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Reviews of Thambapanni Retreat

3 out of 5
Thambapanni Retreat
Yaddehimulla Road, Unawatuna

Reviews

8.8

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 20 out of 37 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 13 out of 37 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 2 out of 37 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 2 out of 37 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 37 reviews" "

8.8/10

Cleanliness

9.2/10

Staff & service

8.4/10

Amenities

8.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.8/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

dominique, london

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
everything is made to make you feel welcome, the staff is wonderful, from the cleaners to the pool technician, the cooks , the people at the reception and the manager, thank you all for this lovely stay! the place is a little paradise on earth, the rooms, the restaurant, the swimming pool, the location, one of the best place we ever stay. 2 steps away from the beach, jungle, shopping, restaurants etc.., but away from the busy main street. will defitinely come back!
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2024

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Cute little hotel.
Thambapanni Retreat is a cute little find in the heart of Unawatuna. I arrived late for the first nights stay and the only room left was a room above the kitchen which was extremely unpleasant and noisy with a window shining light through all evening. I have to say, Anil and his colleague ensured the next day I was upgraded due to the inconvenience and did their level best to resolve the matter.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2022
Response from Medha on 26 Apr,2022
Dear Guest, Thank you for your review, We appreciate your feedback.

10/10 Excellent

Robert, Kuala Lumpur

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Absolutely wonderful!. Great service, all of the staff on all levels are attentive and helpful. My room was fantastic, the breakfast was wonderful, location is great. I will definitely be back and for a longer stay. Yoga in the morning made my day, the massage therapists were great. I took a tour arranged by the hotel and it was fantastic. One of the nicest places I have stayed at.
Stayed 5 nights in Oct 2019
Response from Medha on 30 Oct,2019
Dear Robert, Thank you for your wonderful review! We are pleased to know that you had a great holiday and looking forward to welcome you again.!

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
A cute little hotel, made to feel special with plenty of friendly staff.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2019
Response from Medha on 30 Oct,2019
Dear Guest, Thank you for your review. We are pleased to have been able to host you!

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2019
Response from Medha on 7 Apr,2019
Dear Guest, Thank you for your rating.!

10/10 Excellent

George

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The staff were excellent and looked after us. Excellent food and the staff went out of their way to please us. Had an issue with my ears and one of the staff Arune came with us to the hospital to help us sort it out. I thank him for that. A lovely freindly guy. Stay here . Its perfect
Stayed 7 nights in Mar 2019
Response from Medha on 26 Mar,2019
Dear Guest, Thank you for your review. We are pleased to hear that you had a lovely stay, Hoping to see you again!!

10/10 Excellent

Sebastien

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Book it! Don’t wait.
Love love love this hotel! Amazing location - 5 min from the beach walking- the room was stunning and super comfy. The spa was GREAT!
Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2019
Response from Medha on 13 Mar,2019
Dear Sebastien, Wow, what a excellent comment, A big thank you from all of us at Thambapanni Retreat!

8/10 Good

Lisa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely hotel but they overbooked our room
We were overbooked so the room with balcony which we booked via hotels.com (which was prepaid) was available. Very disappointing as we ended up being put in an inside room with no balcony/patio. After discussing with manager we were moved to another room but only after 2 days, which meant us packing and moving out luggage not ideal. So please be careful if you book through hotels.com or Expedia as all the rooms they sell should have a balcony but you may be put in an inside room. Despite the room issues we did like the hotel, the staff were very accommodating and breakfast was fantastic. It’s a shame about mix up with room as we probably would of returned.
Stayed 4 nights in Feb 2019
Response from Medha on 18 Feb,2019
Dear Lisa, Thank you for reviewing us, We are sorry to hear that you had an issue with the room, we try our best accommodate all our guests and keep them happy. We do hope you will come back again and we will make sure you will have a pleasant stay.

10/10 Excellent

Mark

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Charming little gem
Great staff, so friendly. Lovely large room, a little rough around the edges but all the more charming for it. Everything worked! Breakfast was good, good choice and super staff serving. Yoga available 8-9.30 for 1500LKR if that's your thing. Small pool but everything you need ie:- water, sunbeds etc. Location is great, tucked away from the busy main road yet only an easy 5 minute stroll to the beach and shops with plenty to offer.
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2019
Response from Medha on 30 Jan,2019
Dear Mark, Thank you for your highly rates review. We are pleased to know that you have enjoyed your stay and found our breakfast, staff good and helpful. Thank you for your recommendations.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 8 nights in Dec 2018
Response from Medha on 19 Dec,2018
Dear Guest, Thank you for your rating!

10/10 Excellent

Jesse

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely Hotel
Fantastic staff, facilities & food. Thank You
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2018
Response from Medha on 19 Dec,2018
Dear Jesse, Thank you for your five star review, we appreciate your feedback and hope to see you in the future!

