cruisingmickey

Thank you very much! I wasn't sure if there are sidewalks or something. Good to know.

Bowgie

It's been a few years since I stayed at that Hilton, and I stayed about three times.
There are probably only three sights walkable from the Hilton.

1. The beach, if you just want to walk along a stoney, non-swimmable beach front.
2. Colonial-era clock tower. Nothing amazing, about a one-picture sight.
3. Train station -- if you want to buy a first-class ticket to go somewhere like tea country the next day or so.

Upon leaving the Hilton, you will be met by annoying people wanting to be your best buddy and take you to the elephant temple. Scam. But not violent, and they will go away once they realize you are not born yesterday. I went to the market past the train station. I don't recommend it. Not a mugging danger, just that's it's nothing to see for a tourist, and you have to be on-guard against scam artists and thieves.

cruisingmickey

Thanks Bowgie. Sounds like I will likely encounter some scam artists while walking to Ministry of Crab? No big deal if yes, but definitely good to know and to be prepared for.

NW-A332

Walking to Ministry of Crab, you will probably see a couple of touting tuk tuk drivers. I would just point and say, "I'm going over there" across the street. I never thought anything of it. I found everyone in Colombo to be very nice. The scam people aren't anything to worry about in my opinion. Just keep walking. We took a tuk tuk tour in the late afternoon/evening when it cooled down and that was a really great way to see the city.

rjp123

Excited that Hilton is soon opening new hotels in Sri Lanka. They have locations on tap for: Kandy, Yala, Kosgoda, Nuwara-Eliya, Colombo and Negombo .

Jaimito Cartero

rjp123

I was in Negombo in February 2018 and the Doubletree property had some work being done on it. It was right on the beach as well. Given Negombo's distance from CMB this would be a great place to spend a few days at the start-or-end of a Sri Lankan trip.

Saw this:

The first phase of the development includes the construction of the 96-room DoubleTree by Hilton Negombo opening by March 2019, the 192-room seafront Hilton Kosgoda Resort opening by 2021 and the 42-room Hilton Yala Resort & Spa opening by 2020. The second phase includes the 200-room DoubleTree by Hilton Colombo International Airport, the 150-room Hilton Kandy Resort and the 96-room DoubleTree by Hilton Nuwara Eliya. The partners also plan to open these new hotels by 2021.

quarryking

Weren't any of the rooms renovated or was only the lobby and the lounge given a make-over ?

SDUKAG

aztimm

I stayed at the property in an Exec room in early September. I thought the room was fine. Certainly not glamorous or new, but it was very large, especially coming from the HGI Hong Kong. The staff at the property really do want to help with almost everything. The fitness center was one of the better ones at a hotel; you had to go across the grounds, across a bridge, to a separate area. The pool was also over in that area.

Agree that as soon as you set foot off of the property, the tuk-tuk drivers will bother you for quite a while. I did walk to the beach area, to the clocktower, and all around the old town. Almost right across the street is a kind of little village, with a bunch of western shops. I mostly used Uber to go anywhere more than about 5 minutes walk (so beyond the train station). Uber-Tuk was nice; you know the price ahead of time, and it was about half that of a traditional Uber, without the haggling of dealing with a regular tuk-tuk.

tsz

It would appear that they have changed the breakfast benefit—it can now only be enjoyed in the lounge as Diamond. I was explicitly told at check-in that breakfast in the restaurant will not be included.

ashkale

That's not true, you must and should go the restaurant.

golfingboy

You definitely are entitled and should get free breakfast if you booked directly with Hilton.

RafKa

Sorry for the OT post, but anyone know when the DoubleTree in Negombo might be opening? Hilton Website says "2nd Quarter" but I was wondering if anyone had a more specific timeframe? I have a 24h layover on an MR coming up in early May and i would prefer to avoid the Hilton, given the unenthusiastic reviews...

CHSDOC

Have a one night layover in CMB and was online to book the Hilton but noted the poor reviews. Are any of the surrounding hotels better: Shangri-La or Galle Face Hotel (seems to have more character).