yosithezet

Anyone familiar with the Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka? From TripAdvisor it looks like I'd be better off at the Hilton but the local contact says that the Cinnamon Grand Hotel is the best in the city.

You want to go where?

Sorry to reply so late, I only just saw this post as I am heading back to Sri Lanka shortly. It's been a couple of years since I stayed there, but the recent TripAdvisor reports bear out my view. My reaction is that this hotel is quite tired. Furniture in the rooms and in the lobby was worn and service was haphazard. Restaurants were just OK. Late night events around the pool made sleep a challenge if your room is on the pool side. It has gone through several changes of management, and I think this is part of the problem.

You want to go where?

I am now back from Sri Lanka. I stayed at the Hilton Colombo and was, generally speaking, very pleased. Restaurants were good and service was efficient and helpful. I also went into the lobby of the Cinnamon Grand and it seemed that they had updated it with new furniture, so it has perhaps improved a little. However, it was very lightly air-conditioned, so if you are someone who dislikes air conditioning you will probably like this hotel. If you prefer a cooler, drier interior climate, you will not.

I would also like to put in a word for the newly renovated Heritance Hotel in Ahungalla (ex Triton). It was already slated for renovation when it was heavily damaged by the Boxing Day Tsunami. Fortunately, no-one was killed at this hotel, because it was full of Japanese tourists at the time, and they recognized the warning signs and advised everyone to get to higher floors. It has recently re-opened and the results are wonderful. Beautiful location, great ambiance, good restaurants. A boat which washed up during the tsunami now is an accent piece at their swimming pool. The only thing which made me slightly uneasy was the high surf because of the monsoon. Although high surf is nothing like a tsunami, it nonetheless reminded me of this tragic event. Many of the people I was working with in Sri Lanka lost relatives in the tsunami.

SanDiego1K

If anyone wants to know more about the Colombo Hilton and the Hilton Residences, you can find reports on both in this thread in the Hilton forum.

yosithezet

How about more on the Cinnamon Grand? Is the location near the Hilton? Anything to do walking aorund in that area? I'll be there next weekend and wonder what I should do with a free day.

rjh

Have you been to Sri Lanka before? You will almost certainly be approached by someone who "works at your hotel" and wants to take you to a one time only, limited event where something wonderful will be sold. Or the Dalai Lama just visted and viewed some great paintings. Or an English teacher and a disabled pupil will solict for a school and show a contribution list where tourists gave US$100s. Or, well, you get the picture.

yosithezet

I was in Sri Lanka for 24 hours. Spent the time at the customer site and hotel. Plan to do the same this time other than some free time on Sunday. I travel quite a bit in South and Southeast Asia so I hope I'm on to the scams. I pretty much don't buy anyone's stories.

You want to go where?

There isn't too much right at the Cinnamon Grand that I would consider particularly interesting. If you turn right out of the hotel and walk several blocks, you will come to a park which has access to the beach.

A cheap taxi ride will take you to the area around the Hilton which has old architecture that you might find more interesting. You might consider working with the hotel concierge for a tour around the city with one of the hotel drivers to see the key sites, do a little shopping, maybe check out a museum or two. I did this with a colleague and the price wasn't extravagant (if I recall correctly, about $20.00 or so).

My Sri Lanka experiences are limited to the type of thing which you describe. I understand that Beach Wadia is back in business (this restaurant was destroyed by the Boxing Day Tsunami) and I highly recommend it. I didn't have the chance to go this last time because of my schedule, but it was high on my list of things I wanted to repeat!

gaelflyer

The Hilton is the best in Colombo, as a consequence it doesn't discount its rooms much. Some of the other 5* places in CMB might be considered better value as they give you 80-90% of the comfort for 60-70% of the price of the Hilton.