Panta Rei resort

Beautiful, calm location, simple yet stylish design. Very comfortable. Delicious food overall.

Lack of shade around the pool, the water always stayed warm and in very hot times we were desperate for colder water to cool off in. I wish the Sri Lankan breakfast was spicier!

The place is beautiful, the staff is great and great israeli food as well.

As families - like our - are welcomed, I can see how couples or people with no kids can be annoyed by kids as villas are close to each other. Also, at our first night, a lot was going on in the pool as we were putting our kids to bed so we could hear everything though it did not disturbed our children to fall asleep. The lights go off late and if surrounding villas don’t turn off their outdoor lights, as we are all facing each other it makes a lot if lights coming through the frodted glass door so many of us put towels nd also a towel on a chair against the door to make the roon darker at night and in the morning. Also, trains start at 6:30 and monkeys were playing early on our roof. Nothing that the resort can do but if you are a light sleeper it’s something to be mindful of. One night the couple at the next villa came back very late and were having a huge and bad fight. People screaming and throwing things. Other people and us went out to see the night manager but he did not knock on their door to make sure everything was ok. We did and glad that everything was fine with them but it woke us up instantly. I feel for the price we did not have as much privacy as other places but kids had a great time and we loved the room. Also, a very big drawback is the breakfast time: nothing being prepared before 8:30. This is late for kids and families. Even for people who want to start their day earlier. Everywhere in the country they start breakfast as early as 6:00 or 6:30. We would have liked more local sri lankan food offer.

Great food — the chef does an excellent job. Beautiful and well-maintained territory, especially the pool and relaxation area. Morning yoga is a lovely bonus. Rooms look exactly like in the photos.

Rooms feel quite basic in reality, and some things creak, which affects comfort. Monkeys can steal items left outside — our swimsuit was taken while drying. Guests are not warned about this and no advice is provided on how to secure belongings. Also, excursions offered by the hotel are more expensive than similar options online and the quality was quite low.

At first glance, the place makes a very good impression, it’s stylish, well-designed, and clearly marketed effectively. However, of all the hotels and resorts we stayed at during our three-week trip, this was the most expensive while offering the lowest overall quality. It gave us the feeling that maximizing profit was the main priority, rather than delivering real value to guests.

Breakfast starting only at 8:30 and lunch from 1:00 PM doesn’t really suit families with young children. The late breakfast time also led to a bit of a rush, and there weren’t enough tables available—often the only option was to sit in the sun. That said, staff were somewhat flexible if you arrived a little earlier. What stood out most to me, however, was the way the owner treated the staff. While he was consistently polite and professional with guests, I was genuinely uncomfortable witnessing how differently the staff were treated. For me, this is an important factor, and it would make me hesitate to recommend this place. Respect toward staff should be a given.