Matale District hotels & places to stay

Drove 4 hours via rental car from Colombo on FriAm and spent Sat/Sun relaxing at Aliya Had planned on playing tourist around the Central Province, but got drawn into the magic of Aliya and spent most my time relaxing on the property Although I did drive east 1.5 hr to see the coast on Sat afternoon and explored the animal preserve One of the highlights was early SatAm jog on trails then through the farm area east of resort, then returning on main road, wildlife and sunrise were nice and just what the doctor ordered Then spent a couple hrs visiting other tourists at the pool and swimming laps, which was the magnetic attraction that drew me in the first place The staff was fantastic and food quality, price, and presentation memorable Thank you

We stayed at Jetwing Lake for four nights and were super happy with the level of service from the Staff. Personally we do not enjoy hotels in general and are more fun if holiday rentals. However the staff make all the difference for a five star hotel. They were super helpful and we even had a nice chat with bar people, reception staff,. They accommodated breakfast to be delivered to our room as my husband was sleeping late. That was so sweet of them. The hotel grounds are beautiful as you can see the mountain and lake full of lotus flowers. The reception area is beautiful and at the time we seen many baby monkeys playing in the trees. Pool is huge. Rooms are well designed especially bathrooms. We did take the superior room which seems more comfy. Unfortunately the bar closes very early around 11pm and this makes hotel very quite, but I suppose this is the case with most five star hotels in secluded areas.

We stayed for a night in order to go up Sigiriya very early in the morning, which it was perfect for as literally around the corner. Also right next to a whole strip of restaurants which was very convenient. It's beautifully decorated in colonial style. We booked it as was much cheaper than some other hotels in the area but honestly don't know why as really was lovely! Having since traveled around Sri Lanka it was one of our favourites & really think it needs to increase its price for what you get. Staff also very friendly. Note: you need to book driver accommodation in advance though as can be fully booked. Only downside is shower didn't drain well at all, but think this is something that they are working on.

Signature = (luxury?) part of Amaya Lake. Fantastic room (for 3 persons, incl teenage daughter), in splendid gardens at lakeside, with plenty of birds & some small wildlife. Nice pools : 1 big (Amaya Lake?) and 1 a bit calmer (Signature?) Nice main restaurant (buffet), and also a very romantic (Signature side?) à la carte at poolside (with stars in the sky & in the pool) WiFi was 'OK, not fantastic' (or is that fantastic ;-) ?) A pitty we only booked 2 nights, I would have stayed longer, yet our round trip planning was booked. Perhaps (one of) the best hotels in Sri Lanka.

Stayed for 3 nights in April during Sinhalese new year. Beautiful location and super friendly staff. Specially would like to mention Dhanuska who was based in restaurant. Breakfast was good and the hotel did a good job to manage during festive season. Even had a special table with new year foods. Also they let you use the pool til 9pm which is a plus point. Pool side is next to a paddy field which is really unique. Overall great experience. Only issue we found was during the booking, the hotel was not aware about Agoda bookings as it's handled by a 3rd party. However this was sorted later on.

Although the place is quite expensive, it is just amazing!!! no wonder it is almost always booked. We booked the romantic chalet and it is just breath taking. The whole room is made of glass with a private dipping pool and complete privacy. This is ideal for a romantic getaway (If price is not the factor for you) Agoda gives the best price for booking at this retreat. The common pool was recently opened and is filled with natural spring water. It is so clean that you can actually drink the water (yes, you could even drink the water!!!) there are not even traces of chlorine and you will be refreshed after your dip in the pool. All places are accessible using the round the clock golf cart Staff was very helpful and courteous. Chef Dinesh was outstanding. the food he served was the best I have had in Sri Lanka. He goes out of his way to make you feel special. He will even make custom food orders for you as per your taste. If I ever visit Sri Lanka I will definitely not miss this place.

After staying in a lot of budget accommodation on Sri Lanka this hotel was a welcome luxury. The pool was huge and our children enjoyed it very much. Head of Food and Beverage had outstanding customer service and made us feel so welcome. We ended up staying an extra day. Only criticism is that the room wasn’t serviced daily and supplies of coffee, toilet paper, etc. were not replenished. I am not sure if this is normal practice in Sri Lanka. Hotel Manager and staff in general were accommodating, so I am sure that they would have resupplied if we had have asked.