4/10 Poor

Margaret

Liked: Amenities
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2018
Response from Medha on 22 Nov,2018
Dear Guest, Thank you for your review.

6/10 Okay

sean

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very average hotel, i would stay somewhere better
First, the staff were not very welcoming. They were not churpy. We did not get the room we booked, it was much smaller than advertised so do not get sucked in like we did. Pros Big bathroom Soft bed safe Cons Terrible breakfast, very basic Room service did not speak english We ordered a Hawaiian but received a tomato pizza Air con was terrible Electricity kept on going out No hot water small bath tub lights outside the room you cant control they were on all night location was not the greatest, had to walk about 10 min to the beach Checkout was slow and bad service The door was so small The massage was soft when i asked her hard 10 times

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good Value Near the Beach
Amazing staff. Buffett breakfast in the morning. Walking distance to Unawatuna Beach, or walk to Jungle Beach is a little further. Nice pool. It's set back off the road for quiet. This isn't a five star hotel, but it's a good value for what I paid and what you get.
Stayed 5 nights in Mar 2018

8/10 Good

Doreen, Cheshire

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely unusual hotel in a good location
This is a fantastic hotel, however at first we were put in the very top room up a flight of 132 stairs! This room has a great view of the sea, etc but my husband has a bad knee and a heart condition so it wasn't at all suitable. The next day we were moved to a fantastic room lower down, the management were excellent. We were not aware if this issue when booking The staff in the restaurant were lovely, nothing was too much trouble,
Stayed 4 nights in Feb 2018
Response from Medha on 14 Mar,2018
Dear Guest,, Thank you for your review, as our hotel is a retreat and the atmosphere is like surrounded by nature! There are rooms at the other end of the property which are accessed by stairs, Thank you for these lovely commends and hope to see you soon.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Charming jungle hotel
Might find different kind of insects in the room, but that's the why it is, its in the middle of jungle, I've stayed in superior and deluxe room and I like them both, it is located 5 mins. away the busy beach. I love each room has it's own outdoor resting area nice for a book. Wi-fi is not too stable, breakfast is simple buffet with some local dishes. Front office manager was helpful, restaurant staff. the bald man is such a sweet heart, can't wait to go back!
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2018
Response from Medha on 14 Mar,2018
Dear Guest, Thank you for your review, We appreciate your comments, our staff will be happy to hear your comments. We hope to welcome you again!

10/10 Excellent

Elaine

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful views and peaceful
Greated with a warm smile wonderful welcome excellent service helped me arrange whale watching and turtle sanctuary The yoga classes are fantastic very knowledgeable teacher and very relaxing Of all the places I visited I would recommend Unawatuna I loved my room which was in the canopy of bamboo and palms Every day the monkeys were a joy to watch along with the parrots Thank you for my stay I will be back Elaine and Savanna from Edinburgh
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2017

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
5-day stay
Nice hotel, perfect for a couple of nights with a young baby. Friendly staff as well.
Stayed 5 nights in Dec 2017

8/10 Good

Suzanne , Burnley

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Really friendly staff
Really warm welcome after a long journey, staff always ready to help, wonderful location, especially when the monkeys cross the grounds , clean with fresh flowers every day Good breakfast Great massage, and lovely masseur Yoga every morning, with a very patient teacher Would recommend
Stayed 8 nights in Dec 2017

10/10 Excellent

Shaun, dundee scotland.

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great hotel two minutes from beach
Great hotel great staff great time had here for two weeks. Great start point for exploring south sri Lanka .
Stayed 14 nights in Aug 2017

8/10 Good

Anna, Australia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Peaceful oasis near the beach
This boutique hotel was exactly what we were looking for... classic design, comfortable, friendly and set amongst nature. Just a few minutes walk to the beach, restaurants, bars etc. Staff were excellent.. nothing was too much trouble. We loved our stay.
Stayed 5 nights in Sep 2017
Response from Medha on 17 Sept,2017
We are extremely grateful for your review Anna. We look forward to welcome you again.

10/10 Excellent

Eddie and Tina, Brisbane

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We had a real nice 10 days at the hotel.
We stayed 10 days at the hotel, Piomy ( if I spell her name right) was very helpfull and sweet. There are many little restaurants around, and close to the beach.
Stayed 10 nights in Jun 2017

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Room comfort

8/10 Good

Emily

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Nice Place to Stay
This is an excellent find, however, watch out because in peak season you might not actually stay on the main premises but across the street in a secondary building. We were very disappointed that we were not actually staying at the main building. This hotel came recommended from a friend and we were looking forward to our stay. The place is very nice, the staff friendly, the pool lovely and the monkeys on the roof were exciting to watch from the pool. They use the natural rock in the landscaping. We were very disappointed with the location of our room. Everyday my 6 year old asked why we had to stay at the house next door.

