The Hilton Residence Apartment in Columbo, Sri Lanka is a fabulous place to stay. The Hilton name usually means sky high prices but that is not the case here, yes, it's expensive, not too much so.

LOCATION.

The Columbo Hilton is set right in the middle of the business district and it's just 35 minutes drive from the airport. Attractions like the Dutch Period Museum and the famous Galle Face Green Park with its long walkway along the seafront and huge lusciously green lawn. This is a brilliant place to stroll along and it's right on the doorstep.

FACILITIES.

This hotel provides everything you could possibly need in a hotel room. The rooms are lavishly decorated and appointed but they are also cool and comfortable which pleased us because it was very hot. There was a large modern bathroom, air conditioning, TV, internet, a safe and a telephone, so I was quite happy. I couldn't live without an internet connection.

The restaurant and grill bar serve excellent steaks and I must admit to almost living on these for the week that we stayed here. The Union Bar and Grills a friendly but quite plush area which serves food too and although I didn't try the local seafood, washed down with a few margaritas, my partner informed me that they were the best he had ever tasted.

The Verandah Bar and Bistro offers a larger selection and a change of venue if you want to dine in the hotel and still have a change of scenery. I quite enjoyed being on the verandah because I could watch what people were doing outside. (Nosey, you see.)

I did notice that this hotel has a large conference room and a quick look at some leaflets revealed that it offers conference facilities for up to 200 people.

Outside there are tennis and squash courts which are floodlit in the evening. It was fun to watch but I am not a fan of either of these. My partner used the gym facilities, while I relaxed in the jacuzzi. Both facilities were well maintained and very modern.

COSTS.

The tariff here changes according to the day of the week and the season. We stayed for 6 nights during August and payment was included in a package that we bought from a local, independent travel agent. So, it is difficult to work out the cost per night. The whole trip including flights and hotel for two cost £1600. I thought that was very reasonable when we actually stayed at the Columbo Hilton.

SUMMARY

A very clean, well maintained hotel with excellent service and pleasant staff. The apartments in this hotel are very spacious and could easily accommodate two adults and two singles, or children. We actually paid for apartment, not per person.

I was really impressed by this hotel. I had memories of Columbo from childhood and didn't expect much from the trip but it turned out to be amazing. The choice of hotel couldn't have been better because we were close everything we wanted to see. If you fancy a trip to Columbo it would be a good idea to shop round and see what kind of deal you can get on this hotel. You won't be disappointed.