Ariyalai East Vacations from ￥131,528

Staff were friendly and we had shops and restaurants closer to the hotel

Fantastic Plac

We chose Riff Hikkaduwa as the final stop of our two-week family journey around Sri Lanka, and it was the perfect place to relax, unwind, and finish an incredible trip. From the moment we arrived, we knew we were somewhere special. The hotel’s design and beachfront location are absolutely stunning. Walking into the lobby, you are immediately greeted by a beautiful modern wooden aesthetic, before your eyes are drawn through to the breathtaking view of the infinity pool overlooking the beach and turquoise ocean beyond. It truly creates that instant feeling of luxury and tranquillity. Our deluxe room was exceptional. The beds were incredibly comfortable, the rainfall shower was amazing, and the thoughtful touches of robes and slippers added to the experience. However, the highlight was opening the automatic blinds each morning to reveal the spectacular ocean view — endless blue water, golden sand, and the sound of the waves right outside. The facilities and food throughout the hotel were outstanding. The rooftop Japanese restaurant served beautifully presented, fresh and flavourful dishes, while the main restaurant offered an excellent breakfast and daily menu with every meal being high quality and delicious. What truly made our stay memorable was the staff. Every single person we interacted with — from the front desk team to the restaurant staff and especially our wonderful pool lifeguard — provided genuin

Nice resort, with beautiful views. Clean and very friendly staff, good food. Rooms are spacious

A fantastic stay at The Fortress Resort & Spa. The rooms were lovely — definitely book a sea view room if you can. One thing to note: if you leave the balcony doors open, expect the humidity to creep into the room pretty quickly. Small trade-off for that ocean view though. The service throughout our stay was excellent, and breakfast was genuinely one of the highlights of the day. There’s a huge variety available, with most hot items ordered à la carte. Pro tip: specify if you want multiple pancakes, sausages, etc., otherwise you may receive just one portion item at a time! We didn’t really use the hotel for lunch or dinner, mostly because we enjoyed exploring the coastline and supporting smaller local restaurants instead. The hotel menu looked very good, but pricing is naturally much higher than local spots nearby. The same applies to the spa. The beachfront pool was amazing — peaceful, relaxing, and very quiet during our stay, likely due to the current misconceptions about travelling to Sri Lanka. Honestly, we experienced absolutely no issues whatsoever. Tourist areas feel safe, organised, and well protected. Sri Lanka deserves visitors right now, so get yourself here — it’s totally worth it. The beach beside the hotel is beautiful to walk along, although the currents can be quite strong for swimming. There are safer swimming spots nearby if you travel a little. One of our favourite little surprises was regularly spotting sea turtles swimming in a calm patch near the hot