Exemplary Voyages

We had been staying in small boutique hotels for the most part so to come back to a giant resort was a little shocking. But the breakfast buffet was excellent. The service was good for the most part. It took about 45 minutes for us to check in for some reason which was frustrating. The location right on the beach in front of a nice surf break was fun for our family to surf on. And the convenience of being so close and able to go back and forth to the hotel as needed was great. The only surprise we had was that there was a Sri Lankan full moon holiday during our stay so the hotel didn't serve alcohol that day. These are monthly holidays. That would have been helpful information to disclose when we booked the hotel so we could be made aware ahead of time. Otherwise the resort was lovely.

This was one of the best hotels we've ever stayed in. The location was amazing being in a national park and having animals roaming around the property. But also the service of everyone from the pool to the restuanrat was second to none. We celebrated a birthday and New Year's while there and the staff made it incredibly special. We had some confusion around our safari being booked seperate from the hotel's offered safari and were concerned about leaving for hours without having any breakfast. The hotel provided us with complimentary breakfast snacks to take on the safari so that our kids wouldn't be hungry for 4 hours. They continually went above and beyond to make our stay there very special. Our family all agreed that of the 6 hotels we stayed in during our trip to Sri Lanka, this was by far the best one.

This is a single family house not a hotel. It was very different from any of the other places we stayed during our trip around the island but it was a great change for us. The house was very clean and modern. The views of Ella were incredible. The staff was so friendly and accommodating. They went above and beyond to make our stay enjoyable. The only issue we had were the number of bugs in the house. Because all of the sheets were white, it was really easy to see the bugs. It was a small price to pay for the gorgeous views. My only regret is that we didn't have more there.

A beautiful hotel set high above the city. It had a great view of Kandy and the surrounding area. The rooms were clean and full of character. Just FYI, there were no elephant stables at this resort! The only drawback was the loud noise on the roof at 7am. We asked about the noise and they said it might be the birds. But it was extremely loud and jarring initially.

I wish we had more time at this hotel. We arrived late at night after a full day and left early in the morning. It seemed like a great hotel and they were very accommodating. The resort grounds are beautiful and lush. It was fun watching the monkeys and peacocks all around the resort. The rooms are gorgeous and spacious. The food was delicious and the service all around was 5-star. We would absolutely love to come back one day just to spend more time here.

The steps to the top are no joke! We were definitely winded when we got there, but to see a temple carved into the side of a rock was an impressive site. The temple is actually a series of rooms with different purposes in Buddha statues throughout. It was interesting to observe how this temple has lasted for centuries and been so well maintained. And this site was easy to see on the same day as Sigiriya Rock.

This was a site definitely worth visiting. The views from the top were spectacular. The hike up isn’t too strenuous, but is somewhat steep. It was very neat to see the outlines of where this palace one stood as well as the cave paintings. We really enjoyed visiting this ancient site.

We had a great time navigating this ancient city by bike. Our guy did a great job of explaining each site and the cultural significance. We were able to navigate through the complex with the bikes, quite seamlessly and use back roads too quickly get to each location.

This was such a fun way to see Colombo in a short amount of time. Our guide and drivers were great. They didn’t speak much English, but they were able to take us to the key sites and give us an overview of each place. We were impressed with their ability to drive and navigate in the crazy Colombo traffic! And they also took us to a local place to have dinner at the end of our tour, which was definitely a highlight.

We didn’t get a chance to do this train ride because the train service was disrupted due to the recent typhoon that affected the area. Instead, we did a bike ride and hike to the scenic nine arch Bridge. The bike ride was terrible! It was mostly uphill and our family, while mostly in good shape, all struggled to make it to the top. Our guide, as friendly and accommodating as he was. Rode a scooter, so didn’t have the same issues getting up the hill! He was nice enough to have his nephew switch with our youngest son when he wasn’t able to complete the bike ride. So our son was able to ride on the back of the scooter with him. Once we got to the spot where we could start the hike it was then a 25 minute walk over to the bridge. The bridge was beautiful, but also very crowded. Lots of tourists visiting and taking photos. Definitely a fun and memorable place to take photos and visit while in Sri Lanka. I would avoid the bike ride in the future. I do think we wouldn’t have been able to see the bridge the same way if we were on the train so walking over to it was the better way to get the full experience and take our time.

This was not impressive. We walked through the factory and then sampled one flavor of tea. The tour of the factory took about 15 minutes and then we had another 20 minutes to select and drink our teas. While it was a beautiful drive through the tea plantation area, and nice to be able to stop in and purchase tea bags direct from the plantations, the experience didn’t live up to the description.

