Pigeon Island Beach Resort — Hotel in Sri Lanka

Pigeon Island Beach Resort was supposed to be our romantic accommodation in Nilaveli for 3 nights. Upon arrival we quickly found out that the name Robben Island Prison Complex seemed more a more suitable name. The lobby was filled with people using their mobile phones while sitting on cheap uncomfortable couches. It felt like the country had just become entangled in an armed conflict and these people were trying to get the last plane tickets out of the country. We then found out that the hotel lobby was the only place with Wifi acces. Within 15 minutes we were sitting on the same couches, planning our escape.||Our checkin process was interrupted by a British tourist claiming he wanted to cancel his reservation because the resort was not meeting his expectations. This appeared to be a sign on the wall, but I was still hopeful. After the checkin we walked outside to our room and were greeted by a hideous smell, that reminded me of a dirty zoo. We quickly found out that te place was infested with monkeys, trying rob the guests of their food, like a bunch of Russian street mobsters. The facade of the hotelroom had the allure of cheap roadside murder motel. After opening the door and expecting one or two dead bodies, the dirty stain on our bed, wobbling ceiling fan and 1970’s tv came as a relief.||The pool area and bar looked as if they were abandoned in a hurry, more then a decade ago. There was no furniture surrounding the pool, except for the distopic twoseater shown in the foto. The pool bar looked more like a makeshift surgery room then a bar.||By the time we had arrived at the beach, the smell had become less strong and we could finally smell the ocean. The beach area itself however seemed like a very sad place. There were some old banana leaf umbrellas and the extremely old and worn beds had no cushions or anything. That didnt even matter because there were only a few and they were all occupied.||We decided to leave and made clear we were ready for our checkout. The hotel staff offered a complementary dinner. But the flickering light and tasteless dinner area did not change our minds||Overall, the place felt like the owners had given up on the place and did not care about maintenance. Every aspect was worn and run down. Ive visited hospitals with more charm then this place. Save your money, there are plenty of good alternatives for this...

Pigeon Island Beach Resort was supposed to be our romantic accommodation in Nilaveli for 3 nights. Upon arrival we quickly found out that the name Robben Island Prison Complex seemed more a more suitable name. The lobby was filled with people using their mobile phones while sitting on cheap uncomfortable couches. It felt like the country had just become entangled in an armed conflict and these people were trying to get the last plane tickets out of the country. We then found out that the hotel lobby was the only place with Wifi acces. Within 15 minutes we were sitting on the same couches, planning our escape.

Our checkin process was interrupted by a British tourist claiming he wanted to cancel his reservation because the resort was not meeting his expectations. This appeared to be a sign on the wall, but I was still hopeful. After the checkin we walked outside to our room and were greeted by a hideous smell, that reminded me of a dirty zoo. We quickly found out that te place was infested with monkeys, trying rob the guests of their food, like a bunch of Russian street mobsters. The facade of the hotelroom had the allure of cheap roadside murder motel. After opening the door and expecting one or two dead bodies, the dirty stain on our bed, wobbling ceiling fan and 1970’s tv came as a relief.

The pool area and bar looked as if they were abandoned in a hurry, more then a decade ago. There was no furniture surrounding the pool, except for the distopic twoseater shown in the foto. The pool bar looked more like a makeshift surgery room then a bar.

By the time we had arrived at the beach, the smell had become less strong and we could finally smell the ocean. The beach area itself however seemed like a very sad place. There were some old banana leaf umbrellas and the extremely old and worn beds had no cushions or anything. That didnt even matter because there were only a few and they were all occupied.

We decided to leave and made clear we were ready for our checkout. The hotel staff offered a complementary dinner. But the flickering light and tasteless dinner area did not change our minds

Overall, the place felt like the owners had given up on the place and did not care about maintenance. Every aspect was worn and run down. Ive visited hospitals with more charm then this place. Save your money, there are plenty of good alternatives for this...

The resorts diving center gave a price which changed on our return prior to paying. I disputted and got original price.The room  was more than basic and did not match the offer on the site.  No mini bar, no hair dryer. No TV, a dirty floor and bath mat. Smell of sewage in bathroom . No sign of billards table tennis etc. The playground resembled the flash back sarah conner has in terminator 2 when the nuclear bomb hits. To top it all off the head board base is 2 x 4" wide which when trying to sleep on the one skinny pillow each was just above your head. As you had to get in bed in the dark due to light switch location I did not notice this.  During the night I sat up and split my head open. Also the beds mattress which was two singles pushed together was the exact opposite of comfort. I would liken it to laying on a towel on the broken coral on pidgeon island and that's being generous.   Lots of broken glass in the sand as you walk on their property past the playground hit by skynets cyberdyne missile attack.  Also at breakfast i noticed the kitchen enterence door which had once been white and now looked like  the wall in a prison cell after a dirty protest. |. This was touched by all staff entering the kitchen which I dare not even contemplate imagining so we skipped breakfast. Almost Zero warer pressure. I had to wash shower gel of in the sea. On return to our room after eating elsewhere the header tank in the loft was overflowing and pouring water down the stairs via the ceilig. Lastly and I've probably missed some other gems of quaintness  but in Sri Lanka they provide accommodation for your driver. Our driver was appalled at the state of his which he expected to be basic but the level of hygiene was shocking.  If ours was for paying guests then I dread to think.  We looked at other accommodations which were a quarter of the price and we're far superior . I would expect a refund for this as it was not...