Tangerine Beach Hotel

, Kalutara, Sri Lanka
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Tangerine Beach Hotel

, Kalutara
De Abrews Rd, Waskaduwa - Kalutara - Sri Lanka 34-222-2640
234 Traveller

Reviews - Tangerine Beach Hotel

9/10
Feb 2006
Submitted by: Jayne in 26/02/06
  • Age Group: 41 - 50
  • From: Sri Lanka
  • Traveller type: Mature Couple
We stayed here for 2 weeks & enjoyed ourselves thoroughly - staff, accommodation, & food excellent in the main. Getting round in Sri Lanka is a challenge (normally we would hire a car, but the roads are hugely over burdened with traffic making trips, although essential, exhausting and time consuming). All inclusive is good value but we would recommend forgoing the hotels meals occasionally in order to support the local restaurants, since all the businesses relating to tourism have had a tough time post Tsunami. In particular we enjoyed a superb meal at the tiny Marabou Restaurant; just down the road from the hotel less than 1 minute walk, across the rail way line.
1 out of 1 reader found this review helpful

Historical Traveller Reviews of Tangerine Beach Hotel

Abit of faded old world charm and service

from straightjohnbull
We found existing reviews very helpful and accurate. We arrived on August 22nd to find that the monsoon season had arrived early which meant that the sea was very rough throughout and swimming was not advised. It also meant that we had some rain altghough oversall the weather was excellent.
Good points to emphasise: service first class, deluxe room very spacious and very well cleaned, fresh fruit choice and desserts both excellent, hotel grounds very well maintained, ambience of hotel absolutely charming
negative points to note: main course meals never hotter than lukewarm irrespective of time taking meals, cocktail choice and quality poor on AI as they use cordials rather than fruit juices, tedious nature of having to complete full written inventory for absolutely everything including every drink, beach towell etc! locals very intrusive and insistent shouting at you over the hotel perimeter fence!
Additional points note! The local area was shambolic and intimidating with stray dogs and dodgy locals - certainly not safe after dusk! local shops were tumbledown and tacky with sub-standard often dirty and shoddy goods for sale. You have to haggle for absolutely everything and no price is fixed - aim for 50% of asking price. Everyone has an "angle" and appears to want something - we didn't like being asked for a tip for everything we prefer to offer which was the case most days with our excellent "room boy" whowas brilliant!
We went on a 2 day Kandy highlights tour which was overall superb value for money, although Kandy was equally ramshackle and a great disapp ointment with the Tooth Temple equally "underwhelming".Tea Factory, spice and herb gardens and botanical gardens all excellent whilst the elephant orphange provided the main highlight - £90 each for 2 days including an overnight stay in a 4 star Kandy hotel was great value for money.Be prepared though to spend much of each day travelling as the roads are very busy and of a very poor quality - not recommended for children. Please note that you cannot ride or feed the elephants at the orphanage
Overall we enjoyed the Tangerine Beach Hotel and we would recommend it but don't expect Cuban and Dominican Republic levels of all inclusive especially in terms of entertainment and variety of activities but they do try very hard. The Tangerine Beach Hotel offers superb value for money. We have now "tasted" Sri Lanka and it. We will not be returning simply because the world is shrinking and we want to see more of it.

Holiday of dreams, reality a nightmare

from Bumble43
We booked a 9 day dream holiday at the Tangerine Beach Hotel through our local travel agent. The hotel was poor in the following ways
1. Poor customer service
2.Rooms were damp
3.Food luke warm, the same thing every night
4.All inclusive did not include wine, diet drinks
5. Beach dirty with litter and unusable due to local hawkers
6. Entertainment in the day for children very poor and only included volley ball if they they asked
7. Enertainment at night, live music same songs different bands- very lounge lizard style
8. Theft from room, reported and not interested
9.Surrounding area dirty
10. Any trip from this area will take several hours each way

Overall an expensive holiday, the weather was poor with rain for the majority of the holiday but would have been more copable had the previous 10 points been better.
Avoid this hotel even if your travel agent insists it is ok as we had read this site after we had booked. For those people with more money than us that arrived at the same time 3 families transferred to alternative accomodation/ destinations

Stay Away!

from flowerbud123
We have just left the hotel yesterday following a rather unpleasant incident. As we are working over here and my colleagues are Sri Lankan, we booked the hotel independently after a brief visit. We were impressed by the landscaping and calm environment. Unfortunately on the first night of our week long stay, a man in the dining room started shouting very loudly and aggressively at me for stroking a cat. This was in a crowded dining area. When my Sri Lankan colleagues challenged his inappropriate behaviour and appalling rudeness, he claimed he was the manager. His threatening manner and the laughter from other staff was dreadful. The room was basic and the bathrooms dirty with stained brown grout. Reception staff and restaurant staff are abrasive and gruff in their manner - guests are clearly an irritation. The whole group checked out the next day and moved straight to the Golden Sun Resort which is delightful.

