The Spice Trail

Hotels
9 (247 reviews)
69th Mile Post, Main Street , Arugam Bay , LK

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Free
Children allowed

Facilities

WiFi available
Free WiFi
Parking
Free Parking
Non-smoking rooms
Air conditioning
Swimming pool
24-hour front desk
Restaurant
Family rooms
See all facilities

Review Highlights

Pros:
Spacious rooms
Friendly staff
Nice location
Cons:
Service inconsistencies
Limited menu options

Categories

Cleanliness
8.64
Mostly positive sentiments noted, with a few mentions of service failures impacting overall experience.
Service
9.11
Friendly and helpful staff mentioned, but some service failures noted that impacted guest satisfaction.
Location
9.65
Good location mentioned with easy access to nearby attractions.
Room Quality
9.6
Rooms praised for being spacious, well-appointed, and comfortable.
Amenities
8.63
Good amenities like pools but with notes about inconsistent service.
Value for Money
8.09
Critique of pricing relative to service quality, indicating it was perceived as overpriced.
Food and Beverage
8.64
Generally positive reviews about food and beverages, with a note on limited options.
Overall Experience
9.61
Despite some service issues, guests felt they had a wonderful stay overall.
* This sentiment is summarized by AI based on user reviews.
Updated at: 2026-01-10 15:25

Property Description

Luxurious Amenities

Indulge in a stay at The Spice Trail where every room is equipped with air conditioning, a fridge, and a minibar for your comfort. Enjoy the convenience of a kettle, bidet, and free toiletries at your disposal.

Relaxation and Leisure

Unwind at the outdoor swimming pool or take a stroll through the lush garden. The hotel also offers a sun terrace where you can soak up the sun and enjoy the peaceful surroundings.

Convenient Location

Situated just steps away from the beautiful Arugam Bay Beach, The Spice Trail is the perfect retreat. Explore nearby attractions like Muhudu Maha Viharaya and Crocodile Rock. With free WiFi and a 24-hour front desk, your stay will be seamless.

Book your stay at The Spice Trail now for a memorable and relaxing experience.

Important information:

Please note that the property levies a 3% charge on payments via credit card.Please inform of your expected arrival time in advance. You can use the Special Requests box when booking, or contact the property directly using the contact details in your confirmation.
This property does not accommodate bachelor(ette) or similar parties.
Guests are required to show a photo ID and credit card upon check-in. Please note that all Special Requests are subject to availability and additional charges may apply.
A deposit may be required at the property.

Check-in and check-out hours:
Check-out: 11:00 AM
Airport code: CMB

Location

Guest Reviews

9
Based on 247 reviews
Cleanliness: 8.64
Service: 9.11
Location: 9.65
Room Quality: 9.6
Amenities: 8.63
Value for Money: 8.09
Food and Beverage: 8.64
Overall Experience: 9.61
T
Tehila • couple • il
9
Pros:

הכל!!!
החדר ענק הבריכה נקייה. מקום להתפנק בו לגמריי!
המלון הכי טוב בארוגם. אנשי הצוות נחמדים מאוד ונתנו לנו להישאר אפילו עוד לילה.

Cons:

לדעתי המחיר יקר מידי למזרח.

2026-10-12 • via Nuitee
K
Kirsty • couple • au
10
Great hangout for a few days! Really enjoyed the morning breakfasts and private garden
Pros:

Great place to hang out for a few days! Plenty of spaces great pool. Attached to a great restaurant and coffee place

Cons:

Bit on the expensive side - but you know this when booking.

2026-09-17 • via Nuitee
A
AMIT • family_with_children • il
10
Exceptional hotel, service and stay.
Pros:

Exceptional stay in Arugam Bay

In my opinion, The Spice Trail is the best place to stay in Arugam Bay. Beautiful, spacious and spotless rooms, super comfortable beds, a fantastic pool, and an amazing location — right in the heart of town, yet completely peaceful inside.

