Well, our stay at the Riff Hikkaduwa ended as it started, with disappointment.
We arrived at the airport and looked for our pre-booked transfer, we couldn’t see it. We then had to go and buy a local SIM card to call the hotel to ask where our driver was, only to be told that we hadn’t booked, we were then told they would get back to us ASAP - by this time (hot, sweaty and nearly an hour after landing), we just said could they sort a ride for us. We then had to go back through all our emails to find our booking and the hotel confirmation of said booking (the hotel should have done this). They then agreed that it was their error and covered the cost of the transfer. Didn’t really deal with the fact that instead of arriving calm and cool we were hot and sweaty and fed up after a three hour journey in a basic van.
We finally arrived at the hotel and the location is perfect with beautiful views to the ocean. We then had a lovely lunch and all was good.
However, there was more disappointment to come.the service was mediocre when meals ordered only certain items turned up, the food was inconsistent. We had a seafood platter that was practically inedible. Our final disappointment was on our final day, we needed to get to breakfast at 7am (the same time it is every day) to be ready for transport to the airport at 7.30. We were then told we couldn’t eat until 7.30. Hikkaduwa beach is stunning but unless the service is uplifted to 5 star standard I wouldn’t recommend this hotel.