Arena Hotel
21 review
December 16, 2024
I chose a hotel for a very long time, looking for a CLEAN one first of all.I wanted something cozy and homely . The Arena Hotel fully met my expectations. Modern clean rooms, stunning river views, perfect cleaning (phone chargers were neatly folded, things scattered on the bed were folded). Comfortable mattresses, pillows. Everything is snow-white. The towels are soft and smell delicious. They brought water every day.
We always had enough breakfast, and even had a lot, eggs in any form, porridge, pancakes, toast, fresh and fruit.
We often ate at the hotel for lunch and dinner, you can find it cheaper, but everything was very comfortable at the hotel, tasty, clean, and most importantly, there were no problems with digestion all the time. Very tasty grilled shrimp. I ordered it 2 times. Great rice that can be eaten without anything, so delicious! There was not a single spicy dish ! Spices were brought separately and you can adjust the sharpness yourself.
The location is very convenient! Everything you need is nearby . You can walk, you can take a tuk-tuk for 100 rubles (Russian) to get back to the right place. There are also pizzerias and KFC where you can eat more economically. We didn 't even take excursions , there were enough interesting places nearby . The temple complex and the garden on the territory of the monastery. Very green, mystical in places, almost opposite the hotel.
The lighthouse, with its amazing view. The big Buddha of Kande Viharaya Temple, next to him an elephant that can be fed-incredible emotions, there is also a school of monks. We took fishing trips, river safaris, all right from our hotel.
About the beaches. A huge fat plus that the hotel has 2 beaches!!! We swam on the beach where they take us by boat for 5 minutes. It's chic, secluded, wide. When I first saw this desolate beauty, I even shed tears. Tourists pay to be taken to this beach, but we have it enabled by default. There are waves , but it would be boring without them , we would not get out of the ocean with a child . Where there are rocks, at the beginning of the beach, please do not swim , it is dangerous . You can get to the Buddhist monastery directly from the beach by a ladder. It has access to the cliff to the sea. The view is amazing.
The beach that can be reached on foot, about 7 minutes, seemed dirtier. There is a Maharaja's cafe, they ate there-it was delicious. Music in the evening , you can sit .
The pool is small, but since there are not many tourists there, there was no strain. You can swim in the evening .
I got everything I wanted. A clean hotel, good location, delicious food and a chic and most importantly a swimable beach.
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1
May 9, 2024
The hotel is small, only the fourth of the 4 floors of the building is residential. On the residential floor there is a rather cozy hall with sofas and access to the river. There is nothing on 2 and 3, which is quite strange..
The rooms are clean, plumbing, air conditioning, kettle, and a workman's room. The staff is polite. Manjula speaks Russian, helps as much as she can. We went on trips with him and on an excursion along the river - we are satisfied.
The hotel is not on the first line, you can walk to the sea - 10-15 minutes on foot, or take a boat ride (free hotel service) to another beach.
The river on the shore of which the hotel stands is just a delight - mangroves, wildlife..
A restaurant on the terrace by the river on the ground floor is for breakfast and lunch, on the roof - dinner.
One of the disadvantages is the side facing the road is very noisy. If there are rooms facing the river, it is better to live there. And the second
If the power is on, the choice of dishes does not change daily and it is not particularly large.
And it would be worth updating the furniture at the reception. This does not affect the service, of course, but this first impression of the hotel is a bit shocking)
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1
January 8
We lived for 2 weeks with the New Year holidays. Like it. It was clean, only breakfast was included, it would be fine. Kind-hearted staff. They take you to the beach by boat. Sincerely, Natalia and Yuri.
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March 21, 2024
For me, the hotel is what I need (thanks to my travel agent). The hotel is new, small (family-style). The rooms are fresh, the plumbing is in perfect condition, the mattresses/pillows are excellent, the air conditioning is good, you can adjust and even sleep at night, the sound insulation is excellent. Access to the river with vines is just cool, exotic! The sea is nearby. River tour - crocodiles, monkeys, monitor lizards. We took fishing on the river right at the hotel. Just a delight - huge fish! The restaurant is expensive, the prices are in dollars, $ 8-16 for hot, you can find both cooler and cheaper.
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1
December 1, 2024
We were in the hotel cafe. The staff is very helpful. The guys offered to go up to the roof of the hotel, took wonderful photos. The kitchen in the cafe is wonderful!
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1
March 30, 2024
Just returned from vacation (03/20/24-03/28/24), I can definitely say that I RECOMMEND THE HOTEL!
We had a family vacation of 3 people (a child of 7 years old), I chose according to reviews and they were justified.
