I visited Taj Samudra in Colombo once again last week. They continue to maintain the excellent standards. The room tariffs have been revised though the food prices at their very good restaurants remain the same as last year. The personal touch of some of their staff has been unbelievable !

Having just spent a weekend at the Taj Samudra I can happily comment on what a lovely hotel this really is. Having read the reviews I was not sure what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. You can tell the Hotel is not a recent build however the rooms are spacious and extremely clean, with everything you need in them. The Shower was excellent but the bath was a little dated. The bed was huge and very comfortable, and the TV had more than enough channels! We had a room with a sea view and it was amazing. Facing Galle Face Green being able to watch the sunset from the comfort of your own room was fantastic! Moving on to what the hotel had to offer, this too was a great bonus. Tennis, table tennis, squash court and modern gym. The pool was a great size and the the pool area was 5* The staff looked after us non stop, offering us special touches such as fruit, water, towels and face cloths. I cant comment on the food at the hotel as we ate out, however the dining area looked very nice with lots of choice. When checking out the staff arranged a late check out with out any problems. Service with a smile the whole time. Defiantly looking forward to my next trip to the Taj Samudra!

I have read the other reviews on this hotel and agree with some of the points that the other reviewers mentioned, and don't agree with others. First, we also noticed the odd smell in the hallways and wondered why there was no air conditioning in the hallways. It was especially hot near the lifts.

The hotel is undergoing a significant renovation on the exterior and on the interiors. There is currently (February 2012) scaffolding on the exterior and we noticed painting going on in the interior. This is much needed, as the property was getting a bit rundown for a five star hotel.

I would disagree with some of the comments about the quality of the interiors of the rooms. The furnishings were up to what we expected and the bathroom was fantastic with a rain forest shower. Perhaps they have higher quality bathrooms on the executive floor than elsewhere? We had an ocean view room on the fifth floor, and it was fantastic. We enjoyed cocktails out on the balcony and watched the sunset. It was just what we needed at the end of a busy week of touristing throughout the countryside!

I should also mention that all of the staff members that we encountered were superlative. They all bent over backwards to help us and went to extra lengths to try to make us happy and comfortable. As a result of their excellent service, we were both.

The Taj is supposed to be a five star hotel group, but I saw little at this hotel that would make me think so. Although the hotel has a friendly staff, though the rooms need serious updating. The bathrooms are old and the shower seems more like from a motel. The toiletries are average and the sheets sometimes have tears in them. The carpet and furniture in the rooms have seen better days and the television is also dated. The biggest problem though was that there was absolutely no noise insulation between the rooms and I could hear EVERYTHING in the rooms next door and across the hall. Also, considering what you are getting at this hotel, the wifi should have been included instead of having to pay for it (its not cheap). Another issue is that we rented a car to take us somewhere in Colombo. After driving us around for almost an hour, it was evident that the driver did not know where he was going and did not want to ask anyone. We finally made him take us back to the hotel. It would have been better if the hotel hired people who knew their way around the city or at least were sensible enough to stop and ask for directions. The main plus of staying at this hotel is that the breakfasts are great- with lots of choices and tasty treats. This hotel needs to invest in a major remodeling before they move past a 3 star rating.