Nice hotel; amazing country

from N-Hill
Sri Lanka is a beautiful country whose people are genuinely welcoming to tourists. We stayed at the Tangerine Beach Hotel for 2 weeks. We had booked a deluxe room, but whilst spacious enough, I would describe it as "tired". Air conditioning was good along with the ceiling fan, however everything in the room seemed a little damp. We're unsure if this was caused by the humidity or the air conditioning. The room boys kept the rooms very clean and towels and bedding were changed frequently. Food at the hotel was good, however, as many others have reported, it was lukewarm. We mentioned this to the hotel who advised that they are aware of this problem and have been trying to find a solution. The children in our party struggled with the food options - very spicy - even non-curried items, however by the 2nd week they were becoming more adventurous with their selections. Plenty of fresh fruit and puddings to die for! Chips are not included in the All-inclusive option, but they are available at a small cost. The hotel has a reasonable wine list however they carry a limited stock (think we drank the cellar dry). The cost of wine is not any more expensive than the average bottle at home. During our stay we also ate at the Orient Restaurant at the Royal Palms Hotel next door. The service was excellent and the a la carte menu was a welcome change from curry! The food was excellent and the children got to select from the hotel's buffet also.

We took a 2 day trip to Kandy, taking in the Elephant Orphanage, Dambulla caves, Spice Garden, Botanical Gardens, and the not to be missed Lion's Rock at Sigiriya (8th wonder of the world). We were accompanied by the most gracious tour rep whose knowledge of his country and its history was excellent. During week 2 we took a day trip to Galle in the south of the island and although this was a lovely trip, it was not in the same league as the trip to Kandy.

The people of Sri Lanka are genuine and warm, including the ladies on the beach. Although keen to sell you sarongs, etc., they are lovely people who share their stories of how they survived the tsunami.

All in all, a memorable experience.

So So Hotel

from moggymeek
Just arrived back yesterdau June 18th 2006 from the Tangerine Beach Hotel, Kalutara, Sri Lanka. Hotel OK but could do with a good coat of paint and some TLC. Food not good, meals are buffet style but tend to be lukewarm. Ended up with tummy upset for the whole period we were there. Think this may be down to the food not being hot enough to keep any bacteria away. Hotel staff very friendly and helpful. Beach is beautiful and right outside the back of the hotel but unable to go there because of hawkers. We love the beach on holiday so sadly this was a let down. If you do go to Kalutara for a holiday beware of the beach boys who operate outside the front of the hotel especially Gina & Silva, they are con artists and no-one in Kalutara has a good word to say about them. They will follow you where ever you go, including the shops. The shop owners have to then pay them commision as they tell the shop keepers they have brought you. This commision will be added to the final price you pay for your goods and it's not cheap. The two lads will tell you how poor they are and about how their families have been affected by the Tsunami to make you feel sorry for them and give them money. We did fall for it the first time we met them and so did another couple who we met. One of the lads is a drug taker and we were told by the locals that he is dangerous. Please don't book any trips with them as we were told they take you to your trip destination and leave you there!
If you want to arrange trips be wary of booking through the Tour reps as the trips are very expensive. We met a lovely genuine man who arranges trips at reasonable prices. He can take up to 8 people. He is also a Gemologist and will make any jewellery you may want to buy at very good prices and will give you a certificate with every detail regarding the jewellery. His name is Sunil Fernando and his telephone number is ---. His wife is an excellent cook and he can also arrange for you to meet with his wife and she will show you some Sri Lankan cooking. He can also arrange your holiday in Sri Lanka where you can stay at various hotels around the Island to enable you to see lots of different places. On the last night he will arrange a hotel in Columbo so that your journey to the airport is not as long. You would just have to book your own flight. It took us 3 hours to get from Kalutara to the airport. We also did the safari at Yala and he can arrange this. Any trips you may want to go on in Sri Lanka involve a lot of travelling, to go to Yala safari park from Kalutara is 7 hours by car therefore it is better to move around the hotels so that your journey will not be as tedious. Sunil is a very clever man and is very clued up about Sri Lanka. He knows all the best places to take you and if you do book trips through him I can assure you won't be disappointed. Atkin travel want him to work there full time but he would rather do freelance as he does not believe in ripping people off. Had a good holiday but if we did go back we would be arranging our accomodation through Sunil and just booking the flight in the UK as there is so much to see and you are unable to do it from one base as the travelling is too much.

