Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Vacations from ￥97,396

Very relaxing hotel Staff very helpful and accommodating

This property is located a short tuk tuk ride from the airport. It makes sense to locate first or last nights close to airport with early or late flights since Colombo is a long way from its international airport. There is no suitable public transport to or from the airport into Colombo other than Uber. This hotel has a respectable bar and restaurant attached which is handy since not much is in the local area. The rooms are pretty basic and are really only suitable for a one night stop. I would use the hotel again if coming in late or leaving early from Sri Lanka.

The house was wonderful to stay in and visit. The only comment and this is a more philosophical one - what is the balance between originality and being fresh for a guest to inhabit? I think this needs careful thinking through. The house is wonderfu and its a great place to stay if you love Bawa architecture, but some areas could do with cleaning more thoroughly or replacing. There is no benefit in a knackered old japanese paper lantern when an identical one can be bought online cheaply, or an old blanket that has seen better days or a musty wardrobe - all these can be fixed without undermining an important piece of architecture. Beyond that, the house is wonderful, the staff are great and the house is in a great location in Colombo and I would recommend it as a place to visit if you are interested in Bawa's architecture.