Cape Weligama - Relais & Chateaux

I wish I could give less than one star. My partner and I had just stayed at Ceylon Tea Trails for 3 nights, and were en route to the Wild Coast Tented Lodge, where we are spending another 3 nights. En route to Wild Coast Tented Lodge, we stopped by Cape Weligama to check out the property and have a drink at the bar. Shockingly, we were blocked at the gate as if we were vagrants. The on-call manager came
out to callously inform us that the hotel was at capacity, refusing entry.

Our experience at Cape Weligama was nothing short of appalling. Despite spending over $2k a night at the sister properties, we were treated like unwelcome intruders at the gate, as if our patronage meant nothing. The on-call manager's excuse about the hotel being at capacity was ludicrous - surely they have room for 2 people to have a drink at the bar and to tour the hotel grounds? We escalated the matter to the GM (Mr. Arosha), hoping for a resolution, but we were met with an obstinate, rude, and unaccommodating response. Ultimately we left but with a very bad taste in our mouth about the service level at Resplendent Ceylon properties and the training they provide their employees.

Despite being seasoned travelers, we've never encountered such treatment. While we understand the hotel's full capacity, exceptions should be made for the sake of hospitality, and making guests feel welcome and appreciated, especially as we were literally standing at the hotel gate. There should have been a gracious way of handling this situation, to which Mr. Arosha and team fell egregiously short.

Resplendent Ceylon I hope you are listening. This behavior is unacceptable and exemplifies the mediocre to average service levels that we have encountered on our trip so far, revealing a significant gap in aspirations to be a luxury travel brand.

(By comparison we were warmly welcomed when we stopped by the Aman property in Galle (and we are not even staying in any of the Aman hotels). Resplendent Ceylon you really need to check yourself.)

We stayed here for 5 nights (family of 4 - kids 9/12) we were completely blown away by how brilliant everything was. Firstly the service. All the staff were warm, kind and extremely attentive. Really switched on and could not do enough to make you feel comfortable. We had a junior suite which was spacious. Nice facilities including a steam room. Everything worked as it should in our room.
Now the food… this really is another level. The chefs here really know their stuff and both the western and Sri Lankan food was delicious.
We had an incredible couples massage which I would highly recommend, with lots of other options to pamper yourself with. There is daily activities for the kids as well.
The bar is in an exceptional setting with wonderful views, great staff and lovely drinks and cocktails.
Both pools were very nice, one is above a well stocked gym and has great views. Kids are encouraged to use the lagoon pool but in the later afternoon we used the pool as it was quiet and staff don’t mind. The hotel is also flanked by two beaches. Both have bars and a nice friendly restaurant, both of which are cheap with good food and drinks. The West Beach is one of the best beaches I have been to. All in all I literally can’t fault this place, would love to return and am forever grateful to the incredible staff here. They really are what made it so good for us

Cape weligama is heaven on Earth. Spectacular from all angles, beautiful and unique. The staff, service and atmosphere were nothing short of exceptional and all of this just made our evening amazing! The friendliest and most kindest people work here and we had the best time with them. We hope to come back to visit again soon!
Special thanks to Mr. Hemal & Nilanga

What a great place to unwind. The folks are so welcoming and warm. And the place is just a paradise for people who love the beach.

Really disappointing stay. I had such great expectations after 2 truly wonderful stays at the other Resplendent Ceylon properties.

Food:
Complete let down. Service was slow and this was with the resort being 1/2 full; there were 1-2 tables but food takes a while to arrive. Service staff was friendly but there is no urgency in their actions.

Comprehensive menu of Asian and international choices but fails to deliver on execution. Bland, at best, inedible at worse. Don’t even try room service.

Room:
Nicely appointed room with good housekeeping

Service:
Whole experience ruined by extremely slow check out which took a total of 30 mins for them to run around looking for receipts. Compounded by the lackadaisical attitude from the front desk manager, Udaya who merely shrugged his shoulders.

Probably the worst of the 3 Resplendent Ceylon properties in terms of food and service. So much for them to improve on.

The best Hotel in Sri Lanka! Amazing atmosphere, food, the staff are amazing and too polite! Always there to help. If I come to visit Sri lanka again. Cape Weligama will be my one & only option
Thank you for the upgrade ️ And for the Beautiful birthday surprise! Best experience in this Luxury 5 stars Hotel
Had an amazing vacation

Sublime. We stayed for 3 nights in an elegant, expansive, room with an incredible private pool.
The location itself couldn't be more beautiful; the pictures convey it all.
Exceptional hospitality from Gihan his team. We cannot wait to go back to the Cape!

One of the best hotels in Sri Lanka. The location is amazing, the food is delicious, the room is spacious, the staff is friendly. I highly recommend it

Absolutely stunning place. Deff should try the moon pool during sunset. The lunch set menus are filling and mouth watering. The staff should us with respect and standards. ️

Stunning hotel with gourmet experiences!
We (two single girls) spent two nights there and would definitely come back for more.
This property is superbly grand, uses lights and shadows that transforms it differently from day to night. The rooms is extremely spacious, with a terrace to chill. We chose a villa and there is a private pool to be shared with another two villas in our section only. The bed is so comfortable. The main moon pool is beyond beautiful.
Most of all, the F&B experience was the highlight of our trip. First night we had chef’s table and we had such an honour that Executive Chef of the hotel group, chef Nishantha was personally cooking for us. The dishes were so delicious and the ingredients were dreamy! Lobster, crab, waygu beef to name a few…. The second night we had a cliff candlelight dinner, served by Tharanga, he is like an old friend, so professional and yet so caring and fun. We asked a lot of questions about Sri Lanka like literally very random here and there and he was able to give us interesting answers. The bar manager Priyabkara made unique cocktails for us, one of the best cocktails ever!
Ishan and Eranga looked after us so well during our entire stay. My friend got a little sunburnt around her arms and they came with freshly cut aloe Vera to cool her arms down.
Everyone loves their jobs, passionate and professional and we can’t wait to come back sometime soon, very soon!

