Earls Regency Kandy

Rooms are luxourious, and we had a good view of the river. After 7 days of curry, the pasta was a good break.

Earl's Regency takes forever to get to! And here's a tip: IF you want to go into town from the hotel, make sure you've headed back by 7pm. That's when the road alongside Temple of the Tooth is closed, and what should be a 500m trip along the lake becomes 4-5 windy kilometres and too much time!

Rooms

They look really good. Beds are hard. Our room smelled. Bathrooms very very nice.

Staff

Paid ridiculously low wages and it's evident. We had things stolen from our room. They're eager to please but language barrier is a huge problem.

Food

Awful! The same, very limited menu is available in 4 different places. Several items on it were unavailable for the entire week of our stay, reducing options to about 4. The coffee shop is a deserted room. Breakfast buffet is decent.

Grounds

It's pretty. It's too far from everything for my liking.

Communication

Business centre was out of order for the entire lenght of our stay. Once an open line was requested, no problems dialling out to make phone calls or go on line. Getting online is expensive!

Kandy is a great town to spend a quiet day or two in. You can find all kinds of great things (silks, pashminas) in the central market. The night life in non-existent - the two nightclubs the local told us about were both closed on Friday and Saturday nights.

Transport is easy to find but the prices vary so greatly that you need to always confirm the charge with the driver BEFORE getting in the 3-wheeler!

It was merely a stop over hotel before a flight to the Maldives for us. We arrived about 8 o'clock & left at 5 next morning but the staff were helpful. free chocolate cake and champagne. jacuzzi very nice after a busy day. nice room with dining table. Free honeymoon upgrade to 5th floor suite next door to noisy neighbours who we complained about. Nothing was done about it. So when we left I turned the T.V. up full blast whilst 'CONAIR' was just starting at 4.30 a.m. Anyway it truns out the Saudi Ambassador had been throwing a bit of a party in the next door room. I hope he got about as much sleep as us. Not surprised they didn't tell him to be quiet mind, but manners cost nothing. A nice hotel all the same. Kandy is great. It's full of colour, bustle, dust, people, culture & scary drivers.

The Earls Regency is a nice hotel, and very busy. Out of the centre of Kandy but in my mind that was a good thing. We were upgraded to an exec room which was nice and large. The room has a safe, kettle and nice sitting area and balcony with great view of the mountain across the river. I was not happy with some of the staffs lack of effort to meet the guest needs especially in the main restaurant. We arrived but it took 30 mins to check in as they sold our room so we were late to get to the buffet and then they said we could not have buffet and needed to sit in a seperate area for al-la-carte, thats ok but not 15 mins later a group arrived late and they let them through to the buffet! Also we wanted some chocolate but could get none in the hotel and no shop close by. The front office staff tried to find something for us but i thought this was a basic that they could stock in their lobby shop. Rooms could do with a deeper clean, floors needed a good scrub and each day housekeping forgot to replace something like face washers, toilet rolls etc. But the staff semed to be trying hard. Pool is a bit of a walk to get to and the playground is basic and not that safe so small kids need supervision. You have to walk through the lobby to the pool so you feel a bit grundgy all wet going back and you must climb stairs so not suited to wheelchairs or prams. Overall a good hotel and we would return.

I went to the Earl's Regency because my dad had a doctors batch reunion there so when we got there I think it was about two in the morning when I realised that I fancied one of the waiters there on the night. His hairstyle was curtains (a middle parting and the fringe like a 'C' shape on one side and a backwards 'C' on the other. My one wish would be to meet him because my heart jumped when he looked at me! but the service was brilliant!

The Kandy area is one big traffic jam and so it was particularly relaxing staying at this hotel. Grounds are small but it had a very nice pool.

Food was very good - buffet style. Try the Sri Lankan specialities at breakfast.

Rooms were luxurious and spacious with small bvalcony

Bar prices were reasonable - particularly cocktails

lovely rooms and great restaurant and even greater waiting staff - however i haven't given this hotel 5 stars rating due to the totally useless and incompetent reception staff..they are idiots.

another point; I sent the hotel/aitken spence 2 booking requests via their website and got no reply either time so i booked through wired destinations online and got a better deal anyway than had i gone through the hotel company direct.

be careful with breakfast too = today i was served a pork sausage that was raw.....a shame...a bit rough round the edges and there were only 27 guests so there was no excuse for any kind of xx up.

another point...the beds are hard and a bit lumpy.

the 'service 'aswell as the quality of the food in this hotel is very good. Rooms are nice. No complaints !!!!!!

My husband and I stayed at the Earl's Regency while touring through Sri Lanka. The Aitken Spence Travel Agency handled our trip. They are well prepared for tours in Sri Lanka, owning quite a few other hotels (b.t.w. do not visit Negombo!). This hotel is perched above Kandy, with very large rooms and a great swimming pool. Early morning views are peaceful and the air crisp. The food was delicious and the staff very friendly. We thoroughly recommend it.

This is a new hotel on the outskirts of Kandy owned by the excellent Aitken Spence Group. Rooms are light and airy and surrounded by gardens. There is a very nice pool to relax in.

Food is generally up to the very high standards of the other hotels in the chain and this is an excellent place to stay if you are visiting the temple of the tooth or doing some shopping.

Stayed here in August 2003 and would definately come again.