombo Court Hotel, and while it offers good value and excellent rooms, the hospitality felt a bit rigid for a tourist. First, the bright spots: The room itself was fantastic. It was large, impeccably clean, and featured great-quality sheets with plenty of excellent pillows. The bathroom was stocked with plush towels and quality toiletries. Since I arrived fighting a cold, the great selection of coffee and teas in the room was an absolute lifesaver. However, the customer service left a lot to be desired. I arrived at noon after an all-night flight. Even though it's the low season and the hotel felt completely empty, the front desk rigidly enforced the 2:00 PM check-in time. They didn't even offer an early check-in for a fee. Instead, I was told I could wait out in the heat by the pool for two hours. There was also a strange billing issue at check-in. The front desk asked me for a $43 payment, even though I had already prepaid in full. I had to firmly show them my paperwork showing the booking platform's virtual credit card payment before they backed off. They didn't bring it up again, but it felt a bit like a shakedown attempt. Finally, my booking confirmation explicitly stated checkout was between 11:00 AM and 12:00 PM. Yet, at 11:30 AM, staff knocked on my door telling me checkout was actually at 11:00 AM. Even after showing the front desk my confirmation, they insisted their rule was 11:00 AM. The staff was always friendly and polite, but it felt like they were serving their rulebook rather than their guests. The property is very clean but has much more of a business-traveler vibe than a welcoming tourist destination. I have another reservation here for my return leg, but I’ll be canceling it to stay somewhere else.

Location is great, just beside One Galle Face Mall. Plenty of restaurants and cafes around. Beautiful sunset views (from the bar, pool, restaurant, lobby) and Galle Face opposite the road. Rooms are gorgeous and spacious. Checked in Dec 30-Jan 2 peak season. Hotel was fully booked. Waited in the lobby for my room to be ready upon check-in. Front desk said they will find me to let me know. Waited for more than an hour before I asked them again and told me that my room has been ready. Ordered some room service which took more than an hour to be delivered. Granted they told me that it may take about 50 minutes because it was peak hours. Upon delivery they told me it was comped because of the long wait. Pool, restaurant, and bar staff are all great. Very personable and accommodating. Loved the sky pool on the 31st floor. No bar but not as crowded as the main pool. Breakfast was great. A lot of choices. Asian selection is great. Pastries not so much, some didn’t seem fresh. Heard from some staff that it gets super busy from around 9 but didn’t experience any long wait. Plenty of tables to accommodate people. Overall a great experience and will definitely stay here again if I’m in Colombo.

This was the hotel we stayed at on our last day. Since it was fully booked, we couldn't get a late check-out for free, but we paid a very small amount to extend our stay until 7 PM, and I was very happy with that service. We checked in on a Friday, and there was some kind of beer carnival by the pool that went on until midnight. You could hear it from the room, and it was a bit noisy. The cinnamon rolls at breakfast were absolutely amazing, a huge thumbs up!

Rating: 8/10 ⭐️ Overall, we had a good experience at the hotel. The staff were friendly, welcoming, and helpful throughout our stay. As we are from the Maldives, we generally prefer seafood and lighter Asian-style food. Although we are Asian, we don’t usually eat very spicy food or heavy curries, so the food selection was not always suited to our taste. We would have liked to see more seafood and Western-style options. Overall, it was a pleasant stay, and the friendly staff made the experience better. With a little more variety in the food menu, especially seafood and less-spicy options, the experience could be even better.

Mixed feelings We had quite a mixed impression of the hotel. There are definitely some very good things about it, but unfortunately, we experienced several issues that we did not expect from a hotel of this level. Strong points: 🌊 Relaxing ocean view. If you stay here, I would definitely recommend booking a room with a sea view - it is one of the best features of the hotel. 🛏 Extremely comfortable bed. After five months of travelling around Asia, this was one of the most comfortable beds we have slept in. The mattress and pillows were excellent. 👧 Very attentive reception service. Even though we arrived late at night, the reception team quickly arranged an extra bed for our daughter. We really appreciated how quickly and thoughtfully they handled this after our late arrival. 😊 Friendly and caring staff. I especially want to mention the lovely lady who asked for our feedback at checkout. She was very attentive, kind, and genuinely apologetic about the issues we experienced. Because of her attitude and the way she handled our feedback, I’m adding one extra star to my rating. Weak points: We checked in late at night after an 8-hour flight and found a small insect in the bed. It was particularly unpleasant after such a long journey, we had to change rooms. Our main concerns were related to the housekeeping service on the 11th floor. We stayed in room 1107, and unfortunately, there were several things that could have been handled better. Unfortunately, around midnight, we were woken up by loud conversations outside our door, apparently by members of the staff. Shortly afterwards, the housekeeping staff started vacuuming the room next door and moving furniture around - at night. After a long flight, we simply wanted to sleep peacefully, especially as we were only staying for two nights. This was quite unpleasant and, in our opinion, could easily have been avoided. There were no slippers in our room, which was surprising. We did notice slippers in the housekeeping area, so perhaps they were simply forgotten. There were no hand or face towels in the bathroom - only large bath towels. This seemed quite unusual for a hotel of this standard, and it is not particularly comfortable to use the same towel for your face and feet. The bathroom lighting was also very dim, making it difficult to get ready properly and do my makeup.

A good hotel with an ocean view (we specifically requested such a room). The room is neat and spacious, with a sofa and an armchair with an ottoman. Large bathroom (one downside - the door isn't completely soundproof, but that's a common feature in Sri Lanka). Excellent breakfasts - delicious and varied. Different fruits, tasty coffee, omelets, local cuisine. Beautiful rooftop bar and an infinity pool with a view. Pleasant staff.

According to my booking, I was supposed to receive a king-size bed, but upon check-in, I was given two very small, separate beds instead. The hotel authorities failed to keep the commitment made at the time of booking. Staying and sleeping in these small beds was extremely difficult and uncomfortable for us. This kind of poor service and irresponsibility is completely unacceptable from a reputable hotel. In terms of customer service and maintaining commitments, this has been a thoroughly disappointing experience. I have no intention of ever staying at this hotel again in the future.

We booked for two nights. For me the room size is good there’s only one problem the air condition didn’t function so well. We call the reception to check why it’s not cooling and they responded so quickly. It’s clean and properly maintained. For breakfast, it’s good not so many choices but acceptable.

I had a wonderful stay at the Mount Lavinia Hotel. From the moment I arrived, everything exceeded my expectations. The service staff were exceptionally friendly, professional, and always ready to help with a smile. The hotel environment was beautiful, clean, and very relaxing. I especially loved the garden area, the swimming pool, and the stunning beach views. Waking up to the ocean view from my room was an amazing experience. Even the washroom was well-maintained and offered a great view, which made the stay feel even more special. What impressed me the most was the genuine hospitality of the staff. They made me feel welcome throughout my stay and paid attention to every detail to ensure my comfort. Overall, I would rate my experience 10/10. Everything—from the location and facilities to the service and atmosphere—was simply perfect. I highly recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a relaxing and memorable stay in Sri Lanka.

Amazing location and friendly staff and clean rooms. Will be a added bonus if we can have Jaffna food Available all day from lunch time till midnight. Great experianca. Well done