i have been living in sri lanka for about 6 months and a friend came to visit. during his stay, we did some traveling around the country. our last two nights were spent at the jetwing vil uyana. i had booked a "standard" room, which is different from the bungalow type rooms that are more common on the premises (and more expensive). our "standard" room was a great value and was anything but standard. the room was beautiful and large with comfortable beds. the bathroom was a beautiful open space with a great soaking tub and wonderful open air rain shower. each room feels secluded and is surrounded by the natural environment. this is a very peaceful and tranquil location. i think nature lovers will really appreciate it. the food was not cheap but very good. very high quality and some of the best i've had in sri lanka. the pool and common areas were also very comfortable and inviting.

the elephant corridor is a unique and amazing hotel. the rooms are individual bungalows that are well furnished and appointed, each with high ceilings, huge windows and a private drop-in pool. the hotel sits on 200 acres of nature preserved, with walking paths and facilities that nestle nicely into the surroundings. the hotel is set back from the road, so getting in and out is a chore, but otherwise is close to historical and cultural sites, a near by town, etc. the restaurant has a striking view of sigiriya rock, and serves gourmet food. the menu changes daily and is always divine. the food is so good, you forget how much it costs. nothing is particularly cheap at this hotel, but nothing about the hotel is particularly cheap.

We made a mistake and booked our accommodation for March and not Feb - they could not have been more accommodating. They were closed for the night (all the main staff had gone home) however they were really generous and opened it up for us. The place itself is magical, in the evening the sound of insects and animals is deafening... in a great way. The outdoor bathroom is an experience, the room is split level and there is a TV placed upstairs. Even though they are two star, their attention to detail (in the design) and service makes it more of a 4 star. P.S the hotel is at the end of long bumpy road, but bear with it as it is totally worth it.

The little resort is a nicely maintained paradise with ecological background. It consists of several high level bungalows in a large garden, which are cleaned twice a day and give you a homely jungle feeling. There are many animals (wild monkeys, birds, lizards, peacocks, chickens, etc...) and the casual elefant (once a year (,-)) coming by in front of your terrace or the cool pool and you could stay there alone for 2 weeks without getting bored. The cooks are doing an awesome job in preparing 3-star cuisine with the home-grown vegetables and try always to give you new insights in the local plants and how to cook them. Its also very interesting to visit the friendly gardener and let him show you herbs and plants, which are on your plate in the evening. Best food on our three weeks journey through Sri Lanka for a very low price if I consider the level. But there are many more things to do. The local Naturalist Dhilip De Alwis will take you on an early morning stroll with bird watching in the area around the near lake. We saw many species (Hawk-Eagle, Sea-Hawk, Oriole, Kingfisher....) Just check out his photographs on National Geographic to get a first impression. The manager is also very helpful in organising trips to the National Parks (e.g. Elephants in Minneriya) or to the historical sites of the Cultural Triangle for a reasonable price. One member of the staff, Kushan, was doing Tuktuk-tours with us to Dambulla and Pidurangala Rock (Skip Sigiriya and climb Pidurangala if you are physically fit enough, much better!). He was very helpful and friendly and it was always nice to have him around. Thank you very much for an awesome stay! Johanna & Florian

We are staying for 3 weeks in sri lanka and so far this is without a doubt THE BEST hotel we did. Its VERY clean everywhere, everything is Maitnanced well, pool is never overcrowed and staff is very friendly and helpful ! Breakfast is ok so is diner. Only thing would be the shower it was leaking and not much pressure but i'm thinking this is typical here we sax this litterally in Each hotel. Would definetly recommend this one!

Modern hotel, super clean and within minutes from Lion's Rock. Close to some shops and restaurants. Great food both at breakfast and dinner. Staff at reception is kind but need to be more proactive at giving info and assisting customers, as we inquired about doing a safari nearby and they did not help to book it. The hotel does not have WiFi in the rooms, so you can only access Internet in the lobby. Dinner buffet does not include drinks so bear that in mind, cause it was not explained to us properly.

The hotel is in very nice location next to the Giritale lake surrounded by natural beauty. Most of the rooms have been recently re-furbished and others are currently being re-furbished. The room we had was facing the lake, was very spacious and included outdoor area. The 5 course dinner at the restaurant was extremely well presented in fine dining style, much better than many of the 5 star hotels we have stayed at. We had planned to stay only 1 day on our way from Pasikudah to Colombo and were sorry we couldn't stay longer. They also arrange wild-life safaris to see elephants in the wild but we did not have enough time for this activity.

Garden look, great location, well maintained, and the natural feel you would like to have. We really enjoyed our stay here for the excellent rooms, room service, spaciousness, and above all the personalized service that the management gave us. You know that you that the resort is serious about customer service and customer experience when the general manager himself gets up and takes personal attention to the needs of each guest. This is the kind of service we got. On the price point it might seem a little on the pricier side, which it may be, but its absolutely great value for your money. By far the best stay we have had in Srilanka. Will come again and recommend to others.