An OK Stay

from A TripAdvisor Member
We stayed at the Tangerine beach resort for our honeymoon from the 11th - 28th April 06,
The hotel was great, it was beautiful from the outside and all the facilities were really clean and looked after, the rooms were not what i expected, we were on the 3rd floor, our room was surpossed to be a deluxe room, but it didnt look like one, although it was clean, it was very tierd and could of done with a re-vamp. The entertainment at the hotel was ok, it was mainly focused on the older generation, being only 20 i was hoping that there would be entertainment for all age groups. The food was good, there was always a veriety of different foods, and it was always tasty, the pudding were great the was always a big choice. I was disapointed with the drinks diet coke is not included in the all inclusive package. While we were in Sri Lanka we went on a couple of Trips, i would really recomend going to climb sigaria, and also the elephant orphanage. Although i would recomend Sri Lanka to anyone as its such a intresting place to visit, i wouldn't go again

Grest service and food

from A TripAdvisor Member
My wife and I stayed for three weeks in February 2006. The staff could not have been more friendly and obliging. our bedroom on the ground floor had been flooded but refurbished and was very nice apart from the air conditioning which was a little noisy but the ceiling fan was quiet so we used that when sleeping. The room was well equipped and included a fridge freezer which was restocked with soft drinks and local beer every day. The TV was fine but English language news programmes were scarce, Live Premiedrship fooptball was braodcast but because of the time difference games started at 11pm or later .The bathroom was adequate but the decorative state was not wonderful. Having gone 'all inclusive' all local drinks and all snacks were plentiful and 'free' while the main meals were extremely good..masses of choice at breakfast, lunch and dinner...not that we ever had room for lunch! We would certainly return

Better Than Expected

from cacaj
We stayed here from 11.01.06 to 25.01.06. From previous reviews on this site we had been expecting to ditch our all inclusive meals and eat out. However, we found the food much better than expected. This may be because we always went into meals as soon as the restaurant opened (the one morning we were late for breakfast things were cold and choice limited). Also we stuck largely to the Sri Lankan dishes and cold vegetable salads. The puddings offered a wide selection of good quality. Rooms were comfortable and large. Staff very helpful but not intrusive. Pool large and deep and warm. Plenty of loungers (ones by pool more comfy than ones on the grass, variety of shaded and full sun positions). On site massage well worth the cost, spa facilities very cossetting (suspect totally re built after tsunami). Beach steeply shelving, sea swimming was not advised but some people found it OK and there is a life guard. Hawkers well disciplined, there if you want to interact but not insistent. Only warning is that local dogs are OK on the beach by the hotel but further from the hotel and in the village they get territorial and somewhat aggressive.
Local clothes well made and cheap well worth considering.

Genuine people

from A TripAdvisor Member
I was also at the Tangerine Beach Hotel with my wife the first two weeks of October 2004 (I wonder if I met your members from Plymouth Devon). We had a wonderful time the hotel staff were very friendly and also the locals. We also took a two day trip but with a local entreprenuer a young man by the name of Duminda, what value for money and such caring genuine people. I had lots of fun bartering with the ladies selling T shirts on the beach. I agree with your member that the rooms were kept clean and that the towels and bed linen were changed every day. Having travelled to many countries the only negative of the Tangerine beach hotel was the food mainly due to the fact that it was always luke warm and a lot of guests had severe tummy upsets (many seeking help from a doctor including my wife). I have rated my reveiw Neutral/average but only due to the food/ tummy problem everthing else was excellent

Wonderful relaxing experience

from A TripAdvisor Member
I was lucky to visit the Tangerine Beach Hotel in October 2004, on honeymoon.

