Check In
Jetwing Lagoon! What a beautiful location in Negombo, Sri Lanka! Staying here is an amazing experience and one that I will never forget. The location is key to this experience as it is located in between the quiet surroundings of Negombo Lagoon and Indian Ocean. As soon as I arrived after my long journey, the wonderful staff greeted me in the openly planned lobby area with a cold napkin and allowed me to freshen up before I check in.
Getting off of a plane after a long flight is quite uncomfortable as I have been sitting for hours and feeling a little gross but their hospitality is one that helps you clean right up! The swimming pool is one of the best attractions that I have seen as it is about two times the length of an Olympic pool! A 100-meter swimming pool with the rooms located on either side of it.
The Olympic sized swimming pool and rooms on either sides (Photo Source – Jetwing Hotels)
One thing that is not so satisfying is that the hotel is very close to the airport so there are a lot of commercial airlines flying over but that does not take away from the experience. It does however mean that you have a very short ride from the airport to the hotel.
Breakfast
One of the best things about the hotel is the diversity of the breakfast buffet. It includes Western, Sri Lankan, some Chinese, and a host of fruits and continental stuff.
My breakfast at Jetwing Lagoon – Starting from boiled egg (left to right) Pol Roti, Bean Sauce, Hash Brown, Chicken Curry, Pol Sambol, String Hoppers & in between Fish Curry and Chinese Omelette.
Bawa Suite
This hotel is one of the first commercial projects of Sri Lanka’s famous Geoffrey Bawa, they put their all into its making. I stayed in the Bawa suite, which was a very massive one. It was not like your ordinary hotel that combines rooms to make one large suite rather it was one single room that equaled a multiple rooms. It was altogether a separate building from the rest of the rooms. There were classical style chairs and tables as well as two separate sofas. There is one couch in the suite, so the maximum occupancy can be just two. The Bawa Suite also provides a table writing & also another for refreshments and a hidden mini bar underneath the table to utilize more space for you to move about.
Bawa Suite – The view from outside
Comfy bed for a relaxing sleep after a long journey
The Bathroom
The bathroom is beautiful and large with transparent glass between the shower and the remaining bathroom area. The bathtub was not a Jacuzzi but it definitely fit my needs just as fine. They also provided a loofah pad that was simply amazing and I could not believe how great the quality was. There was a shaving blade provided but it was a little rough (very far away from Gillette quality). The bathtub fit my needs however the foam that it was to supply was kind of disappointing but there was Epsom salt was a wonderful addition.
Jacuzzi bathtub is what you want when you pay big dollars
One of my favorite things about the suite was the 3D flat-screen TV that provided 25 different TV channels! There is Wi-Fi available in the suite but it was really slow during the day. I believe it was counted to be about 4mbps but it did get a lot better at nighttime. Other assets to the room were an electronic locker that allowed me to store my valuable things in. There was also a hair dryer and an iron box.
Bawa Rooms
A good thing about the hotel is that the Bawa suite is not the only option for the hotel. If you cannot afford the suite you can always go for the Bawa room. It is much similar to the Bawa Suite but is smaller and there is semi open air in the bathroom. Your experience, whether in the suite or in the room, will still be a memorable one regardless of your choice.
Eco Friendly
This hotel is all about saving nature and being eco-friendly so the toiletries that are provided are supplied in small jute bags. There is no use of paper or plastic to harm the environment. The bottles were also made out of clay instead of plastic and to my surprise the water, which was complimentary, was supplied in glass bottles! If you are as eco-friendly as I am, then you will love the fact that twenty-five percent of the electricity is from solar power and the other seventy-five percent was from grid. Water that is waste, is recycled and used for gardening and in the AC system for cooling. Not only is the waste water recycled but food that is considered waste is slowly converted into compost and used to feed the fishes in the small lake and is also used as fertilizer!
Toiletries provided in jute bags
Dining
Enough about the rooming and the eco-friendliness of the hotel, one thing that stood out far beyond anything was the dining experience that I had. When they promote their multicultural and diverse dining I can attest that you are receiving exactly what they are selling to you. There is a pool bar and a main bar for the drinkers and if you are simply there for exquisite dining then Geoffrey’s or Blue Lagoon are two wonderful choices to eat from. Both have wonderful views of the lagoon. Blue Lagoon features styles from the East and the West with seafood specials that are to die for. Not to mention the BBQ was simply amazing. I could not believe how mouth-watering it was and my taste buds were simply delighted. Geoffrey’s is the a-la- Carte option where you will find the Sri Lankan specialties. If you are a traveler, like myself, who loves to experience the local food, then you will definitely want to have a meal at Geoffrey’s! Both bars provide you with the finest of beers, local brews, wines, and many different drinks as I am sure by now you can only imagine.
Blue Lagoon restaurant with great views of Negombo Lagoon (Photo Source – Jetwing Hotels)
Overall Experience
My stay at Jetwing Lagoon is one that I will cherish for a lifetime and will also be sure to experience over again. The atmosphere and the staff are so warm and inviting that it almost felt like I was right at home. I promise you that it is one trip that you will always wish you had taken if you do not take it. I loved the food, the amazing pool, the bars and the dining. All of that combined were just luxurious in combination with the wonderful and beautiful suite and scenery (from the restaurants) that the hotel provided. I give Jetwing Lagoon a high rating and only hope that you will book your next stay there and have the great experience that I had while staying there!
Jetwing Lagoon, Pamunugama Road, Talhena Negombo, Sri Lanka 11500 | jetwinghotels.com
Bookings can be made on Booking.com | Agoda | Hotels.com | Hotelopia
