Mount Lavinia Hotel

Rehana Perera

It is a place we visit regularly for pool or to get to beach or to just relax and have a snack at lobby. The view of the sea from the lobby , the music and ambience of the lobby has always been great. The service of coffee shop staff and staff at reception has always been good. The pool is safe, clean and life guards are always on the watch. Whatever snacks available at coffe shop is clean and good. Have been here for their buffets many times and the variety is always good.

Chanthu

My ratings say it all. Read the Comprehensive Summary from the Attachment. The location is perfect, but the inside of the hotel is a big disappointment. Don't judge a book by its cover: from the outside it looks charmingly vintage, but inside it is simply old and worn – the building, the furniture and the overall upkeep. The walls and room had a bad, damp smell, and the corridor leading to my room was in poor condition. I also found cockroaches in my room during my stay. My room key card often didn't work, and having to keep going back to sort out access to my room really spoiled the trip. I also found it hard to communicate in English with some of the staff, and the service did not feel professional for a hotel of this reputation. Based on my experience, I would not recommend staying here overnight. That said, the pool and the beach are lovely, and the food was very good – the seafood in particular was excellent. I can't comment on the buffet. If you visit, I'd suggest coming for the pool, beach and a seafood meal rather than booking a room.

Chathuranga Bandara

"I recently stayed at the Mount Lavinia Hotel and was truly captivated by the location. It is a stunning, historically rich destination with so much heritage to explore inside the property. The atmosphere is perfect, and the food buffet is excellent—offering a wide variety of choices and great value for money. I also want to commend the staff, who remained friendly throughout my stay. ​However, there were some notable management and operational issues that impacted my experience. Most significantly, it took over five hours for our room to be provided with drinking water, which was quite frustrating. Furthermore, the maintenance of the room facilities was not at a satisfactory level, which is a shame given how beautiful the hotel itself is. ​I believe the reception and welcoming process could also be improved to match the caliber of the surroundings. The pool area was fine, but overall, while the location is perfect, the management needs to focus more on internal room maintenance and response times to ensure guests have a comfortable stay. I hope to see these operational aspects improved in the future."

Tulip Bhatia

I stayed at Mount Lavinia Hotel during my visit to Sri Lanka, for 3 days. The property is located at a very scenic location and it is a grand structure. The hotel retains its charms and is definitely fitting of its legacy. The receptionists were extremely well spoken and polite, and took into account my request for an early check-in. I was provided refreshing welcome drinks at the time of my arrival and I was escorted very warmly by the hotel staff to my room. My room was extremely large in terms of area with functional amenities and an amazing view of the ocean. The room was extremely comfortable and all toiletries were provided. The staff did a commendable job in making me have a relaxing stay. Would definitely recommend this property to anyone visiting Colombo.

Savio D'souza

We stayed at Mount Lavinia toward the end of a longer trip through Sri Lanka (since 24 July, our third and final hotel), and this was by far the worst experience of the entire trip — a genuinely disappointing way to end what should have been a relaxing final stop. Check-in was delayed with no real explanation or apology, setting the tone for the rest of the stay. There was no hot water in our room for the duration of our stay. We were reduced to boiling water in a kettle and using buckets just to wash — completely unacceptable for a hotel marketing itself as 4-star. The air conditioning didn't work either. Instead of fixing it or moving us to a working room, staff simply handed us a standing fan and left it at that. Breakfast was the low point. We found cockroaches and flies on and in the food being served. This isn't a minor hygiene slip — it's a serious food safety concern that management needs to address immediately. Staff throughout our stay were unhelpful and showed little interest in resolving any of the issues we raised. Even small details reflected the lack of care — staff uniforms looked like they hadn't been washed in a long time. For a property charging 4-star rates and trading on Mount Lavinia's reputation for beauty and heritage, this level of service and hygiene is simply not acceptable. We were genuinely looking forward to this hotel as the highlight of our trip and left thoroughly let down. I would not recommend staying here until these basic issues — hot water, AC, food hygiene, and staff training — are properly fixed.