Nilaveli Beach Resort - Level 1 Certified

The staff here are lovely, but we were disappointed in terms of VFM - this worked out to be the most expensive place we stayed - out of 6 - and our least favourite. The VFM is the key factor, but as is the lack of atmosphere, the rubbish on the beach, the crows (lot and lots of them) and the location - there isn't anything nearby. We were here for scuba diving and had one night out at Fernando's a tuk tuk ride away. At a hotel in Hikkadua the hotel cleared the beach in front. I think they should have tried to do this here. I know this is a national problem but I would have appreciated staff including this rather than tidying the sand by the sun beds.

We spent 6 nights here and really enjoyed it. It was right on the beach with nice lounge chairs, and the restaurant was also right on the beach. We had a second-floor room, and I enjoyed watching the sunrises first thing in the morning. I also enjoyed watching the local fishermen on the beach. The room was big and clean, and the bed was very comfortable. The entire staff was very attentive and polite. I have many food allergies, and they made special efforts to provide me with gluten-free breads and alternative milks, plus a little cake for our anniversary. The food and drinks were all delicious! We only ate outside of the resort one time. They arranged our boat trip to Pigeon Island, a Lagoon Boat Trip (which was my favorite!), arranged for scooter rental, and our return ride to the Colombo airport. The beach had very nice sand, and you could walk out in the water quite a way. The heat and humidity were hard to handle, but with the pool, ocean, and AC room, it was always available to cool off. The wifi wasn't great. I planned to spend as much time as possible offline anyhow, but, unfortunately my husband had daily work calls, and often had to sit outside in the heat to get a connection.

Staff were amazing. Breakfast was a feast. The restaurant at night was lovely and ate there 3 out of 5 nights. It had an amazing beach with loungers and a pool. Was a short tuktuk ride from shops, ATM and dive centres. Bathroom was massive and the bedroom was comfy. Fresh bottles of water was provided daily and beach towels.

If you’re looking for a smallish resort right next to glorious sandy beaches and a calm, warm ocean to swim in, this is the place for you. The resort has its own restaurant offering a wide array of western and local food. Breakfast most days is a straightforward buffet, but on one day it was a set breakfast of fruit, eggs (I had omelette) and various breads and jams. The room we were in was well appointed; excellent air conditioning (although our bathroom was not air conditioned), bottles of drinking water topped up each day. There’s a stocked mini bar which you pay for - we didn’t use this because the restaurant bar was so close and open whenever we needed it. The staff are all helpful and attentive. The resort has a great view of Pigeon Island and offers a fascinating opportunity to watch local fisherman spend literally hours in the sweltering heat and sun landing catches of fish. The resort is about 25 mins drive up the coast from Trinco centre, so it’s not especially convenient if you want to have a mix of beach, exploring and sightseeing. The resort reception will arrange taxis or tuks if you want to do this. Overall, an excellent location if you want rest, relaxing next to a wonderful beach and sea.

An excellent experience. As a Sri Lankan, who has had the opportunity of traveling widely around the world, I was extremely happy and proud to experience the excellent quality of service at Nilaveli Beach Resort, on my own little island home. The resort is located north of the ancient Sinhalese port of Gokanna (Modern name Trikunamalaya or Trincomalee) and is just on the beach with the famous 'pigeon island' nature reserve in clear view across the water. The beach was excellent as was the ocean during our stay from 24th to 28th June 2024. The common areas, such as the dining room, bar and pool are extremely well laid out and tastefully designed and the rooms very comfortable and well equipped. The layout of the chalets is such that we had an excellent view of the Ocean and could reach the beach or any of the other spaces in the resort in less than 2 minutes. Besides the location, and quality of the rooms and common facilities, one of the most significant aspects of the resort was the extremely high quality of service. The Check-in was very efficient with the Asst Manager Mr Senthuran, and his staff Mr Abishek and Mr Dilshan executing the required formalities quickly and courteously - they were also very helpful in answering all my questions about arranging a few diving tours to the nearby reefs and other queries. The luggage had been neatly placed in the room by the time we reached it, and the cleaning staff were always prompt and efficient in cleaning up the room during the stay and displayed genuine concern. The options for lunch and dinner were quite varied and extremely well prepared, while the design, furnishing and ambience of the dining area and bar was excellent as was the service of the restaurant staff. A very special thank you to the Chef Mr Duminda and the waiters Mr Channa, Mr Janaka and Mr Lakshan who went the proverbial 'extra mile' to enhance the experience; always with a smile - Outstanding quality of service. A few diving trips were facilitated efficiently, and the time both on the beach, pool and Ocean was made all the better by the very well maintained and conveniently placed facilities (outdoor bathrooms/ showers etc). This review would not be complete without a special note of appreciation to the on site manager Mr John Coulton, who appeared to be truly hands on, constantly on the move, engaging with the guests and monitoring the service. He went out of his way, to source a small roll of masking tape I needed for a water colour I wanted to do during the stay and was always ready to help. Overall, an extremely enjoyable time and I look forward to staying here again in the future. I have no hesitation in giving this resort five stars.