| Galle Face Hotel |
Guest Rating: 6.7 |
sajid K.
|
 United Kingdom
Couple
Date of Stay: 20 Dec 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
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8/10 |
| Location: |
|
8/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
6/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
6/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
6/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
6/10 |
|
Massive rooms in the new wing (stayed in 2 different ones both huge). The pool was by the sea and nice tiled veranda for drinks. Service was average and room was no ready when we arrived at 2pm. Massive rooms in the new wing (stayed in 2 different ones both huge). The pool was by the sea and nice tiled veranda for drinks. Service was average and room was no ready when we arrived at 2pm. In general it was incredibly good value though and breakfast was pretty tasty.
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| Why Not Some Funerals? |
Guest Rating: 8.3 |
david T.
|
United Kingdom
Solo Traveler
Date of Stay: 13 Dec 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
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8/10 |
| Location: |
|
10/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
8/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
8/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
8/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
8/10 |
|
Superb location, excellent service, spacious rooms. Too many weddings, no wi-fi or ATM, no city maps. The Galle Face Hotel is an absolute delight - an incredible location, spacious rooms, excellent service, good eating. It's just a shame about the relentless weddings. With the financial downturn and a fall off in tourism, it's understandable that the management have had to resort to weddings - several a day - to make ends meet. But they are off-putting after a couple of days - noisy, intrusive and shutting down the best dining locations. A funeral wake or two would relieve the monotony. Also, it would be good to have an ATM in-house and wi-fi. But perhaps they would detract from the old colonial charm. But I shall return.
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| Galle Face Hotel |
Guest Rating: 6.7 |
sajid K.
|
United Kingdom
Couple
Date of Stay: 09 Dec 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
|
8/10 |
| Location: |
|
8/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
6/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
6/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
6/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
6/10 |
|
Massive rooms in the new wing (stayed in 2 different ones both huge). The pool was by the sea and nice tiled veranda for drinks. Service was average and room was no ready when we arrived at 2pm. Massive rooms in the new wing (stayed in 2 different ones both huge). The pool was by the sea and nice tiled veranda for drinks. Service was average and room was no ready when we arrived at 2pm. In general it was incredibly good value though and breakfast was pretty tasty.
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| Galle Face Hotel - an experience |
Guest Rating: 4.7 |
ronald P.
|
 India
Couple
Date of Stay: 23 Nov 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
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2/10 |
| Location: |
|
10/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
4/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
2/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
4/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
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6/10 |
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Toilets and in-room environment. The hotel in general is well located and connected to places of touristic interest. It sits on the the shores of the Indian Ocean and so you can enjoy enjoy a great view of the sunset. The hotel is also well served by all froms of transport. However what reallly put me off is the awful musky odour in the rooms. Hot water comes in a trickle. Our personal advice never ever be attracted by the price ............. go stay some place else. We were very disappointed and dont want you to be as well. Consider our bad experience as an eyeopner.........in case you are planning a trip to Colombo
Hotel Feature Tip : Location
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| Galle face Hotel, Colombo |
Guest Rating: 8.3 |
tim W.
|
United Kingdom
Couple
Date of Stay: 07 Nov 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
|
8/10 |
| Location: |
|
10/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
8/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
8/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
8/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
8/10 |
|
Great location, beautiful colonial building, oasis of calm in bustling Colombo Quotes on a plaque near the main entrance from celebrities who had stayed there seemd a bit kitsch.
Staff fishing for tips. The Galle Face Hotel is an old colonial hotel and is in a fabulous location by the sea with the Galle Face Green stretching out in front of it. There are two wings - the Regency wing which has been refurbished and the Classic wing which hasn't. We stayed in the Classic wing and the furnishings were clearly dated. I found this quite pleasant and felt that it contributed to the charm of the hotel but others may disagree. The reception staff were welcoming and efficient but the bar staff sometimes needed prompting. The breakfast buffet was extensive with good food in a prime spot overlooking the gardens and the sea. On checking out, the 'helpful' staff seemed to make a job for one person expand to that of three - yet all expected a tip! (I suspect that this is the same all over the world). Overall, I enjoyed my stay at GFH and would recommend it to others, if only to see the faded decadence of what was once a beautiful colonial hotel.
Travel tip : The walk along the Galle Face Green is lovely but watch out for touts!
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| Better luck first time |
Guest Rating: 7.7 |
james T.
|
 Australia
Couple
Date of Stay: 17 Oct 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
|
10/10 |
| Location: |
|
10/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
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2/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
10/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
6/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
8/10 |
|
Inability to give a decent room After staying in the hotel 2 nights b4 we were looking forward to another wonderful experience unfortunately we were put in a wing being refurbished and were rudely awoken by furniture moving around above us and thumping of feet 2 phone calls and 1/2 hour waiting before it ceased! No applogies in the morning very bad nights sleep!
