Golden Star Beach Hotel in Negombo

We stayed at Golden Star Beach Resort for two nights at the beginning of our trip and one night at the end, and unfortunately it was a very disappointing experience. There was almost no water pressure in the shower — it was impossible to properly wash your hair. The air conditioning made a very sharp, disturbing noise throughout the night. The hotel feels very outdated and poorly maintained overall. The reception staff were not friendly and communication was very poor. Although our booking was correctly and timely confirmed by our tour operator for a twin room with sea view, they acted as if they were unaware of it. There was no sense of responsibility or willingness to help. The first room we were given was slightly better, but still far from acceptable. The breakfast was okay, with a good buffet selection. On our first evening, our tour operator had offered us a seafood menu, and this was reconfirmed that same evening. However, it still appeared on our bill, which was very disappointing and unprofessional. I would not recommend this hotel, especially not to start or end your trip here. It certainly does not leave a good impression

Our experience at this hotel was extremely disappointing. We stayed for one night on a half-board basis, and the food was nothing short of terrible. The lunch was a complete letdown—bland, unappetizing, and lacking variety. To make matters worse, the only dessert option was a poorly made fruit salad, which did nothing to redeem the meal. The overall quality of the food was far below expectations, making our stay even more unpleasant. We would not recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a satisfying dining experience.

Horrid hotel experience. I’ve stayed in my poor hotels over the years and this was truly awful. Unless there are two Golden Star hotels in Negombo this doesn’t remotely resemble the photos. We arrived to find enormous cockroaches in the bathroom. The mattresses are terrible. I am now in bed at 01:30am with a group of very loud men shouting and singing (and drumming) in the pool and in the corridors. There are at least 20 of them. They have banged our door very loudly around ten times (I lost count) and they tried our door handle twice which is very scary if they’re as drunk as they sound. We called reception who clearly could not control these men. My husband went down to reception and they said they couldn’t reach the manager (I understand he/she eventually came). Our two children were woken up and scared. It went on for 2 hours. The beach is disgusting - full of rubbish and smells. Not necessarily the hotel’s fault but the location. There is a smell of sewage hanging around the place. Very few staff speak English. The receptionist who welcomed us spoke English but no one else did including in the restaurant or during the night when we were struggling with the noise. I had wanted to believe the good reviews and ignore the bad ones avoid but I’m afraid the bad ones are accurate. Please stay elsewhere.

First of all, the location is a 20-minute walk from the bus stop. I made a reservation thinking it was close to the airport, but that was my mistake. Even if you take a taxi, it takes over 30 minutes to get to the airport. When I asked the price of the hotel airport drop service, I was told it was 6,000 rupees. Uber taxi did not cost 1,000 rupees.

The swimming pool was completely different from what it looked like on the reservation site.
I didn't even go to the swimming pool because it was small and the quality of the previous beds was poor.
It is difficult to use the balcony privately as there is no wall between it and the room next to it.

The variety of food served at breakfast is very poor.
The only food that can be called the main dish is curry.
Flies are sitting on the displayed bread and filling their stomachs.

And I made a reservation for 2 days, but they said I was only booked for 1 day and told me to vacate the room and leave. Without even bothering to check my reservation, they told me to leave because the system only had one day left and the reservation had already been filled by another guest. Although it is a fairly expensive hotel in Sri Lanka, it is not a hotel with the same level of service and quality. An impressive and unfriendly man sits at the front desk, which is the face of the hotel.

When I looked around Negombo, there were many hotels. Don't just choose here.