The morning safari was fine. There are so many Safari trucks all heading into the park to get in line as soon as it opens. You spend an hour just getting tickets and then getting into line to wait for the park to open. I wish I had known that ahead of time. We saw plenty of animals roaming around, but didn’t see any elephants or leopards unfortunately, we tried diligently to find a leopard for about an hour, but it was elusive. It was a fun tour, but would’ve been better if we were able to see you more animals. Because it had rained the night before many of the animals weren’t out at their normal watering holes because they had plenty of water already.

This was horrible. The boat was a tiny flea infested piece of wood and the rods were sticks with strong. We were eaten alive by mosquitoes and are still itching 2 weeks later. The water looks disgusting and we didn't catch anything. The guide didn't speak English so we had a hard time understanding what he was pointing at or what he was telling us. We turned around after about 30 minutes and went back because we were having such a miserable time.

While the overall setup is nice, the hotel could use freshening up.

Boutique hotel in an old home. Has the charm of an old home, but downsides too e.g. steps to go to the bathroom. The train track runs behind the hotel and it is in a generally crowded area, so can be noisy if you ware sitting outside the room.

Luxurious hotel and rooms. Swimming pool is gorgeous! The food is delicious, but the portions are really large. After our first meal, we shared a single main course.

Exploring the Dambulla Cave Temples was nice, definitely worth seeing, but not mind-blowing. Having traveled a lot and seen other similar sites, it felt representative of what I've seen before. Still, a good experience overall.

This was the highlight of our trip!

The Hilton Yala Resort was simply incredible. The hospitality, food, location, and service were all exceptional. The resort's location in the forest allowed us to see elephants, monkeys, and even a crocodile right from the property. The newness of the resort added to its charm, making it my preferred choice over other accommodations during our trip.

Visiting the Kanneliya Rainforest was a highlight of our trip. The early morning hike was perfectly organized with a knowledgeable guide, allowing us to explore various plant species and see snakes. The walk to the waterfalls was breathtaking, and we captured some beautiful photos there.

The afternoon safari at Yala National Park was unforgettable. We had almost given up hope of seeing a leopard when, just fifteen minutes before leaving, we spotted a huge one lying on the ground, staring right at us. Capturing that moment was magical and a testament to the wonders of Yala.

The morning safari in Yala National Park was a beautiful experience even though we didn't see everything we hoped for. We saw elephants, buffalo, and some amazing birds, which were fantastic.

Excellent location. Hotel was a former villa with a nice swimming pool. Great staff. Well decorated and very comfortable rooms with 4-poster bed and mosquito net. Very good breakfast.

Excellent location near Victoria Park. Very good food and interesting a history of the hotel.

Fantastic hotel!!! Great rooms, excellent food and wonderful design and location. Very good staff. The only negative is the very slow and bumpy access road to the hotel.

Good hotel but too far from the center of the city.

The train ride from Kandy was excellent. Comfortable and scenic. Good visit to a tea plantation and a nice walk around Victoria park (some excellent birds in the park).

The temple of the tooth was fascinating. However, it would have been better to visit during a puja so that we could also see the temple drumming.

The 1000 year old ruins of Polonnaruwa were amazing! The extent and qualify of the ruins were surprising. The area is big but all the important sights were accessible by vehicle.

We actually visited the Hurulu Eco park which is near Minneriya and is a better place to see elephants this time of year. We did have some great views of the elephants and some very good bird sightings. We did get some rain but the open jeeps could be enclosed when it was raining so we stayed dry.

It was pouring rain when we were there but that was o.k. because the art is in the caves that are out of the rain. Wonderful Buddhist art...paintings and statues.

Very special place but also very crowded. We went mid-morning because the poor weather meant no sunrise but it was still very crowded. The route up was crowded and for those that are afraid of heights or in poor shape something to be avoided. However, even if you don't make the climb to the top the site is a good place to visit. The paintings on the side of the site that are seen on the descent are wonderful. Photos are prohibited of the paintings but the museum does have reproductions that can be photographed.

Even though it is a big hotel and part of a chain, it had it's charm and the service was lovely. The best was that on our last day they allowed us to stay until 18:00 in our room as our flight from Colombo was at midnight, which was a life saver

If I could give them more than 5 stars I would

Service was slow and felt they didn't really care

The service was wonderful, but breakfast was limited selections

After Yala - this was redundant even though the scenary was different

We were lucky to do it on a Full Moon so teh experience was special

It's a touristic walk and you'll find many people on this trail

It's a tourist trap!

It was a typical safari, but it felt too crowded. There was a traffic jam of nearly 40 jeeps to see one leopard (sleeping) and each time there was sighting fo elephants the first jeeps could get a good look at it, but all the Instegram people created a traffic jam and didn't move to give a chance to others. Not the best experience.