I'll start from the beginning: we flew with a Boeing a/c Azur Air from Vnukovo 👍night departure, direct flight time is 8 hours. We arrived at 10:30. The time difference from Moscow is +2.5 hours.
The visa was issued online at home, the mig card was filled out on the plane, everything is fast at the airport, there are no queues. Change into light clothes right away, it's very hot in sports suits 🤪We changed dollars to rupees here (the exchange rate is about 1/300). Keep the receipt. If there are rupees left at departure, you can change them back to 💲 according to the receipt at the airport.
Anex meets him at the exit.
We sat on the bus for 2 hours, waiting for some TWO slow-witted tourists in Balenciaga sneakers 😆🤦♀️ that's exactly what I want to take an individual transfer next time 👌We drove 2 hours to the hotel, our hotel was the penultimate.
We arrived at the hotel at lunch, had time to eat)
As we wrote before, only one 3rd floor is open for occupancy. There is an unfinished building on the 1st and 2nd floor (but no repair work is underway). On the 4th floor there is a beautiful open and covered terrace for lunches and dinners. Downstairs there is a reception, staff, bar, pier and tables for breakfast, coffee, snacks and relaxation). Delicious coffee 👌Coffee beans from a coffee machine (espresso, Americano, cappuccino) and from local Sri Lankan grains). From the coffee machine for a fee.
We were checked in quickly, as we arrived at this hotel alone (almost the entire bus disembarked at the PALMS Hotel). The hotel is small, there were 6-7 rooms (all Russians, one couple Belarusians). Take mosquito repellents, they bite well in the evenings!
Please note - THERE IS NO BUFFET. We had breakfast, lunch and dinner included, which was a mistake 😁Meals according to a separate monotonous menu (photo attached) and all the rest you will eat the same thing alternating dishes. There are only two salads: tomatoes with onions and a salad MIX (cabbage vegetables with vinegar). It's difficult with a child, all the food is almost spicy, they took her two types: grilled chicken with rice and barbecue wings with French fries. There's also macaroni cheese. According to the main (paid) menu, the choice is much wider. I recommend taking 2 types: breakfast and lunch / dinner. You can eat here for a fee (I attach a couple of pages of the paid menu, I did not completely photograph it) next to the Aisha restaurant or take a tuk tuk towards Bentota.
The breakfasts are great, downstairs on the pier, overlooking the river🥰outdoors) There are two dishes to choose from (e.g. scrambled eggs, pancakes) + a plate of fruits, fresh fruit, toast, butter, jam, tea or coffee 👌the child will also be given ice cream for dessert if you ask ☺️ (I attach a photo of the menu). Everything is delicious, we always ate enough, we didn't want any additives).
The staff is male only (there are no women in the hotel), they are trying very hard, well done. Everything is clean, both in the room and in the shared toilets. Cleaning every day! Bed linen, towels are snow-white terry. The rooms are small, with a balcony, but there is no waltz to dance in them, so it is quite enough). Shampoo and shower gel are replenished daily. The air conditioner works fine, even hung with a towel at night to make it comfortable).
The windows in the room faced the road, which did not interfere with sleep at all.
The refrigerator and safe were working. There was no theft, don't worry about that. 3 bottles of water were also supplemented daily. There is a kettle in the room, tea, instant coffee, sugar.
Excursions are conducted along the river, boats ride from morning to evening, all friendly people smile and wave 😁 (we also rode with the hotel employee Manzhula) For three people we paid 5,500 rupees (for translation into rubles we divide by three). They saw and fed monkeys, held a tiny crocodile (500 rupees) in their arms, saw large three-meter crocodiles in the river, small monitor lizards on trees, some birds). Manzhula took us to the state botanical garden, a local doctor of folk medicine told us everything in Russian and showed us everything. There is also a pharmacy where there are no prices either. Please check before you buy 😁 We took royal coconut hair oil and saffron face cream. I recommend the tour 👌
From our pier at the hotel, you can watch flying foxes (hanging upside down during the day, starting to fly in the evening), sometimes varran swims or basks on the shore in the sun. Chipmunks are running through the trees).
The staff is very friendly, well done! I want to especially mention the guy Samira 👍Bring the guys from Russia Alenka chocolates, seeds, vodka, moonshine 😁some treats, they are very happy about it!
You can get to the beach either by boat from the hotel (free of charge, at any time convenient for you), it is an almost deserted island with an open ocean (you will be picked up at the specified time) or walk 15 minutes to the right of the hotel across the road to the city beach, where the river flows. We swam, the water is good, VERY warm, clean. But there were always waves.
