The Sands by Aitken Spence Hotels
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Travel Blogs from Kalutara
Leave for Sri Lanka
Gathered our full bridal party of friends and family together and had a wonderful time hanging out together at the Villa Ocean View in Baduwela. Monica the elephant came to visit and Damien won at his first and last game of bingo. We got married on 29th July at the Golden Sun hotel nearby. All the men in the bridal party looked handsome in matching …
The Business class journey with Ani Gold!
... later to spill lots of coffee over...ruining 3 blankets, a pillow and the plane seat (just being myself). Having arrived in Male the capital of the Maldives with some amazing sights of the beautiful islands and huts out to sea we landed on a tiny runway with either end leading to sea. It was here that Ani decided to be an AWESOME friend and use his air miles to ...
Udawalawe National Park and the City of Gems
... hotter we spotted a young elephant laying down under a tree in the shade – very sensible I thought. He looked so sweet laying there, more like a huge dog than an elephant.
On the way back we stopped at Ratnapura the 'City of Gems’ and the main gem mining centre of Sri Lanka. It is said that there are over 2,000 private mines in the area. Sapphires, rubies and other gems are mined here. Alongside gems it is also known for its rice and fruit cultivation. We ...
Galle and the 2004 tsunami
... them. We were shown some one day old turtles in a tank and I wondered whether this was good practice, but surely when they are released they must still have a greater chance of survival than naturally. I think the jury is out on that one.
We were shown albino turtles who could never be released; incredibly the shell is so thin he was able to tickle it. He also showed us some handicapped turtles that couldn’t be released in the ...
'Little England' - tea country
... hillside that you realise just how manual the process is. Tea was introduced to Sri Lanka by James Taylor a British planter who arrived in 1852.
We passed by loads of small shacks selling a huge array of fruit and vegetables all grown locally. There was also an inordinate amount of dogs running about.
Nuwara Eliya means ‘city of light’ and it is located 1,800m above sea level. It still has traces of the colonial period from the days when it was the home ...
Amenities
- Swimming pool
- Room service
- Restaurant
- Wheelchair accessibility
- Business Services
Historical Traveler Reviews The Sands by Aitken Spence Hotels Kalutara
Excellent Beach Hotel
Rooms a good size, staff couldn't have been more helpful, buffet style food well above average, pool and beach area very good, only criticism was that bathrooms need refurbishing
FANTASTIC!!!
My husband and I stayed at the Golden Sun Hotel in August for our Honeymoon. We had a fantastic time all the staff were polite and couldn't do enough for us. The hotel was clean and tidy, always to a high standard. We would recommend this hotel to anyone. Although it was not their peak season we had a super honeymoon - it was like having the beach, pool and staff all to ourselves. Bliss.
Good in parts but not for those sensitive to smells or poor air con.
We were in this hotel on full board for two seperate periods of a few days as part of a 2 for 1 VJV. package tour of 2 weeks including 5 other (all better but 4 / 5 star) Hotels in Sri Lanka in April 05.
Air conditioning was not cooling properly in our rooms, also on the second floor rooms oily smells from air con (we complained to our rep. & swapped rooms twice so tried a total of 4 rooms) we talked to other guests in our group who had complained / room swapped re. aircon too. The main hotel dining room had no operating air con. despite claim in hotel description - fans worked here and helped a lot.
Carpets on all floors smelled rather unplesent and needed proper cleaning / shampoo also lifts in particular smelled horrid. (Tsunami was probably not the reason as ground floor & part 1st floor had been mainly affected).
Buffet Vegetarian food V.Good , Deserts excellent, but meat often a bit tough. Service Good.
Pool V. Good for this class of hotel and Gardens OK.
Most staff were friendly and realy did try their best but, the poor air con. and nasty smells realy let this hotel down - what a pity - we hope these are fixed soon!
Relaxation!!!
Just spent 4 very relaxing days at the Golden Sun. The staff are very friendly, the food is very good, the rooms are spacious with excellent service. A wonderful beach. Not luxurious but good value for money.
What more could you ask for!!
Loved the peacefulness
Have just returned from staying 7 days here. Very pleasant staff lovely choice of food. Lovely beach. Water areobic staff very enthusiastic!!!!!!. Wonderful massage up on the roof. Saw man climb palm trees collecting toddy and the icing on the cake was releasing baby turtles back to the sea.Altogether a wonderful place.
Hotel Golden Sun - Sri Lanka. - Devastatingly Awful.
A very poor quality hotel. It aspires to be shabby. A tired, worn-out and faded memory of a quality hotel. Food is lukewarm and immensly inedible. I wouldn't wish a holiday at this hotel on my worst enemy.
FANTASTIC BUT ARE THEY OK OUT THERE
Came back to England on the 7/12/2004 from the superb Golden Sun Hotel what a beautiful place fantastic food -service-people,
if only we could go back now and give help to all the friends we made especially Mahesh our friend
God bless you Mahesh and your family we pray you are all safe.
We will return-one day
Great Hotel
We have just returned from this hotel 30th November 2004 and had a great time. The staff can not do enough for you and the food was great. We never once had to go and get a drink as this was brought to us and the sunbeds were made available at our favourite space. The entertainment staff are good at getting visitors involved in the games and the bar staff never seem to stop working. We appreciated the flowers left in the room each day and look froward to our next visit.
Can't wait to return.
I too found this hotel great. Friendly staff, always at hand if you need them.Great food. Clean rooms and Hotel bars- resturants.Can't wait to return to this Hotel.
We Will Return!
We returned on 22 November from the Golden Sun Hotel, after a truly wonderful holiday at a superb hotel with a great team of staff. We have never come across staff so friendly, helpfull, and willing to make our stay with them really special.
From reception to restaurants, bars and room boys and garden boys, they were all smiley and happy.
Good selection of food, fresh bedding and towels every day, usually beds made with decorative flowers, so pretty, and a really good pool, a gem of a hotel.
The sea is a bit scary if you'e not a good swimmer,there are a few beach boys but they are good too -especially if you spend a few rupees with them.
TripAdvisor Reviews The Sands by Aitken Spence Hotels Kalutara
