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| Accommodation | 8.7/10   |
|---|---|
| Customer Service | 9.7/10 |
| Food | 9.7/10 |
| Resort | 7.7/10 |
| Location | 6.7/10 |
| Value for Money | 7/10 |
| Reviewer Rating | 6.5/10 |
| Overall Rating | 6.7/10 |
Full review by
smcwatt
on 23rd Jul 2007
User Rating : 7
Respect :
0
Good Points: Taj Exotica is in a beautiful location overlooking the Indian Ocean. Reception area is also most welcoming. Food in the hotel was excellent and a good choice. All staff were very friendly and attentive.
Bad Points: Hotel has not recovered well from the Tsunami. Very tired decor and it needs a good lick of paint. Not all facilities were open, such as restaurants and lounges. Local beach and town are the pits due to the preponderance of hawkers and beggars. These people can be very intimidating and don't take no for an answer very easily. Travelling anywhere in Sri Lanka by road is a death defying experience. The journey from the airport at Colombo to Bentota is the worst 3 hours ever spent in a minibus.
General comments: A good experience visiting Sri Lanka, although it is unlikely I will ever return.
Taj Exotica came highly recommended by various friends who had visited prior to Tsunami. Unfortunately Taj did not come up to expectation and basically requires some investment on the infrastructure to re-establish it's former eminent position. On returning home, we noted that our tour operator Kuoni have downgraded the Taj Exotica two grades from deluxe to first class and I believe this reflects our experience of this hotel.
I am not sure if anything can lessen the impact on travel, although I understand a new motorway is under construction?
Regarding the hawkers and beggars, this is the price you have to pay when visiting third world countries, although there was a consensus that our experience in Sri Lanka was the worst for many years.
smcwatt's review and ratings | 261 words
Review by
POULTER1
on 14th Nov 2006
User Rating : 9
Respect :
0
We had a fabulous start to our honeymoon here. If we were to go back I'd travel around Bentota and the neighbouring villages a little more.
Taj Exotica is a beautiful place, and the Sri Lancan's are beautiful people.
Ask the waiter in the Piano restaurant to get his brother (tuk tuk driver) to take you out for the day. We got great deals on Sapphire rings, wooden elephants (which cost well over double in the hotel) and a visit to a Spice Garden (don't buy any products as they cost quite a ...
POULTER1's full review | 385 words
Review by
annamariawatkins
on 27th Jul 2005
User Rating : 9
Respect :
0
My boyfriend and I stayed in Taj Exotica in October 2004.
The hotel lobby is impressive with marble floors and fine decor, and the staff at the reception can't do enough for you.
We stayed in a standard sea facing room with a balcony. The view from the balcony was lovely, it faced the sea, gardens and the pool area. I wouldn't recommend staying in the rooms facing the other way, as these face the railway track. Although the train doesn't run very often, the noise is enough to wake you up. ...
annamariawatkins's full review | 375 words
Review by
Laoise
expert review 
on 22nd Jun 2005
User Rating : 1
Respect :
+1
Bentota, Taj Exotica - I recently booked a holiday in Sri Lanka with my boyfriend and stayed at the 5 star Taj Exotica hotel in Bentota. The hotel itself was excellent; located right beside the beach, overlooking the Indian Ocean and surrounded by a well-tended exotic garden. Marble floors, high roofs and exquisite teak, ebony and mahogany furniture adorned the inside. The food was fabulous and the service was excellent. The ambiance was relaxed, dignified and calm. Life outside the hotel h ...
Laoise's full review | 1890 words | 4 comments added.
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