Hotel Feature Tip : Request a suite much nicer!
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| Short one night stay |
Guest Rating: 9.3 |
robbie H.
|
United Kingdom
Family with young children
Date of Stay: 17 Oct 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
|
8/10 |
| Location: |
|
10/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
10/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
10/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
10/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
8/10 |
|
good service, great location,wonderful building. hotel which when we were there had six weddings on one day and still cope admirably with its normal hotel guests is some organisation. Great fun and busy (saturday night)only bit was the noise from the outdoor disco with added flashing lights might detract from a quiet romantic dinner at the waters edge.
Sightseeing/Attractions Tip : Walk round the park and see the kites
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| Historical marvel |
Guest Rating: 9.7 |
james T.
|
Australia
Couple
Date of Stay: 15 Oct 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
|
10/10 |
| Location: |
|
10/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
10/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
10/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
10/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
8/10 |
|
Colonial style hotel
great views from most rooms No signage visable from road to find name of hotel Suites are large and roomy with polished floor boards. Excellent a/c modern bathroom facilities with hot water
reception and concierge very, very helpful, all staff willing to help/ offer assistance
dinner by the beach front offers marvellous sunset view with very few Mosquitos.
Restaurant Tip : Although there is nothing wrong with the hotel food I highly recommend getting out and finding that little shop that serves local food it's real value for money and better than any buffet
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| Galle Face Hotel Colombo |
Guest Rating: 6.7 |
wendy C.
|
Australia
Other
Date of Stay: 15 Oct 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
|
6/10 |
| Location: |
|
10/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
10/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
4/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
4/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
6/10 |
|
Location - right on the ocean. Superb views of ocean and the Green. Great staff. I did not feel totally secure in the old section of the hotel. The lift up to the rooms was not good and I would hate to suffer from claustrophobia. The room was not to our satisfaction on arrival but the staff had a really can do attitude. They went to great lengths to make us happy. I would only recommend the new section - that is where I would book to stay again.
Hotel Feature Tip : Enjoy the beautiful view of the ocean when you wake each day and the sunset at night. A superb location to relax and enjoy the beauty of Sri Lanka.
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| The setting isd ebverything |
Guest Rating: 6.7 |
gretchen B.
|
 Canada
Other
Date of Stay: 13 Oct 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
|
6/10 |
| Location: |
|
10/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
6/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
6/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
6/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
6/10 |
|
the setting.. the setting...the setting - and the history is interesting too. The breakfast setting overlooking Indian Ocean is to die for. The very large lengths pool is very nice and little used. Deck chairs on the ocean. Rooms are not great. Old, some benign bugs exist. Rotting window frames and windows that don't open. hot/cold runnng showers, poor tubs and worn floors. I asked three times for a seaview room - and finally gave up. But I didn't appreciate the run-around (we don't have one today - maybe tomorrow). I will stay here again and I will recommend it - IF you don't mind putting up with a number of inconveniences for the sake of the location and the place's history. The ambience of the place is overwhelming -old wood, furniture, bannisters, ballrooms; wedding receptions held almost nightly (again for its picture-perfectness). Location is central and convenient; the staff are nice (though front reception staff smile alot but don't really help much). The food and service at breakfast is good; the outside seafood dining at night is worth it just to get covered in the sea spray. The front door attendants were nice and helful. If I were returning, though, and just needed a comfortable, upscale, overnight place to lay my head en route to elsewhere, I would not stay here. It's a place to linger (bugs and all).
Shopping Tip : near shops and other central locations. Easy and inexpensive trickshaw or cabs to shops, restaurants, hotels.
Can walk along the Indian Ocean at end of day (oceanside pathway) Charming
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| My stay in the Galle Face |
Guest Rating: 8 |
james S.
|
United Kingdom
Solo Traveler
Date of Stay: 28 Sep 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
|
8/10 |
| Location: |
|
8/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
8/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
8/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
6/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
10/10 |
|
location, atmosphere, history. Room, but it is still ok. The location of this hotel is great, right next to the galle face with a great view of the sunset. The buffet breakfast is a great option, probably one of the best buffets in Colombo. There are shopping malls and restaurants nearby and the area feels safe with all the army everywhere. If you need directions these guys are happy to help.
Shopping Tip : I would recomend booking an airport taxi from the one of the travel agents opposite the hotel for 2000 rupees, in the hotel it is nearly 50% more expensive at 2900 rupees.