The hotel is aimed at people who want to enjoy piece and quiet and to relax.
The trip from the airport to the hotel takes about 2 hrs and i will warn you if you have never been to Sri Lanka your first impressions while driving to the hotel will be "what an earth have i done" but don't dwell on those thoughts. It is a poor country but a wonderful/beautiful place to visit, when you get out of the citys.
On arrival at the hotel you will be greated by the staff (who are so helpful and friendly) you willl be given a traditional Sri Lankan drink and shown to your room. They are currently updating the hotel, but the rooms are wonderful. The rooms consist of a Bathroom and bedroom with sitting area, a TV, mini fridge. The rooms have air conditioning, ceiling fans and the bathrooms are quite spacious with shower, bath, wash hand basin and toilet, fresh towels are put in your room daily also the bedding is also changed daily. The rooms are cleaned in the mornings, checked again in the afternoons and your beds are turned down in the evening.

The food is wonderful you will have a choice of English, Indian, Chinese and European self service area at every meal. There is also a free bar all day and in the evening from 8am - 12 midnight which serves alcahol and non-alcaholic beverages, you will have to pay for wine about £10 per bottle, as this is imported.

It would be advisable to tip people who assist you throught your stay in the hotel 25 - 50 roupies(10 - 15pence) is greatly accepted, the staff put all their tips together at the end of the week and split them evenly between them, they do work hard and give you the best service possible.

The Hotel is situated 10 yards from the beach, which goes on for miles! you will find Sri Lankans selling their wares on the beach and whenever you go outside the hotel grounds, be warned they are rather passistant. If you want to take gifts home it is cheaper to buy from the Hotel shops they are considerably cheeper than outside the complex. If you do want to buy gems while you are there try to book on a tour which will take you to the gem shops, by doing this i saved £140 on a ring that i was going to buy in the hotel gem shop.

Do try to go on excursions while you are in the country, you will miss out on some wonderful experiences if you don't and you won't realy appreciate the country. We went on a two day excursion, which cost £110.00 each and it was the best thing i have ever done in my life! My Husband and i were collected at 5.30am by a tour guide (you have a personal tour guide & a very nice car). Our first visit of the day was Pinwalla Elephant Orphanage, which was wonderful you see them bath in a steam, that i can only describe as looking as if it was in the middle of the jungle! you see feeding time and you get to visit their natural habitat. The next place was the royal botanical gardens (seeing we are in our late 20's early 30's) we didn't think we'd enjoy it but it was amazing, then onto a sari shop where we could try on anything we wanted and didn't have to buy a thing! but the prices were so cheep you had to buy something, then onto the Gem shop, where we learnt how the gems were mined cleaned and finally set into silver or gold and got some great bargin jewlery. We then went onto the shrine of the Buddas tooth. If you travel to Sri Lanka you have to go to the Buddas tooth shrine you experience a magical feeling in there the building was errected in the 14th century and it is still in its original state its beautiful!!, then onto a show and after the show you go onto a 5 star hotel dinner and breakfast is included. Day 2 you start at 8am and go the the Tea factory, spice gardens (where you get a free massage) woodcarving factory (very interesting) then to the batique factory (stunning works of art) then best of all you go to the Hill Fortress in Sigiriya and then onto Dambulla cave temple experiences i will never forget.
The hotel is wonderful and Sri Lanka is a wonderful place to visit i shall never forget my time there and will go back there one day and book into the same Hotel.

It was monsoon season, only rained infrequently, mainly afternoons. The weather was hot so we were able to sunbathe in the mornings. The sea this time of year is rather choppy and you are unable to swim in it, so don't expect wonderful blue water this time of year.

Top Local Tips for Kalutara

Locals said the high (dry) season is Dec-March - can be very wet in July/August Fabulous for that welcome break just before Christmas - weather for us was hot and humid but bearable with less rain as the time went on (arr 20th Nov - left 5 Dec) Would love to go there over Xmas/New Year period. Temp never gets cold - don't need woolies unless you go to Kandy/Nuwela Eliya which is 2000 metres above sea level.

Pinewella elephant orphanage Great for a day trip, worth seeing!

Pinnawela elephant orphanage A must do trip took about 3 hours from kalutra but well worth the journey, i got to feed a baby elephant with a bottle, twice aday the elephants are taken down to the river for a swim their i got to go in the river and bath an elephant it was a real wow factor and the high light of our trip!

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Other names for Tangerine Beach Hotel

  • tangerine beach kalutara
  • tangerine beach hotel sri lanka
  • hotel tangerine beach
  • Address: De Abrews Rd, Waskaduwa - Kalutara - Sri Lanka
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8.0/10

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"Feb 2006" - Jayne

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