10/10 Excellent

Oliver

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful
A lovely relaxing location in between an active beach town. There was literally nothing to complain about. And even if I'm not into yoga it might be an Eldorado... Not to forget the friendly staff.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2022

10/10 Excellent

Lars

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2020
Response from Medha on 28 Feb,2020
Dear Mr Lars, Thank you for your excellent rating!

8/10 Good

laurent jean

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
option possible
pas forcément facile à trouver la 1ere fois car il existe 4 établissement du même nom l'hôtel est effectivement dans un écrin de verdure ce qui ne présente pas que des avantages en raison notamment des singes jouant sur le toit au petit matin et satisfaisant leurs besoins sur la terrasse pour le reste chambre vaste et confortable, l'entretien laisse un peu à désirer, bon pdj mais diner en revanche médiocre et cher
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2020
Response from Medha on 22 Feb,2020
Cher client, Merci pour votre avis, nous sommes heureux d'avoir su vous servir et rendu votre séjour inoubliable. Au plaisir de vous voir à l'avenir.

10/10 Excellent

BRIGITTE

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
confiance tranquillite honnetete
j ai passe d excellentes vacances equipe tres attentionnee tres discrete mais toujours a votre service sans pression je me suis sentie en confiance de plus le choix de ma chambre correspondait exactement a ma demande a recommander
Stayed 14 nights in Jan 2020
Response from Medha on 13 Feb,2020
Cher BRIGITTE, nous sommes très heureux de savoir que vous avez passé de merveilleuses vacances et nous avons pu rendre vos vacances très spéciales. Nous espérons vous revoir à l'avenir.

10/10 Excellent

Jörg

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Tolles Hotel mit super Service
Das Hotel war rundum super. Wir waren für eine Woche dort und waren sehr zufrieden. Ein besonderes Highlight war der Kochkurs mit dem Chefkoch, der mit uns traditionelles Rice and Curry gekocht hat. Das Superior Zimmer war sehr sauber und der Zimmerservice hat uns täglich mit neuen Handtuchkreationen überrascht.
Stayed 7 nights in Oct 2019
Response from Medha on 2 Dec,2019
Sehr geehrter Gast, wir freuen uns über Ihre wundervolle Bewertung und hoffen, dass Sie uns wieder besuchen! Vielen Dank

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Stayed 7 nights in Jan 2019
Response from Medha on 18 Jan,2019
Dear Guest, Thank you for your excellent rating!!

10/10 Excellent

Dani, Köln

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Sehr hübsches Boutiquehotel, mit guter Athmosphäre
Das Hotel liegt ein Gehminuten abseits vom Strand, und ist daher sehr ruhig. Der Pool ist recht klein, aber die Gartenanlage wirklich sehr schön. Insgesamt hat das ganze Hotel eine sehr angenehme Atmosphäre, man fühlt sich dort sehr willkommen. Leider hat das Classic- Zimmer keinen eigenen Balkon, das war in der Beschreibung nicht zu ersehen. Das Frühstück war sehr gut. Und das gesamte Personal Sehr freundlich und aufmerksam. Das Zimmer war sehr sauber.
Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2018

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Response from Medha on 14 Mar,2018
Dear Guest, Thank you for your rating!

10/10 Excellent

Louise

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 6 nights in Feb 2018
Response from Medha on 14 Mar,2018
Dear Guest, Thank you for your rating!

8/10 Good

Stefanie, Hamburg

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
War ein nettes resort
Wir hatten hier nur ein Nacht, man könnte aber auch gern länger bleiben. Grosse, saubere zimmer. Preis - Leistung sehr gut! Frühstück auch lecker
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2017

10/10 Excellent

annette

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Erg mooi hotel, vlakbij leuk strand
Wij verbleven twee nachten met onze drie kinderen (10-16 jr) in dit hotel. Wij vonden het hotel erg mooi. Heerlijk zwembad en de locatie is top! Vlakbij het strand.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2017
Response from Medha on 20 Sept,2017
Geachte Annette, We waarderen dat je de tijd hebt genomen om details te delen over jouw recente bezoek aan onze locatie. Dank u en kijk ernaar uit om u weer te zien.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Thambapanni Retreat
When we arrived at the hotel we were initially pleasantly surprised. The outdoor pool looked inviting and offered to be a calm oasis away from the hot beach. But unfortunately as soon as we saw our room we were utterly disappointed. It was dark, damp and smelled horribly. We requested a room move but even though it was promised as soon as another room would become available it never happened and we stayed for 5 nights! Would definitely not recommend. The service was polite but far removed from the warm hospitality we experienced at other hotels during our 2 week vacation in Sri Lanka. Breakfast was rather boring as it was only offering eggs and toast and had zero variety.

8/10 Good

Mahsa, Stockholm

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Trevlig personal som var hjälpsamma. Lugn och avsides men nära stranden.