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| Step back in time |
Guest Rating: 8.7 |
clyde F.
|
United Kingdom
Couple
Date of Stay: 27 Sep 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
|
10/10 |
| Location: |
|
10/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
8/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
8/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
8/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
8/10 |
|
Great location and lovely ambience. Rooms in the classic wing area bit dated but that's all part of the charm. The hotel is full of character and the classic wing is truly classic - new pool since I was there last 10 years ago is a great improvement. We got upgraded to a huge suite at the top of the hotel with great view over the green and the ocean.
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| good hotel |
Guest Rating: 7.3 |
tetsuo O.
|
 Japan
Solo Traveler
Date of Stay: 22 Sep 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
|
8/10 |
| Location: |
|
8/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
8/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
6/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
6/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
8/10 |
|
the hotel is historical.
staffs were always kind to us. Although i felt miner inconvenience, i enjoyed the hotel very much.
Epecially, the view from swiming pool was really nice, as i could enjoy sea view with its sound.
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| Well Priced Old Colonial Style |
Guest Rating: 8.7 |
brian B.
|
United Kingdom
Family with young children
Date of Stay: 22 Sep 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
|
10/10 |
| Location: |
|
8/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
8/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
8/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
10/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
8/10 |
|
Buffet breakfast / High tea / Dinner and drinks are well priced – even the drinks/snacks in the mini-bars.
Can change foreign currencies to local currency in the hotel easily. It’s a good base to relax after seeing places in Sri Lanka.
If you like good attentative service – this is the place.
You will want to stay here for at least another month … but your plane leaves on Friday.. Bathroom tub area needs re-calking. Hotel is around 45 minutes from airport in the embassy area on the ocean front– so security is high. All the staff are pleasant and are accommodating to their own capabilities. If its old colonial style you are looking for – this is the place !! Steeped in tradition and days of the Raj – brings you back in time – you just have to look at the list of dignatories that have stayed at this place and thank god you paid the extra bucks to see what the people on that list enjoyed. It was an unexpected surprise staying at this place. Loved every minute of it – and so did the wife and kids (6yo,2yo &4mths). The salt water pool over looking the ocean is a bonus – as well as watching the sun go down at the outside bar. The room was large , comfortable bed after bumpy rides, well stocked mini-bar/snacks and a bidet in the washroom that kept this kids occupied in figuring out what it was. Room service is exceptional – we got a universal plug in less than 3 minutes to charge our cell phone. 24 hour room service is good value if you can’t make it for the buffets.
Sightseeing/Attractions Tip : Book yourselves a good car/van at the airport or hotel– as the roads are very bumpy – I calculated the average distance covered is 30-40 kms per hour. So a 100kms would take 2/3 hours. If you’re with young kids – spend the extra $$’s on a good car/van. You can hire a driver with a van/car at the airport for the duration of your visit – there’s a around 4 operators there – its well worth the effort to get quotes for where you want to go from all of them to save some $$’s. Check the vehicle first to make sure its what you need. A/C is a must. You’ll find that the drivers tend to take you where they get commissions so be firm as to where you want to go – otherwise you’ll waste an hour at a herbal farm !! The elephant orphanage on the way to Kandy is worth a visit if you have kids. It takes a long time(but well worth it) to travel to Kandy or the port city of Galle (south of Sri lanka).
Try and work out the exchange rates and how much to tip before you go there .. we found out that 100-200 rupees is only 10-20 cents.
Negombo beach is 10-15 minutes away from the airport – well worth a visit before traveling elsewhere.
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| Galle Face Hotel Colombo |
Guest Rating: 6.3 |
john R.
|
United Kingdom
Solo Traveler
Date of Stay: 18 Sep 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
|
6/10 |
| Location: |
|
8/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
6/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
8/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
6/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
4/10 |
|
Large rooms, good room staff, nice pool, excellent views I booked a deluxe room. This was a return visit so I knew to ask for a quiet room as this hotel hosts many weddings and other functions and the noise can carry to the rooms nearby. Rooms are a bit old fashioned but perfectly clean. No room safe so you have to use the safe at the cashier's desk. We had dinner in the Seaspray restaurant which is buffet style and grossly over priced. Staff training there needs some attention - there was resentment that we asked for a dirty table cloth to be changed before we sat down, and the staff were keen for us to leave the restaurant promptly at 10.30pm. Breakfast on the open verandha (looking out to the ocean) was acceptable. Now that the war is over the security in the area has been relaxed and it is pleasant to stroll along the promenade after dark, which felt perfectly safe.
Restaurant Tip : Dont have dinner in the hotel - look for a nearby restaurant instead.
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