We stayed in Cassandra for 3 nights and had the most fantastic experience due to the excellence of the staff of the hotel. In particular, the main manager, Shihan, could not do enough for us - nothing was too much trouble! He gave us great insight about the local area, best ways to see everything nearby in the most cost effective way as well as him allowing us to be shown how to make a Lentil Dahl by Chef Pryanthan (the most fantastic chef) and it was by far the best in all 15 we tried in Sri Lanka. The breakfast is also to die for - they can do wonderful things with eggs. Do not stay anywhere else as you will not find somewhere that is better run or is better value - plus it is very nice to be out of the centre of nearby towns surrounded by only the sounds of monkeys! It is the quality of the people and the management there that make it excellent - we felt it was really our home for a few days - well done and thank you to Shihan and Chef Pryanthan (sorry if misspelt!)! The hotel in itself has very modern rooms with luxurious fixtures and fittings (robes and slippers included) as well as a lovely setting and pool area. They can also organise very good value taxis/tuktuks for you.

If you're after some peace and quiet and to enjoy the tranquility of nature, look not further. The villas are separated from one another which gives you the feeling of complete seclusion. I had the two-storey villa which had a balcony on the second floor with a view of the lake which was great to wake up to. Kumar and his team are incredibly friendly (as were most people that I encountered in Sri Lanka!), and were particularly helpful in arranging the best mode of transport to my next destination. I will certainly stay again on my next trip to the area and would certainly recommend this to fellow travellers looking for peace and quiet.

All tho we had a pleasant enough stay this place is not for everyone. We had a trouble finding it and couldn't ring for directions as agoda didn't provide us with the phone number of the property. Location is quite remote so it depends what are you looking for. Rooms are spacious, unique and clean however I found them bit too dark. Pool area was bit too shady for my likes as well and could do with a little bit of love. The staff was absolutely fantastic and it was the highlight of my stay, the food was extraordinary. I would recommend if you are looking for a quiet place away from the crowd.

Arrived to a friendly welcome, given a cold flannel ,drink and asked to light the " candles. Check in quite quick and hassle free . Location was in a wonderful setting . Room, a big let down ,even being very big ,with working Air Con. Firstly thr he view from balcony is non existent ,due the the tree branches ,not being trimmed back a little ,yes its in a Jungle setting,but if you lived here, you would trim them a little .Secondly attention to Detail,, No tea spoon in room,so the jus got one from next room,now leaving that room without one ,Thirdly . TV far TOO small and too far away from bed from to hear .. ISwimming Pool unusable ,dirty water ,I informed front office at 16.50 on day of arrive and had to do do again at 13.30 next day ,so no swim possible ,due to going on a tour . Yes this hotel is only in its ' first season' ,only being open 5 months or so ,but it cannot justify its high charges,and not provide tte service , only around 5 rooms occupied,due to end if season, but no excuse for the non acceptable service, no one at pool bar , no drinks be seen, If I am paying 1 hundred dollars a night,then I really do expect to get my money worth,will I feel I did not ,the only redeeming feature, was the 2 young Ladies on reception,most helpful ,pleasant and a assest to hotel ,maybe these Ladies should be promoted, because they where the only ones with csnyvtrue understanding of " gursts' expectations and needs . I wish the hotel success ,a lovely setting ,but it needs to address it's policies and introduce done firm of refresher courses to its staff,but of MOST of all ' higher management' needs to rethink it's policies and training ,not acceptable for the current money charged . Overall ..A very disappointingly stay in a hotel which does not know it's own identify and it making many basic mistakes, tighing up the mistakes, and not by apologising ( which they never over pool) but by doing things before.they need to be reported .

If you want to enjoy sights like sigiriya, dambulla or polonnaruwa, but without the hustle - Rice villa is the place to be. Very nicely situated in a rice field, you can enjoy nature and tranquility. The owner can arrange easy transports to all the sights of the region as well as tranfer to colombo airport. THe staff is very friendly and we really felt at home; they where awesome with our kid (4 years old) and last but not least - Rice villa had hans down the best currys that we ate in Sri lanka. We stayed at many guesthouses and homestays with homecooked meals, but rice villa really had the best food.

One of the nicest places we have staying in Sri Lanka. The hotel is a 10/15 min walk from the town, but there is a 5min shortcut to the bus station. Hotel offers free transport into town, (if you don't want to eat dinner in the hotel) and to the Dambulla Caves. Breakfast is great and so was dinner. Rooms very clean. Staff are very friendly and advise on local attractions. But it was great to have a pool to relax in after cultural tours.