They correctly write about the local Manjula: be careful, he's cheating! He took me and my daughter on his tuk-tuk to the turtle farm (ticket 3,500 rupees), and took 5,000 rupees for the tuk-tuk (15-20 minutes to go). I asked others if a tuk tuk there costs 2,000 rupees 😳
I also recommend a trip to the farm, they let the baby turtles out into the ocean. It's better to go in the afternoon. They don't let them out in the morning.
Manjula also took us to his friends for fruit on Bentota, they also ripped us off! Ask the price everywhere (they don't write it) and see how they weigh and count, double-check everything, they wave!
We went with Manjula to the Lighthouse (it costs $ 30 for three people). First, he takes himself by tuk tuk to the pier, from there the guy takes 5 minutes by boat to the lighthouse and picks it up at the specified time. We walked there ourselves. For the ascent to the lighthouse, the three of us were charged 2000 rupees, from another married couple 3000 rupees (shorter from the baldy). There, to the right of the pier, we swam in calm, clear water with a mask, saw many beautiful fish.
The lighthouse keeper offered a peacock feather for 1 💲, and the husband himself found 10 pieces of them there.
We went to the big Buddha ourselves, from the hotel to the left, cross the bridge and immediately the road to the left. A small elephant was standing by the Buddha, eating watermelons. You can take photos and videos for free.
There is also a gym to the left of the hotel, 1000 rupees a day. There is no air conditioning and locker rooms in the hall, there are necessary exercise equipment. It works until 11 and after 16h.
Prices in Sri Lanka were surprised, they are not low at all. A bottle of local Calypso Rum 5500 rupees, a child bought a beach tunic 3700 rupees, bargained with 4500.
People are generally very friendly and friendly. The staff at the hotel is excellent, the atmosphere is pleasant 👍I would definitely like to return ❤
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February 27, 2023
A wonderful hotel located on the banks of a river with mangrove trees.The staff is very attentive.Everything in the hotel offers complete relaxation, starting with cozy rooms, a rooftop restaurant with views of the jungle and the largest Buddha on the island of Sri Lanka, a cafe bar on the riverbank and up to the paradise beach.
The rooms are clean, all amenities:air conditioning,bar,kettle,water, safe,Internet.An excellent cook! I advise you to order fish, you can eat it every day, because they bring it fresh from the market every morning.The hotel's feature is that you can get to the beach by boat along the river, for free, in just 10 minutes, during which time you can see monitor lizards, crocodiles resting in mangroves and flying foxes along the way! The owners of the hotel are Russians, they were very pleasantly surprised. We recommend it to everyone👍
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5
March 27, 2023
We were in March, we took half board. Breakfast on the riverbank, among the mangroves.Dinners are upstairs, on the 4th floor. The food is delicious, served by a waiter.
The room had a view of the road and the park, with air conditioning nothing interfered, the cleaning was good, the shampoo gels were changed.
We were taken to the beach and back by boat, and in the evening we went to the other beach. We took day trips to Kandy, elephants, tea house, botanical garden. And we went to others from the hotel, Manjula takes us by boat and tuk-tuk to the lighthouse, to the turtles, along the river and to the Big Buddha.
There are cafes, shops and bazaars nearby. We are happy with the rest.
Wish: to improve Wi-Fi and give pancakes for breakfast more often.
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5
March 14, 2023
Nice hotel, convenient location from the beautiful beaches. Nearby are the wildlife of the tropics, rooms on the river especially 126-128 are the most successful. The kitchen is decent, it's a pity monotonous if "breakfast-dinner" is included. Above all praise, the perfect room cleaning. Daily cleaning service is provided! Helpful and smiling staff. I recommend the hotel!
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5
May 20, 2023
An amazing place with delicious cuisine, beautiful views, including the Buddha. From the pier by boat, you can swim along the river and see the mangroves, see the crocodile, monitor lizard, monkeys and beautiful birds! The best guide with Russian Cherry, he will do everything to make your excursions unique and full of joyful emotions and impressions!
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3
January 10, 2024
A small hotel where there are few people and you can retire! The location of the hotel is great. It is located on the riverbank, and those rooms with windows overlooking the river are a complete delight!
The rooms were cleaned daily! Towels were changed every day! Thanks a lot for that! At the same time, on the 3rd day, they stopped putting personal hygiene products to me) shampoo, soap, etc.
Water, tea, coffee were given every day! There was a moment when the cream ran out! And they weren't there for a while!
