Great location only one hour from the airport on a beautiful beach. This was the original British Governor's mansion, now extended to provide an impressive and palatial hotel with plenty of period features and uniformed staff in appropriate attire. We opted for the ocean side king room which was well worth the extra few pounds per night. We had a balcony with a fantastic view over a cove on the headland as well as the beach front towards Colombo. The room was large and nicely furnished and in keeping with the age and style of the hotel: It had a proper king size bed too rather than twins pushed together which you often get. The bathroom was spacious too although could do with a bit of an update.

We found the beach more comfortable than the pool as the pool is quite small and hence crowded with few sun umbrellas so be prepared to get there early if you want to nab one. The beach, however, had more loungers, chairs and space. It also has a bar and toilets and food can be ordered and bought down too so plenty of comforts available.

The food overall was good. A substantial buffet breakfast was included up until 10.30am. Lunch is also available as a buffet or as snacks around the pool or at the bar. We ate dinner both at the Seafood Cove which was excellent - you choose your own fish, sauces and accompaniments and it was absolutely delicious, and at the Governors restaurant buffet which was not so good. Food was OK but the atmosphere was a bit of a rugby scrum and when popular items ran out they weren't always replaced. However, there are a number of good restaurants to choose from on the nearby main beach about 15mins walk away as well as a couple a few hundred meters away on the main road in to the hotel.

The hotel also has a very nice spa which although expensive by Sri Lankan standards was good.

The main thing that let the hotel down for us was the service which was nowhere near as friendly or attentive as experienced in other parts of Sri Lanka. You also need to be prepared for lots of weddings which meant the place was constantly busy and you were constantly bumping in to photographers and the such like. And if you like to keep fit you will be sorely disappointed by the gym which was very shabby and poorly equipped.

Stayed for 4 days in January. It's weird that they still have actual keys and not the cards for the 4th floor where I stayed. My mates stayed on the 1st floor and had the key cards. I only mention this because I lost the keys on a drunken night out and ended up paying for them on check out. Also, during our stay there was a bunch of weddings at the hotel. Every morning for 3 days when we went down for breakfast, there were people dressed up and having wedding photo sessions all over the place. Strange to see all that before I've had my morning coffee.

Other than that, I had a lovely stay at Mount Lavinia. The beach was great, had a great view from my room. There was always great variety of delicious food at the buffet for brekkie, lunch and dinner. Had a great time and 4 days was not enough. I will be coming back to Sri Lanka later this year, this time with my family.

This hotel is in a great location with a superb beach. This hotel needs a refurb of the rooms, the food is good, but you feel as if you are a part of a wedding fayre. On the Thursday we were there 4 weddings took place! The staff are good and helpful.

I recommend this hotel for business, leasure or Honey Moon. An old mansion now converted to a magnificient hotel. Favourite place for weddings. If you stay here for couple of days (especially Thursdays) you will not miss a local wedding. The bride and the bridegroom dressed in traditional King's costume and all ancient traditions are amazing to witness.
You have a wide range of cuisine. Dont miss the sea food restaurent. Taking a dip in the swimming pool while the sun sets is a lovely experience. All modern facilities are available in the room. The beds are very comfortable.