Goldi Sands Hotel

Nice beach and clean surroundings. Friendly & helpful staff, great location and nice breakfast served.

This was my third stay at the Goldi Sands, honestly, the last time was nearly 20 years ago but I had such a great time back then I had high expectations. In the intervening 20 years, the hotel has had a revamp, double the size, double the number of swimming pools, added an elevator and they've removed the beach-fronted bungalows. All of which I think was a smart move and well worth doing. What has changed is the service and the catering. The staff are of course all very polite just that they didn't go the extra mile like they used to. We arrived late as our flight had been delayed, all I wanted was a couple of bottles of beer, they did arrive but I almost had to beg. I booked a taxi to the airport with the front desk, but they forgot, the waitresses at dinner were all about the hard upsell rather than serving. The breakfast as far as my memory serves me used to be awesome, today's breakfast is the same every day and lacks imagination, is poorly presented, and includes the worst coffee ever. The hotel has a confusing number of tariffs from all-inclusive to room only which means if you want to buy a drink it takes forever as they have to check your "status" and then if you pay cash they have to go to the cashier as they carry no float. The rooms are a good size, clean and comfortable but basic. All in all it is still a good hotel to choose but sadly it is no longer in the memorable category.

Extraordinary beachfront view from my room and slept on a wonderfully firm mattress. The beach was steps away and offered great sunsets daily. The staff was always warm and helpful. The hotel's location is great for walking and discovering other Negombo locations.