Cape Weligama is simply incredible. From the friendliest staff to delicious food, gorgeous and spacious Villa to extraordinary views. A 10/10!

This is an outstanding hotel. The views, the staff, omg the food! Very high quality of hospitality and is one of my favorite places to go.

Staff and accommodation were excellent!
Dinesh served us dinner and was considerate and attentive to our every request
Dilshan and Tharindu kept the pool areas very well and provided drinks for us also
Hashini in the restaurant reception was welcoming and knowledgeable
The rooms are palatial with an eye to detail that is awesome! They were cleaned everyday and a turn down service at night and cleaning of a very high standard
The steam room/shower is fantastic and every room has this
The guests are spread out across the property in villas and 4 room blocks so you feel like you are the only guest there until you go to pools or for dinner
The surf bar is a lovely open space with books and games for guests and a large TV on which we watched the World Cup final great atmosphere and the bar staff happy to make any drink you can think of
All in all probably my No1 experience in Sri Lanka so far and I live here so have tried many hotels
Beaches are idyllic, whale watching, surfing, temples and tea factory so lots to do as well
Close to Galle too for day trip to the fort

Just a breeze staying here in their ridiculously spacious and cosy rooms. The moon pool was beautiful! We loved the breakfast and food too.

Thank you for an unforgettable few days at your stunning resort.especially to the team who looked after us.
Udith, Dinesh (restaurant), tharindu and Dilshan (pool) Hashini (restaurant hostess).

The Best Resort hotel in Sri Lanka, and I think the only one that meet high standards. The only problem: uncomfortable pass to the public wild beach with zero facilities.

Definitely the most luxurious hotel I’ve ever been too. The staff is always wanting to help and very very friendly. Although I must mention it wasn’t full at all! At times there were only two rooms booked, so the staff had a lot of time on hand. Inoka was a nice lady who was responsible for arranging tours and trips in the hotel. She always answered within minutes on WhatsApp and got everything arranged shortly.
The food was just amazing! It definitely gives star restaurant with tiny portions most of the time but if you get half board you can have as many courses as you want to. They have a lot of meet options but a lot of veggie options too. There was a very memorable moment when my dad didn’t like his steak as it was too well done. The waiter and the manager came to deeply apologize. Then they made a new one which was just perfect and the chef cook himself came to apologize and ask if the new one was better. Also the manager and the waiter came to ask if it was fine now. What a service! (I have inserted MANY food pics)
One thing I didn’t like is that they told us at the start drinks were not included for both breakfast and dinner so we (of course) didn’t have too many drinks. In the end we found out we had to pay the dinner drinks however the breakfast drinks were included. This was a little annoying because we did directly ask if not even tee and coffee were included.
The location is wonderful and the room is great too. Everything is very clean and also the garden is in perfect condition. There are 13 pools from which 2 are main pools and then the villas share pools (most like 2-4 villas share one pool).

I don’t know how this hotel would be when there is many guests but due to the fact that the busiest was 13 rooms on day one and after that it always was around 5 rooms we had an amazing service.

On the last day we got a candle light dinner with 5 courses. There was also a Christmas cake making event in which we were sadly the only guests who participated.

One critique point however: the service with drinks is quite slow. I can’t imagine how it would be if the hotel was full. The problem here is that they have to bring drinks from the bar which is a different building. Also there is a sort of hierarchy so one person brings the drink to the next and so forth which is very inefficient. If the head waiter is missing then the other staff just has to wait until the drink can then be brought to the table from the right waiter.

One of the best properties I've stayed in. Pictures don't do justice to the beautiful property. There's a small, private beach which you'll have access to if you're staying guests. The beach is straight out of a movie. The service was probably the only drawback. Severely understaffed and the service was pretty slow. Food was to die for at Ocean terrace and the rooms are maintained really well. Truly 5 star. My favourite resort in Sri Lanka.

Overall a good hotel with some drawbacks.
Location is nice: on top of a cliff, overlooking the sea. Beaches are small, you can't let your kids swim (too dangerous) and there is nothing at the beach (e.g. A bar or a place that gives shade).
Rooms: our room was very dark and not in the best condition. Definitely not a $1000 per night room.
Service: our second concierge was really good but we had some issues. Especially with the restaurant service: they tend to forget orders or be very very slow (had to wait for drinks 30 minutes or more even after asking multiple times). The food is overall very good with a few exceptions.
They should mention that the fancy moon pool is adults only - quite disappointing.

Overall this place is overpriced for what you get. We paid +$1000 for half board which is probably twice as much as you should pay. Still a good place for a couple of night but I wouldn't stay there for a week or even longer.

Everything, quite honestly was perfect. From the moment we were greeted on arrival, it was made very clear to us that nothing would be too much to ask for. The breakfast each morning was delicious, an a la carte style experience where you get the chance to actually sit and relax rather than rush through a buffet style meal. All of the wonderful staff, from the bartenders, gardeners, waiters, cleaners, all greeted us warmly. The facilities are fantastic, we did not have a shared private pool so I'm able to comment on the 2 shared pools which were clean, at a lovely temperature and from the moon shaped infinity pool, the views were amazing. It truly is a high quality 5 star hotel, the general manager was ever present to again greet but make sure everything was okay. This trip was to celebrate our honeymoon but also my birthday and the staff made this very special with a delicious cake in our room! I couldn't recommend highly enough, my husband and I would go back in a heartbeat.