My TV was breaking down! And my friends from Moscow fixed it faster! We found a breakdown and fixed it! The wires are kept on their word of honor, it's amazing that anything works at all)
In order for hot water to appear, it needs to be drained for some time, you can adapt)
The food is monotonous, nothing special. I did the right thing by taking only breakfast, although they are monotonous! To choose from: omelette, porridge and pancakes, plus juice, fruit, tea/coffee, bread, butter and jam. You can eat, but it does not correspond to 4 stars!
Once I ordered a sea salad for dinner and there is little sea there, mostly greens! The serving of the dishes is ordinary. I love it when it's beautiful and delicious! In this case, it's all missing! There was a time when I wanted to order a mango dessert! And.... I was told that the mango is over! Are you serious?!) I came to Sri Lanka and you tell me this... actually, there was a moment in the hotel when all the fruits except watermelon ran out! Funny))))
The most outrageous moment is the transfer to the ocean!
The boatman is working and not working!!! It feels like he's his own boss!)
The point is this. The clean beach can only be reached by boat, or on foot, in the heat, it will take 60 minutes if you walk at a brisk pace. You can walk to the beach in 5 minutes, which is more crowded and dirtier!
I'm telling you. It was about 16 o'clock, I went up to the boat, but there was no boatman! They say he's gone home! Well, at least they don't lie, they honestly say!) He went home and that's it!) I had to swear! And after much clarification and my indignation, when I said that I would write a review and post it wherever possible, the boat started moving. There was a man who drove me and picked me up from the beach! This is, of course, a complete blast!
Moreover, the co-owners of the hotel, the Russians, do not even think to apologize and somehow correct this situation, saying, what do you want, these are Sri Lankans! Are you serious now?!) Actually, you have a transfer to the ocean listed on the website, and at least 2 times a day, morning and evening, the hotel is obliged to take me to the beach! When we once again could not find a boatman, and it was January 1st, evening, it was said, what do you want, January 1st. You're serious now too!) This service is included in the package! I'm not asking for anything over the top! I am asking for the service that is listed on the website and is not provided! I had to swear again and found another person who took me! I want to relax on vacation, and not solve issues that might not have been. The co-owners of the hotel didn't even try to solve them, they didn't care!
So be prepared for such an attitude!
At the same time, my vacation was wonderful and unforgettable! And even in the negative moments, I always see the positive)
I think that these kinds of moments, or others, are always present to a greater or lesser extent!
I just wish that if there were unfavorable moments, they would try to solve the problem and try to make amends!
The answer to all problems is the same: What do you want? Aren't they Sri Lankans?
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3
2
November 1, 2022
The hotel is wonderful. The rooms are clean and spacious. They cook very well. Attentive staff. They clean it every day. Bottled water is constantly supplied. It is located within the city limits. There are 2 supermarkets within 10 minutes. A boat goes to one beach from the hotel for free. The other one can be reached for 300 rupees by tuk tuk. I recommend. But I want to warn you to put away the money in order to avoid unpleasant moments. I recommend the hotel as well. You won't regret taking it.
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May 11, 2022
The most pleasant and friendly place on the coast. Wonderful location and the best staff. Nearby there are exotic mangroves and magnificent ocean beaches. Excellent rooms, breakfasts. If you book a tour with dinner, you will be treated to barracuda and other local fish from the nearest market. I highly recommend it. And I really hope that beloved Sri Lanka will overcome political and economic problems as soon as possible
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May 22, 2023
The hotel is not bad, just a strong three.
We arrived at Matalla airport, got a visa ($ 60 per person), you can apply online, then customs, everything is very slow, imagine until all 400 people pass these 2 queues, after passport control you can change money, dollars (our exchange rate was 313 rupees), do not take euros with you, you can only change at the airport, in the resort area – only dollars. (you can change (split) at the guide, but for the price of a dollar, which is not profitable) Next, SIM cards are sold, 800 rupees 20 GB for 7 days, etc. there are other tariffs, since we arrived for a week, this was enough.
We went to the bus and waited until everyone had passed all these queues, about 1.5 hours. Then transfer to the hotel, about 3 hours (the air conditioners are working hard on the bus, take sweatshirts).
We arrived at the hotel in the afternoon, closer to lunch, which is the reception desk – it's a table at the entrance on the street (just trash). Now the hotel is being renovated (a swimming pool is being made), when we were there – it did not work and only one floor is open for occupancy. We checked in quickly, as we were the only ones who arrived at this hotel.
As it turned out, there were only 3 families in this hotel, 2 of them from Russia.
