Coral Rock gets a makeover; emerges bigger, better and stronger

By Kshanika Argent

As recently as little over a year ago, Coral Rock was no different from a few other small, run down beachside hotels in Hikkaduwa. After the tsunami and years of neglect, the small establishment fell into an almost blasé state, happy to get by with whatever came their way.

This would be the story of most Hikkaduwa hotel’s lives. And being a laidback backpacker’s paradise only made backpackers fall harder for the clean beaches, coral reefs, turtle breeding grounds, rivers, restaurants and a vibrant nightlife that rivals Colombo’s on any given day: All of this at more affordable prices than neighbouring coastal towns has long made up for shabby accommodation.

But times are changing. With the rebranding of other hotels in the area to offer up more chic and upmarket holiday experiences, Hikkaduwa’s image is fast transforming from that of a budget junkie’s haven to a more sophisticated, and sometimes pricier, destination.

But getting back to Coral Rock: In the words of its General Manager Manilal Wijesekara, the hotel was in a “spot of trouble” before being bought over by Dilrukshi Perera, given an architectural overhaul by one of Channa Daswatte’s own assistants, Manomi de Silva, and then further strengthened in management by Amaya Resorts, leaving the once foreboding structure on Hikkaduwa’s main road now almost unrecognisable.

I say this because I had the good fortune of staying at this very hotel only three years ago (shabby travel planning left me with little choice) and I still wake in a cold sweat from nightmares of bad rooms, bad food and overall bad service. Some things one never forgets. But to return to it now: I eat my words for writing the hotel off.

Total makeover

The old garishly, mottled black exterior is replaced with a friendly cream shade, floors smoothly polished over with cool cement, a tacky blue interior now a bright white and just a few other colours and antique pieces to give off a clean, airy and spacious feel to what is still a relatively small hotel.

Wijesekara explained that the hotel, after the buy-over, was stripped down to its basic frame, built from scratch with a ‘cut and polish’ theme, its interior filled with quality wooden furniture and a few antique pieces personally chosen, at a cost of over Rs. 100 million.

And the welcome is as friendly as the new colours: Little things like a cold, perfumed towel and fruity drink on arrival goes a long way after an hour’s drive, even on the new Southern Expressway. The lobby leads almost directly to a shaded, infinity pool beside a sun deck, which overlooks the ocean and is literally a hop’s distance from the sand and waves. The second floor of the hotel has spotlights that shine beacons directly on to the ocean ahead, ideal for party occasions like New Year’s Eve.

Wijesekara joined the establishment in July this year. He has previously worked at giant hotel establishments including Inter Continental Australia. He says that one of the hotel’s biggest standout points is that it is one of the few, if not only, boutique hotel to offer such close and direct access to a clean, safe stretch of beach.

A quieter experience

He went on to speak of Coral Rock as a place that offers a ‘quieter’ experience than its counterparts, adding that for all its spiffy new look, a lot more “tinkering” is being carried out in way of adding more pieces of art to its spacious white walls.

Now, every travel review on a beach will tell you of serene and breathtakingly beautiful views of golden sandy beaches. Hikkaduwa is far from serene. The town has been the heart of the coastal party for as long as anyone cares to remember. However, Wijesekara is right in stating that the hotel does offer one thing few others do: Peace and quiet on the inside. A haven of finer things – rainwater showers, flat screen TV, air conditioning (goes without saying, but with ‘softer’ air), hot water, big comfy beds, big comfy pillows and surprisingly fine quality linen. It’s the little details that Coral Rock pays attention to and gets right.

Imagine a place of absolute stillness and comfort to come back to after a night of heavy revelry at Mambo’s or International. According to Perera, at the heart of refurbishing Coral Rock, elegance was key and it’s elegance you get. That’s the kind of place Coral Rock is. It’s also a place for the quieter, party-weary traveller.

Should turtle feeding be more your thing, it’s just a five minute beach walk away, where turtles as old as 85 are lured to shore by seasoned fishermen, for you to feed seaweed to. Glass bottom boat rides take you to the edge of a reef where you can spot a multitude of colourful fish that break the water’s edge if one goes armed with some bread. The beachside from one end to the other is scattered with restaurants, pubs and souvenir shops.

Growing popularity

As this copy’s being typed, the hotel has been open just over three weeks, and is already received a considerable amount of bookings.

Of course, a place like this doesn’t come cheap. Everything from towels and linen, furniture and bathroom fittings are of surprisingly high quality. Something that management strives to offers its guests in all aspects and not just in the form of physical appearance but down to food and beverages, service, facilities and safety.

The amenities include adequate parking, a 24-hour service, flexibility in its menu – which offers Western, Thai, Chinese and local cuisine at a restaurant which can seat up to 60 (overseen by Head Chef Sudarshan Weerasinghe) – a play room for kids, a second bar and soon-to-be-opened spa, gym, underground discotheque and road-side coffee shop. Packages are available for the traveller who wants exploration and a bit more adventure from the area.  A room with a sea view comes at a starting price of Rs. 23,000 on double, full board and Rs. 20,000 on the same basis for a room with no sea view. The hotel also has two family rooms (connecting rooms). Hosting high tea is on the cards as well as an undertaking of another beachside hotel property.

So a day and night back in Hikkaduwa after years proved that the little hotel could and that a once humble town is slowly but surely being reinvented.