After a 10–13 hour flight from Australia via KL, Singapore or Doha, the last thing you want is a three-hour transfer. Club Hotel Dolphin is 12 minutes from the airport. By the time your taxi pulls in, your first poolside Lion Lager is being poured.
This is the smartest bookend hotel in Sri Lanka. Aussies who try to drive straight to Sigiriya on arrival regret it — landing at 6am Colombo time means your body is on Australian time, wanting a swim and a sleep, not a road trip.
The pool is enormous — one of the longest hotel pools on the island — and runs the length of the beach. There's a swim-up bar, an adults-only section, and three restaurants if you don't feel like leaving.
Stay one night on arrival, two nights on the way back. Negombo's lagoon catamaran tour at sunset is a beautiful first taste of Sri Lankan fishing culture, and the seafood at the hotel's Catch restaurant is straight off those boats.
Family travelling? The kids' pool and dedicated kids' menu mean you actually get to read a book.
Book a late checkout on departure day — you can use the gym, pool and restaurants until 6pm before a midnight Australia-bound flight.
Is this the right Sri Lankan stay for you?
- First and last night of any Sri Lanka trip
- Families with young kids
- Anyone who wants to recover from the flight