Heritage Villa Colombo 7 — Hotel in Colombo

Let me start with saying the rooms looked very nice and were clean, so there was nothing wrong with that. There was a mosquito net, AC, hot water, nice garden and you're allowed to use the kitchen (which we didnt do, but the possibility is there if you want).

The check-in however, was very bad, as also said in another review. We came from the airport, and as soon as we found an Uber to the hotel, I messaged our arrivel time on WhatsApp, as asked. When we arrived however, there was noone there. We called and the man handling the check-in said we should wait at a coffee house nearby, and it would only be 15 minutes. Unfortunately, we had to wait 1,5 hours before he arrived, 2 hours after my first message announcing our arrival time. This annoyed us quite a bit, as we were very tired from our flight. He did apologize many times, and even offered to pay for our food at the coffee house (which we declined, as that also didnt feel right). His excuses was that he had dinner (which makes sense given the time, but 2 whole hours?) and that he was also very tired as he hadn't slept in a 3 days due to different check-in times (which kinda sounds like exploitation to us if thats true, as I believe he wasnt the owner himself).

Anyway, the room itself was good and clean. The neighbourhood is safe, though a bit expensive due to many foreigners. Viharamahadevi Park is nearby and beautiful, for the city centre you're better of taking a TukTuk. But the check-in could definitely use work, as it apparently wasn't the first time this happened. Maybe a key lockbox or better communication is an improvement that would've made this a 4 or even 5 star...

Long story short: rude owner. I dont recommend.

when we booked we got automatic confirmation, the next day the message came: "we are closed" (but no cancellation of booking from their side), so we got confused, called, owner said: okay, come.

we put the estimated time of arrival. we came to the place, called, he said: he would be in 10 min. when after 30 min i called again, he said: 10 min more. after an hour he arrived it was 9 pm. (he said the car broke, but could a person be honest about time before?)

also several times he pointed out that he was coming "only because of us". (that's just ridiculous when a person rents out their stuff on booking.)

the owner asked for money before he even showed us a room. (the bed was weird: could be made of pallets, it was squeaky.) The owner said if we didnt like we could go and he would give us money back. (no comments)

we needed to go to the supermarket and the owner said that the entrance to the villa would be closed at 11 pm, for security reasons, so not possible to enter after.

There were other small things and in total it made the whole impression.

The room was different than in the photos (no desk). The kitchen is not really usable (even if it was listed on booking). No stove working. The cutlery was like: couple of forks and spoons, a bowl and rusty looking cutting board.

The pluses: the quiet location, a/c, fan, tidy bathroom, clean bed...

Great location, spotless, responsive house manager.

I was looking for somewhere central, clean, and reasonably-priced, and Heritage Villa 7 checked all the boxes. I did my homework and would like to address other reviews: -Price: yes it can be up to 2 times the price of other options in Colombo, but these tend to be in the suburbs. The great thing about Heritage Villa is that you can step out and grab breakfast, supper, any essential item, or hail a tuktuk in a few minutes. And it is quiet! Other options offering this convenience are in fact pricier. -Amenities: it is sparse but I can understand why. Most guests do not stay for too long (I myself booked 2 nights), and the amenities provided are just what we need. -House manager: I will admit that leading up to my check-in, the correspondence with Mr Sanj had an unexpected sassy vibe. However, after meeting him in person it is just that - sass and a quick, good-humored mind. More importantly, I found him to be responsive, understanding, and flexible. -"Texas Chainsaw": while in Colombo I got to visit a couple of other mid century town homes, and honestly they have similar colors and patina, and are actually less...