The Surf Hotel Bentota

great place and location right on the beach, fantastic staff lovely rooms, great selection of food reception staff pulled out the stops for fellow travelers whos travel plans were changing by the minute in the wake of corona virus

There are 4-5 resorts on this beautiful stretch of prestine sand and clean water, makes for a perfect setting for a family or a couple retreat alike, having said this we chose to stay at the Ekho surf cos of 2 reasons , no.1 being its set up by the beach, no other resort comes as close to the beach as this one, most of the rooms directly open towards the beach and the access is super easy and convenient , secondly the price point is perfect , not too expensive neither too cheap, hence it lacks a lot of things that can be done to make this a world class properly , MANAGEMENT PLEASE PAY HEED, the following pointers will TAKE YOU A LONG WAY.. 1) please increase your staff , you guys are most definitely short on staff, the present staff is just too overworked to provide optimum or good service . But they are efficient and hardworking , but the service can be much better if you increase your staff 2) some areas of the property need fixing Some doors , paint jobs , furniture etc looks old , can be revamped to give it a better feel 3) water sports:- as you guys are so close to the beach you’l can have your own water sports, there are a bunch of men to the right of the pool in a small shack who HOUND you the moment you goto the beach BEWARE:- they will want to overcharge you and charge you excess money for their water rides, if you don’t take it they get angry and also disrespect you The resort should throw these Unruly people who are trying to fleece the resorts customers at every given opportunity , it just gives a very bad name to Ekho. Goto the adjacent water sport operators outside the other resorts for a better experience . 4) Please have your own transport :- the hotel does not have their own vehicle/transport, they will give you some taxi guys number and then you gotta negotiate the price with them, it really inconvenient . Any good resort has their own transport vehicle . Having said these things, if the resort pays heed to them and makes the necessary changes , this resort can be world Class and even compete with the Taj property next to it, purely cos it’s biggest advantage is that it is right there on the beach, and that’s what you are looking at when you choose a place for a beach holiday . So I hope I see a better Ekho surf next time I visit The Emerald Isle .

The rooms and the property are beautiful. Effortless yet perfect. Sleek and not overdone. The staff is super-friendly and attentive especially helpful guy Dulaj from reception. We have to give out a shout to chef Rohana, who whilst in possession of the most endearing smile you will ever see, is also a marvelous cook, and capable of providing tasty and healthy food that fit in with our dietary needs (my wife is gluten and dairy free). Best of all was the special cake he made for wedding anniversary - which was just yummy!! Food and Beverage manager Mr.Prashantha gave us a warm hospitality ever Thank you very much for your service We stay in standard room, which is our favorite, however all rooms appear to be well equipped, and obviously spotless and clean. The pool is large, and gardens beautiful, and don't worry about the train track. The trains are sporadic, so in our mind, simply a charming occasional distraction. We would highly recommend it. Thanks so much!