Club Hotel Dolphin

Hi All

My partner and I are off to Sri Lanka at the end of March 09, staying at the club hotel dolphin for 2 weeks all inclusive in a bungalow. Are the bungalows on the beach front nicer than the ones back slightly from the beach?? What is the beach like here, in some pics it looks nice, in others not so nice hence me asking!!? Whilst here what excursions did you go on and what ones would you recommend? I love the look of Yala national park but this looks some distance away, especially when you take into account the roads in Sri Lanka, has anyone been here from this hotel? If so how was it? Any general feedback on experiances and tips for staying in this hotel/area of Sri Lanka would also be much appreciated!?

Thanks

Club Hotel Dolphin

Hi there,

We stayed next door (Ranweli) so can give only limited answers:

* Beach is artificial, yellow sand added to what was basically a grid-type coast. Far from the wide stretched qualities of the beaches south of Colombo, but not bad either.

* Don%26#39;t see the advantage of going to Yala from here. Minneriya and Kaudulla are 4 hours drive away instead of the 9 hours drive that Yala is, and basically the same quality. (Bigger herds of jumbos and a bit less variety in wildlife types). But even these require an overnight stay nearby, as safaris are solely dusk and dawn.

* As most interesting sights are also 3-4 hours away at least, e.g. Sigiriya Rock, and some of them are better visited outside midday, it%26#39;s easiest to make a combined 2- or 3-night trip. With wildlife safari, The Rock, Kandy/Pinawela and whatever other highlight you want to include - like Dambulla%26#39;s golden cave temple which is en-route between Sigiriya and Kandy.

Hope this helps a bit,

%26lt;Erik%26gt; %26amp; [Sandya]

Club Hotel Dolphin

Thank you so much for the info. Would a day trip down to beaches south of colombo be worthwhile to experiance what these more southern beaches have to offer? If so, are there any beaches you reccommend? The excursions you described sound fab, are these readily available in and outside the hotel? If so how much do these usually cost?

Thanks again

Hi again,

a) Yes for sure you could try a day trip for experiencing beach fun, most likely to have a swim and lunch at a hotel. E.g. Blue Water Wadduwa (one of the best pools in the country and decent beach), or Kani Lanka Kalutara (with lagoon at the back side, allowing surfing/boating), or a hotel in Bentota which also has a lagoon/river with lots of water sports.

b) Yes these trips have a wide range of parties offering them.

Cost is always a complex calculation, as you choose from many components. Main components:

* Transport mostly around Rs 6,000 per day per _car_

* Lunch, dinner, drinks mostly Rs 2,000 per _person_ per day

* Entrance fees vary widely. From Rs 400 for Tooth Temple Kandy and Rs 750-1,250 for Pinawela Elephant Orphanage to Rs 2,500 for some highlights in the Cultural Triangle - including Sigiriya Rock.

* Safaris are a game of their own as you also pay for the 4WD jeep, not only the park entrance. Target price is Rs 5,000-6,000 (USD 50) for a jeep and 2 tourists.

* And then there%26#39;s overnight stay. Costs vary from Rs 1,500 for a double, BB basis, in a clean guesthouse to 2-8 times that amount in star-class hotels - all depending on the star classification and room side.

Hope this helps a bit,

%26lt;Erik%26gt; %26amp; [Sandya]

Funny you should mention The Blue Water, i couldnt decide between this hotel and Club Hotel Dolphin? looking on here both have very good reviews so went for club hotel dolphin as liked the idea of a beach bungalow and the blue water had the beach mentioned as a negitive!? Is the blue water the better choice in your opinion!!?

Hmmmmm... I agree that Dolphin has a partly private beach or at least one not so much pestered by touts, whilst BW has a public beach. It _is_ wider and more sandy than that of Dolphin though, but the main focus of the resort is the pool and garden; beach is separated by a fence and guards at the entrances against the touts.

Still, you were also asking about the beach style in general and down south, starting with Wadduwa/BW, it is wider than near Negombo...

All the best,

%26lt;Erik%26gt; %26amp; [Sandya]

Thank you so much for your helpful info, although i love beaches, the reason for my holiday to Sri Lanka is for so much more than the beach!! Any info from people who have stayed at the Club Hotel Dolphin still very much appreciated!!? And any info from people who have stayed here end of March Beg of April regarding the weather would also be much help??

Thanks

Now I like a moan and I don%26#39;t normally like spending my holiday in hotels but we’ve been using the Club Hotel Dolphin as a base for the last few weeks and I’ve got no complaints (I’d go back tomorrow).

We were booked in one of the deluxe rooms but I swapped it for a beachfront ‘cottage’ and we were glad we did. The cottages are maybe slightly scruffier than the rooms but you have more privacy and everything is right outside your door.

I was out of bed and in the sea in less than a minute – the sea can be a little rough at the edge but good a few metres out, the only problem with this is that it means you need to be a swimmer because you are out of your depth. For calmer water go to either end of the small bay towards the brake waters.

Remember - I was there Dec-Jan sea conditions change so check out the conditions when you%26#39;re there and see what others swimmers are doing.

Get a beach front cottage if you can – obviously, from a beach front cottage you sit and look at the ocean, from the ones further back you sit and look at the cottage in front of yours.

Speak to the people at Harold’s about trips, if you want to get around yourself checkout the train times (Chilaw and Puttalam to the north and everywhere else to the south via Colombo).

Regards

Mark

Thanks for your feedback, much appreciated. Im not going for a couple of months so i expect the weather may be a tad wetter and sea rougher compared to now from what i have read via websites etc...fingers crossed it isnt too bad!! Im so excited about going already!!

Thanks

We don%26#39;t go till August and I%26#39;m the same vey excited!

Already have count down (209 sleeps)

we came back last friday and wish we were still there .it was lovely and can,t wait to go back you will have a lovelt time . kaz