The breakfast is excellent, with a great selection of dishes and drinks. Above all, the staff are exceptional. When my daughter became ill, they cared for her like family, preparing special food and drinks and helping with everything we needed.

It’s not cheap, but worth every dollar. Perfect for anyone looking for comfort, luxury and peace. If I could give more than 10, I would.

Cons:

The only downside is that once you’re there, you may not want to leave the hotel and explore Arugam Bay!

2026-09-15 • via Nuitee
K
Kayla • couple • gb
10
Luxury & bohemian vibes 10/10
Pros:

The property is in an amazing location in arugam bay, right by the restaurants & seafront. The pool is lovely with trees, a real bohemian vibe. Our hotel villa bedroom and bathroom were huge so spacious and we had a private garden also. The staff were so helpful with luggage, booking activities and generally being warm and welcoming. I celebrated my birthday whilst staying in Spice Trail and the staff did a lovely surprise in my hotel room, hung up a happy birthday banner, gave me a bottle of wine with ribbon tied on it and also got me a delicious cake from a bakers! Really made my birthday feel special.

2026-09-15 • via Nuitee
S
Sophie • couple • au
10
Gorgeous stay at Spice Trail
Pros:

We had an amazing week at Spice Trail! The rooms are huge and well appointed, with an outdoor area including an outdoor shower. The pool is lovely and the staff were awesome. The breakfast is good at the restaurant on the property. It’s perfectly located within Arugam Bay right in the middle of town but quiet enough for relaxing.

Cons:

Everything was great!

2026-09-11 • via Nuitee
E
ELS • solo_traveller • pt
10
Amazing!
Pros:

Amazing place, right in the center of town. The rooms are spacious and have a little garden. The swimming is amazing and the food is delicious!

2026-09-11 • via Nuitee
A
allison • couple • au
6
Good but felt like culture could be better
Pros:

Good location, great pool

Cons:

Management were rude to staff. Seemed like a few cultural issues. Toilet was loose off the wall and blinds did not work.

2026-09-10 • via Nuitee
J
Joanne • couple • gb
9
2026-09-09 • via Nuitee
D
Dietmar • family_with_children • de
9
Wir haben uns sehr wohl gefühlt, vor allem der Pool und die Zimmer, das Frühstück ist verbesserungswürdig
Pros:

Sehr schöner Pool, Nähe zum Strand, sehr geräumige Zimmer mit einem großen Bad und eigenem kleinen Garten.

Cons:

Frühstücksauswahl war sehr eingeschränkt, teilweise waren Gerichte um 10 Uhr auch nicht mehr verfügbar und die Qualität des Frühstücks war in anderen Unterkünften der gleichen Preiskategorie besser.

2026-09-04 • via Nuitee
M
Michalic • couple • il
10
Pros:

The hotel is a real gem in this area. The rooms are of a very high standard, and the pool is lovely, clean, and enjoyable.

Cons:

The breakfast is average. However, the restaurant staff are very friendly, pleasant, and courteous.

2026-08-24 • via Nuitee
A
Ana • couple • es
8
Pros:

Aquí tienes una versión natural y adecuada para una reseña en inglés:

We loved everything about our stay. The accommodation was comfortable, beautiful, spacious, and completely independent from the rest of the property, which gave us a great sense of privacy. The pool was absolutely amazing—it was so inviting that you could spend the whole day there. Everything we needed was available, and the overall experience was wonderful

Cons:

The only downside was the extra bed. It was full of ants, so my 15-year-old daughter couldn’t sleep in it and had to share my bed instead. As a result, neither of us was able to get a proper night’s sleep. This was disappointing, as everything else about our stay was wonderful.

