Find 5-Star Hotels in Colombo

"Not too sure if the location is good or not, but we find it is central enough to go anywhere we wanted although we have a driver to take us around. At night, after shopping from One Face Galle, it takes about 20mins including traffic jams to reach the hotel by uber. The view from our city view room is stunning too. You can see the Lotus Tower from the window, or you can rooftop bar with the amazing night view. Breakfast selection was absolutely amazing and the restaurant has a nice sea view. Hope we will come back again."

"The hotel is located in the mega-building City of Dreams. It feels more personal because it doesn't have many rooms. It's a bit pretentious, and the breakfast is more showy than practical. The pool area is rather uninviting, but you can use the Cinnamon Life facilities."

"We recently stayed at Galle Face Hotel, Colombo with my family. Overall, the hotel experience was good, especially the location and service. However, the rooms feel overly traditional and colonial, which does not fully meet modern-day requirements. The heavy wooden furniture and old-fashioned, posh décor may appeal to older patrons who appreciate classic heritage styles, but it may not suit travelers looking for a more contemporary stay. The electrical points and facilities are also quite outdated and not convenient for today’s laptop- and gadget-dependent travelers. I would suggest that the hotel consider modernizing some rooms and amenities, while still preserving a few heritage-style rooms for guests who prefer the traditional experiences."

"Lovely hotel in a great location with exceptionally friendly, well-trained staff. The breakfast buffet had a very wide variety of choice and service was excellent. The rooftop pool and bar was a great place to unwind with very attentive personnel and, on occasion, entertainment. We would definitely stay here again!"

"Great location, close to a lot of restaurants, cafes, bars, and One Galle Face Mall. The hotel is well kept albeit old. The pool is great. Beautiful and cozy lobby and cafe. The greatest of all is the staff. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. Taj Samudra is the perfect home away from home whenever in Colombo. Will definitely stay here again."

"Shangri-La's quality truly lives up to its reputation. The location, service, and room amenities are all top-notch. I felt that the staff's professionalism was significantly higher than in other hotels. However, the security checks when entering and exiting the hotel were quite strict, which was a bit inconvenient, likely due to a government building being right next door. The hotel's direct connection to the mall is a fantastic feature; you can walk straight from the lobby into the shopping center, which is great for shopping even on a hot day. The mall also offers a wide variety of restaurants with different cuisines. There's a large city under construction directly across from my room, which will probably take a year or two to complete, and this does impact the quality of the sea view. Still, I caught a beautiful sunset from my room on the day I checked in. Finally, I have to mention Shang Palace – it was quite disappointing. The dishes I ordered were all very average. I had held onto some hope after seeing mixed reviews, but it didn't meet expectations. If you have high standards for Chinese food, I wouldn't recommend trying it. I hope the hotel considers improving the quality of its Chinese cuisine."

"This hotel is in Wattala which is only 7km from the Fort train station but feels ages away. Service - excellent. As in all areas of Sri Lanka the staff are very friendly and helpful. All say hello and genuinely seem to enjoy their jobs. There seems to be an army of cleaners and wait staff and again, all are friendly with very good English. The doorman was my favourite with a massive smile and great personality! There were some issues with the half-board deal I was on regarding when and where you can have the half board - which is only breakfast and dinner although on Trip it reads like you have a choice of when you can have your two meals a day. So just clarify when you arrive to be sure. Facilities - big open ground, big swimming pool which you could do laps in if you wanted but also with decent steps on the side so younger children can play. There is also a small children's pool too which is adjacent to the big pool and next to the sun bathing area which has around 10 sun chairs in pairs with an umbrella and small table around the grass area, with more chairs and beanbags set up on the higher area. I have seen big groups playing team games, cricket, football, some weird waterpolo/volleyball/handball game in the pool and even a few keen cricket players today. Restaurant - the floor level open air restaurant is well staffed, nicely proportioned and the buffet breakfast, lunch or dinner is extensive (if a little repetitive after three days). On some occasions there was live music which was nice and not overpowering, playing mainly English music. Bar - The Fishery is the outdoor restaurant for al e carte food service and some drinks. You can choose to sit under the roof bar area or under trees next to it, on big picnic style seating. Gym - this is located next to the pool/restaurant and although it is a bit tired, it has everything you need. The running machines are a bit clunky but at least they work, the weight machines are a little stiff to move but again they are functional. There are free weights and area to work out - even a small space for yoga or stretching if thats your thing. There is also air conditioning - and in 30+ heat, very much needed! Downside - its a bit hard to get to and you have to take a taxi or tuk tuk (don't pay anything over 5,000 for this!). The beach which you can see and hear, is very close but not suitable for swimming - especially for young children. Also the beach isn't particularly clean - outside the hotel the beach is raked for appearances, but walk 50m to your left or right, and its not too pretty! Not really a downside but be aware that if you are here in weekend, this place seems to host a lot of parties, weddings and events - which is great energy with lots of noise and atmosphere. It is a lot quieter in the week days. And the pool becomes full in the afternoons!!!"

"Location is great, just beside One Galle Face Mall. Plenty of restaurants and cafes around. Beautiful sunset views (from the bar, pool, restaurant, lobby) and Galle Face opposite the road. Rooms are gorgeous and spacious. Checked in Dec 30-Jan 2 peak season. Hotel was fully booked. Waited in the lobby for my room to be ready upon check-in. Front desk said they will find me to let me know. Waited for more than an hour before I asked them again and told me that my room has been ready. Ordered some room service which took more than an hour to be delivered. Granted they told me that it may take about 50 minutes because it was peak hours. Upon delivery they told me it was comped because of the long wait. Pool, restaurant, and bar staff are all great. Very personable and accommodating. Loved the sky pool on the 31st floor. No bar but not as crowded as the main pool. Breakfast was great. A lot of choices. Asian selection is great. Pastries not so much, some didn’t seem fresh. Heard from some staff that it gets super busy from around 9 but didn’t experience any long wait. Plenty of tables to accommodate people. Overall a great experience and will definitely stay here again if I’m in Colombo."

"Amazing hotel. Very good staff and service. They always greet you smiling. They upgraded us to Executive room for a small price. Fahad- thanks for all your help. Breakfast spread is amazing. Everything is worth trying."

"The hotel room offers a direct view of the seaside train, and there are convenient amenities within walking distance such as supermarkets and restaurants. It's quite convenient. As soon as you enter downstairs, all the staff are enthusiastic about helping you with your bags and with security checks. I also noticed that flight crews from Emirates or Qatar Airways stay at this hotel. The window seats in the breakfast area have a perfect view of the seaside train passing by, so the location and view are excellent. Thanks to the hotel, we have a wonderful memory of our trip to Sri Lanka."