Selenya Talpe - Boutique Villa

I can’t fault anything

Niets.

Some staff spoke poor English and had trouble understanding us. Also, online communication prior to stay didn't feel like a 5-star hotel, it was rather quite short and poor, and didn't feel accomodating.

The service level is nowhere near a 5-star standard. At reception, we were welcomed by very young and inexperienced staff who were unable to provide even basic information about the resort. Communication was unclear, and overall organization seemed completely missing.

As an apology for the check-in experience, we were offered a complimentary beer. However, to our surprise, this beer was later included in the final bill and we were charged for it. This perfectly reflects the level of confusion and lack of professionalism throughout the stay.

Breakfast must be pre-ordered a day in advance, which is already inconvenient. However, even this system does not work properly – orders were mixed up, or the staff asked again in the morning what we had ordered. The service was extremely slow: drinks arrived after 15–30 minutes, and food sometimes took up to an hour. Breakfast felt more like a long waiting process than an enjoyable experience. Portions were also very small, and we often had to eat elsewhere afterward.

Another major downside is the lack of proper coffee – no espresso or cappuccino machine, only local-style coffee. As a coffee lover, this was very disappointing, and we had to leave the resort just to get a decent coffee.

The restaurant and bar concept is also not guest-friendly. Most items are sold only by the bottle – wine or spirits cannot be ordered by the glass, which makes spending an evening at the resort unnecessarily expensive. Nearby resorts offer a much better and more flexible experience.

Although there are many employees, there is no clear structure or responsibility. Staff often had to ask a manager before answering even simple questions. The overall feeling is that the hotel lacks proper management and training.

Cleanliness and consistency were also an issue – one day the beach was perfectly clean, the next day it was full of litter and cigarette butts. Pool towels were sometimes available, sometimes not.

There are no staff present at the property after 9pm. No security, no front-desk or housekeeping- no one!
A number is provided to call but nobody answers nor responds on WhatsApp. The hotel next door had unbearably loud music until 1.20AM, we had a small gecko in the room.. and there was nobody we could reach out to. Incase of an emergency, keep in mind that there will be nobody to attend to you.
Also, basic amenities like room slippers, shower cap, vanity set are not provided.
Not sure how the property qualifies for a 5 star under these provisions.

Liegemöglichkeiten am Pool sind in die Jahre gekommen und sollten gegebenenfalls mal ausgetauscht werden. Personal war freundlich, aber nicht so zuvorkommend wie in anderen Hotels

At the beginning of our stay we had some issues with the water pressure in our room. The problem was fully resolved after a few days. A short note at check-in might have helped, but this may simply reflect a different way of handling such things culturally – so not a big deal in the end :)

Wifi issues in our room for the first 2 days which then got sorted. They have minimal alcohol for sale, but they offer ice buckets etc if you bring your own.

Quite expensive but you get what you pay for rooms are stunning.
A little far from Galle