Welcombe Hotel Trincomalee Sri Lanka Review

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Trincomalee is blessed with spectacular beaches but not particularly blessed with reasonably priced hotels to enjoy them in. John Keells' Chaaya Blu is nice but far from reasonably priced. Nilaveli Beach Hotel is reasonably priced but far from nice.

So this time when we went, we thought we'd try out the oldest hotel in Trinco and possibly the island - the Hotel Welcombe. As with all older hotels, it has a great location, perched on a hill high above Trinco town with a great view of the bay. But, again as with all older hotels, we were concerned about the rooms. Iffy plumbing, questionable mattresses, old linen, odd smells, cracked walls: we've experienced some of these problems in older hotels, sometimes all at once.

We arrived at 9PM in the night much later than we expected because I had decided to try the Vavuniya to Trincomalee road instead of the road via Dambulla. This road was reminiscent of the stories my grandfather used to tell about his circuit trips as a civil servant: pitch black, part gravel and part tarred roads, absolutely no shops or any places to eat except at army bases and slow as hell. The whole road was a giant pothole. We were tired as all heck and were ready to sleep in anything.

We were pleasantly surprised as we walked into the standard room. The room was newly renovated and so was the bathroom. But, as usual, the linen had a few patches so we asked for another room - this is something you should not be afraid to do in Sri Lankan hotels as the rooms are very inconsistent - and they uncomplainingly moved us to one of the luxury rooms at the corner of the hotel.

This room was a colonial flashback with better plumbing. A big four poster bed, a big new bathroom and a 270 degree, ship shaped balcony that overlooked both the bay and the surrounding town. I could easily see my great grandfather staying in this room while the carriers of his dolawa slept in the driver's quarters.

The service was excellent, too - the manager was a very pleasant gentleman and the staff in general were very accommodating. From the room changes to room service, nothing we asked for was too much.

The bar on the top floor and the restaurant on the lower floor are also quite nice with views of the bay. Apparently, during the war, people used to come to the bar and watch the artillery fire.

But the best thing about the Welcombe hotel and what I still remember most is the restaurant and its crab curry. We had to ask for it the night before but, oh golly, was the wait worth it. Sitting on the restaurant overlooking the bay, eating my crab curry, pol sambol and hot, hot, steamed samba rice was the best thing I've ever done in Trinco.

Note: This hotel is about 15km from the Nilaveli beach so you will not be walking to the beach. There is a beach in Trincomalee town close to this hotel but I have not swum there.

Hotel Name: Hotel Welcome Trincomalee Sri Lanka
Website: http://www.welcombehotel.com
Address: No 66 Orr's Hill Trincomalee Sri Lanka
email: info@welcombehotel.com
Phone: +94 262222373, +94 262223885, +94 262223886
Rates: Luxury room B/B was 7,400, Luxury room R/O was 6,000
More pictures: Hotel Welcombe Trincomalee Sri Lanka on Picasaweb


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