Panta Rei resort

The rooms were dirty and needed a deep clean. The hotel is also trying to accommodate to too many types of customers. When we were there people came and used the pool as day guests- including a group of 10 smoking and drinking in the pool. This is meant to be a family hotel and we didn’t want to use the pool with the baby on this day. There are also limited umbrellas so letting people buy a coffee and stay all day using the facilities to the detriment of hotel customers isn’t fair.

The travel cot we were given was all marked on the sides.

The owner and hotel manager were also very unhelpful, and actually quite rude, when we had issues with our room. All the other staff are wonderful.

As families - like our - are welcomed, I can see how couples or people with no kids can be annoyed by kids as villas are close to each other. Also, at our first night, a lot was going on in the pool as we were putting our kids to bed so we could hear everything though it did not disturbed our children to fall asleep. The lights go off late and if surrounding villas don’t turn off their outdoor lights, as we are all facing each other it makes a lot if lights coming through the frodted glass door so many of us put towels nd also a towel on a chair against the door to make the roon darker at night and in the morning.
Also, trains start at 6:30 and monkeys were playing early on our roof. Nothing that the resort can do but if you are a light sleeper it’s something to be mindful of.

One night the couple at the next villa came back very late and were having a huge and bad fight. People screaming and throwing things. Other people and us went out to see the night manager but he did not knock on their door to make sure everything was ok. We did and glad that everything was fine with them but it woke us up instantly.

I feel for the price we did not have as much privacy as other places but kids had a great time and we loved the room. Also, a very big drawback is the breakfast time: nothing being prepared before 8:30. This is late for kids and families. Even for people who want to start their day earlier. Everywhere in the country they start breakfast as early as 6:00 or 6:30.

We would have liked more local sri lankan food offer.

Rooms feel quite basic in reality, and some things creak, which affects comfort.

Monkeys can steal items left outside — our swimsuit was taken while drying. Guests are not warned about this and no advice is provided on how to secure belongings.
Also, excursions offered by the hotel are more expensive than similar options online and the quality was quite low.

Not the best wi fi , good for couples and families and people that want to chill

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The pool filter didn’t work great so it was really murky by the afternoon like you couldn’t see your feet, the pictures of the rooms were made to look really aesthetically pleasing but in reality they felt abit bare and basic. The glass water bottles provided in the restaurant are green at the bottom and you can’t buy bottled water at the hotel so had to go to a shop to stock up.
It can get quite noisy especially at night with the train and dog orchestra but I think that’s the same anywhere you stay near the railway.

Breakfast starting only at 8:30 and lunch from 1:00 PM doesn’t really suit families with young children. The late breakfast time also led to a bit of a rush, and there weren’t enough tables available—often the only option was to sit in the sun. That said, staff were somewhat flexible if you arrived a little earlier.

What stood out most to me, however, was the way the owner treated the staff. While he was consistently polite and professional with guests, I was genuinely uncomfortable witnessing how differently the staff were treated. For me, this is an important factor, and it would make me hesitate to recommend this place. Respect toward staff should be a given.

Nothing we loved it all!