The room is clean, everything is cleaned well, the cons are the ants in the room, if you leave the sweets, everything will be in the ants. The windows faced the road, it didn't hurt much. The air conditioner was working properly, the refrigerator was working, and there was also a safe. They were constantly supplemented with 2 bottles of water.
We took a tour with breakfast, so lunch and dinner went either to a local restaurant or went to Bentota.
The breakfasts are good. Overlooking the river, fresh fruits, freshly squeezed juice, a choice of scrambled eggs or fried eggs, with bacon or sausages, toast and tea or coffee (instant coffee), from the coffee machine was not even offered.
The canopy is vines, if it rains, you can't sit there anymore, everything pours into your plate from above. Chipmunks run along the branches from the side, boats pass by. There is a river nearby and excursions are conducted along it. Flying foxes can be seen from the shore, sometimes a monitor lizard basks in the sun from the side.
Dinner at the restaurant is a separate topic. The prices are inexpensive, the quality is also nothing, but they cook sooooo slowly, you will definitely spend an hour waiting for your dish. The view is beautiful, you can watch good sunsets.
The staff is very friendly.
The owners are local residents, 4 managers, one of them often visited the hotel, on Saturday he came to the restaurant with his family.
As for the transfer to the coast. There are 2 beaches nearby, one is a 15–minute walk away - Moragalla, not very clean, they impose excursions, the river flows into the ocean in this place, therefore the water itself is not very clean and not very warm.
The second beach is Bentona, very beautiful with a wide coastline. You can get there in 7-10 minutes by tuk–tuk (300-600 rupees, if you're lucky), no one will take you from the hotel by tuk-tuk for free, if only once the local Mandurah and that's it. They take us by boat, if you catch someone, we were taken once all the time and then very far from civilization, to reach places where there is a surf or cafe, you need to walk 2 kilometers.
A few words about the local Mandurah, I do not know if he is an employee or not. But he is notable for his excursions. Once we took a tour of the river, not bad, but it could be shortened to half an hour, where there is a crocodile (which we did not see), flying foxes in the distance, several times a monitor lizard got caught, a small crocodile, the coolest thing is to feed them monkeys and then they roll you through the mangroves with not very pleasant the smell.
After we said that we would not take any more excursions from him, Mandurah was gone, we did not see him at all for 4 days. Get there as you want by yourself, on the last day a local worker took us to the beach (he was sweeping up the garbage).
Towels are given out clean, it does not depend on the time.
That's all, and then you decide for yourself whether to choose this hotel or not.
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March 30, 2024
Great hotel.
For your money. Budget. With a pool and even a beer by the pool. Well done guys. Hello to Manzhula.
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March 21, 2023
Nice hotel, I recommend it
Positive:
- Nice rooms, spacious. On the spot, you can give a certain amount of dollars and move into a room of a better category
- boat transfer to Bentota (the best beach in the area)
- hotel cafe on the river under the vines (monitor lizards crawl between the tables and chipmunks jump)
- a good third-party cafe 10 meters from the hotel (and a cafe even more good is a rarity there), Kavinda calls.
- furniture made of natural wood, parquet. A well-functioning refrigerator, Conday. Hot water and bingo euro sockets.
- you can admire the nest of flying foxes on the other side of the river, they are very cute.
Minuses
- the restaurant is a hotel, guests are ignored for 30 minutes, then they cook for an hour, then they count for half an hour, they are always absent from the workplace
- the reception does not understand English at all, except for a couple of words like room, cash, etc., any other question will remain without a clear answer
- if your room overlooks the jungle, it is better not to go to the balcony at night, you may encounter large insects.
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1
December 26, 2022
Great. Conveniently located, excellent restaurant and service. The staff is very friendly and hospitable. Breakfasts by the river, where monitor lizards and crocodiles swim, and creepers on top - just a top.
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January 6, 2023
Wonderful hotel, great location! Comfortable and relaxing stay, cozy and clean rooms, delicious and varied food, friendly staff, I recommend this hotel to everyone))the place you want to return to 🌴
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4
May 3, 2022
The staff is very pleasant and courteous. The beach is a 5-minute walk away. The breakfasts are very tasty, lots of fruits, fresh fruit.
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4
March 6, 2020
A new hotel with excellent rooms. Cozy atmosphere, friendly staff. A rooftop restaurant with a gorgeous view. Hotel guests are taken by boat to the beach and back.
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6
April 7, 2020
The hotel met all expectations. High-quality repairs, few people live in principle, few people at breakfast. Minus one - often tasteless breakfasts: then the omelet will be over-salted, then fresh inedible passion fruit will be brought
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