Barry Hyde. Date of travel: Sep 2005
The Hotel Mount Lavinia We stayed at the Mount Lavinia Hotel, which is an old colonial style hotel, established in 1806, and was the home of the governor of Sri Lanka previously. Further information about the hotel can be found on their web site www.mountlaviniahotel.com We arrived to be greeted by two doormen, dressed in white uniforms and pith helmets who proceeded to take our luggage into the reception. We were then escorted to a seated area where we were served with refreshments while we completed the registration procedure. Once complete, we were taken to our room. We had been upgraded to a deluxe room in the Bay wing of the hotel. It was wonderful; the room had a dual aspect and overlooked the Indian Ocean and the beach and Colombo City in the distance. It was large with very efficient air conditioning, which was welcome. It also had a terrace on two sides, which we spent many evenings watching the local people on the public beach and looking out to sea. The sea was only about 50 feet away, which sounds wonderful, but we found it difficult to sleep for the first two nights due to the noise of crashing waves on the rocks below. However, we soon adjusted to it. Over the next two weeks we were to discover other notable things at the Mount Lavinia. The service generally in the hotel was immaculate, we were greeted with a smile at every opportunity and nothing was too much trouble. The hotel has a training school for its staff and chefs, and it showed. The laundry service is excellent and with a bill of £3 sterling for a pair of trousers and two shirts, we would certainly need to take fewer clothes on any return visit. There are a number of weddings held at the hotel each week, as the Mount Lavinia is considered one of the most picturesque on the island. As they were all traditional Sri Lankan weddings or homecomings, we found them to be a delightful spectacle to witness. Eating at the Mount Lavinia The food in the restaurants was excellent. Breakfast is served in the Governor’s restaurant and is buffet style although there are always chefs on hand to cook fried eggs and omelettes. The service is excellent, the staff always showing a genuine interested in you and your needs. Lunch is also served in the governor’s restaurant, which usually provided a buffet of soups, salads and desserts, which cost £2 sterling. You can always order food from the snacks menu anywhere in the hotel, which consist of sandwiches both hot, and cold. They would normally cost the same, which makes the buffet lunch particularly good value. For dinner, there is a Seafood restaurant on the private beech where you choose from the fresh range of seafood and the chefs will cook it as you wish, and is served with rice or French fries and vegetables. The seafood soups are particularly delicious. The cost is based upon the weight of fish and on average with a starter and drinks worked out at around £10 sterling each. The Governor’s is a more formal restaurant situated on the pool terrace level of the hotel and offers themed buffet style food each night in addition to a range of traditional Sri Lankan dishes. They also have an A la Carte menu, which for two courses is often the cheaper option and is always beautifully presented. A meal here with drinks will cost approximately £8 sterling per head. Tour Operator: Kuoni