2026-08-06 • via Nuitee
P
Philipp • solo_traveller • at
10
2026-07-24 • via Nuitee
I
Itay • family_with_children • il
10
ממליץ מאוד. שקט ונעים המקום הכי טוב שהייתי בו בארוגם ביי. תמורה מצוינת
Pros:

המתקנים היו נקיים היה שקט ונעים

Cons:

כלום

2026-07-18 • via Nuitee
A
Anna • family_with_children • il
10
Pros:

מקום מפלט מושלם בלב רחוב סואן של ארוגם . בריכה הכי טובה שהיינו בה בסרילנקה שאי אפשר לצאת ממנה. חדרים מרווחים נקיים ומיוחדים עם גינה טרופית. צוות אדיב

Cons:

מבחר במסעדה טיפה מצומצם

2026-07-17 • via Nuitee
F
Fanny • couple • be
9
Wonderful stay
Pros:

La piscine le restaurant
La végétation

Cons:

Aucun problème

2026-07-04 • via Nuitee
Y
Yael • extended_group • il
10
מעולה
Pros:

פרטי, חדרים גדולים, הבריכה, צוות, מיקום, אחלה זרם במקלחת, מושקע, המלצרים במסעדה מאוד נחמדים והמעסה בספא מקצועית

Cons:

היה נחמד אם בכל החדרים הייתה טלוויזיה, שיקפידו יותר שלא יכנסו אנשים מבחוץ לבריכה מאחר ואין מספיק כסאות וקודם זה יהיה ראוי שמי ששילם יוכל להנות מהמתקנים

2026-06-29 • via Nuitee
J
Joan & Ken • solo_traveller • ke
9
Pros:

Location is excellent as is the pool area. The restaurant's Asian dinner was great. The rooms are excellent size.

2026-06-26 • via Nuitee
L
Liron • extended_group • il
10
מדהים!
Pros:

הכל
זו פעם שנייה שלנו במלון הזה
וכנראה שלא הפעם האחרונה
המיקום, השירות, הבריכה, האוכל, הניקיון והצוות
הכל היה פשוט מושלם!

2026-06-25 • via Nuitee
E
Elizabeth • family_with_children • au
5
Nice property, terrible management
Pros:

Rooms were spacious, clean, and well thought-out. They had everything you need- enough space to hang clothing, laundry hampers, nice TV, lots of seating, and the private courtyard was a bonus.
The pool was nice (despite having a small population of biting bugs), breakfast was decent, and front of house staff were sincere and kind. We loved Ashan and Sekar especially.

Cons:

Our AC was broken for one night. The next day it was promptly fixed with no issues.
Our toilet was leaking for our entire stay and stopped working (would not flush) for a total of 4 nights. Every day they would ‘fix’ it, it would half flush for a couple of hours during the day before failing again overnight. Meaning we didn’t have a working toilet for 4 nights of our stay. After the first night we offered to move rooms if they could not fix it, but this wasn’t seriously considered by staff, it was smiled off and ignored. They also never contracted an external plumber to just deal with it first time - a job I’m sure a first year apprentice would have nailed.

On a couple of occasions when my husband was out surfing I had to use the men’s pool toilet (women’s was also not flushing), which was unclean with no toilet paper, at 6am, while holding a baby. Pretty bleak when you’re paying almost 200$USD a night.

We spoke with reception repeatedly and asked to speak to management, and continuously got told they would speak to us, but never did, they were completely avoidant.

The hotel didn’t offer us any compensation or discount despite not having a functioning toilet/AC for 5 out of 17 nights. They didn’t even wipe the $15 mini bar charge off our final bill. Will let you decide what you think that means, but for us, it’s poor behaviour and out of touch for a hotel we paid over $3000 USD for our stay.

2026-06-22 • via Nuitee
V
Viola • family_with_children • ch
8
Ruhiger Rückzugsort im lebhaften Arugam Bay
Pros:

Gute Lage, wenn auch nicht direkt am Strand. Sehr gutes Essen und extrem freundliches Personal. Ökologisches Bewusstsein.

Cons:

Kissen haben « gemuffelt » Pool war sehr warm und es gibt nicht viele Liegen mit Schatten.

2026-06-18 • via Nuitee