Deluxe Double Room, 2 Bedrooms, Terrace, Garden View | Outdoor pool
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Reviews of Elephant Rest Udawalawa

3 out of 5
Elephant Rest Udawalawa
431 Ananda Gama, Hulankapolla, Udawalawa

Reviews

9.0

Wonderful

Rating 10 - Excellent. 22 out of 36 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 11 out of 36 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 1 out of 36 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 36 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 36 reviews" "

8.2/10

Cleanliness

9.2/10

Staff & service

9.0/10

Amenities

8.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service, amenities
The hosts were very friendly, hospitable and organised safari trip. Room was spacious but there were many insects!
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2020
Response from Lakmal on 23 Jan 2020
thank you for your feed back.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Warm hospitality and excellent Sri Lankan food in the Uda Walawe National Park
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019
Response from Lakmal on 2 Dec 2019
Thank you very much for your response and this mean so much to us.

8/10 Good

Ektoras

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good place to stay if you’re planning to go on safari. Value for money. Competitive safari prices offered by the host
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019
Response from Lakmal on 3 Aug 2019
Thank you very much for your positive comments. it means lot to us

10/10 Excellent

Lachlan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice guesthouse close to the safari park
My wife and I stayed at Elephant Rest Udawalawa for one night. The room was clean and comfortable and well put together. We had dinner and breakfast at the guesthouse and both were very tasty and generous portions. We were able to book our safari at the guesthouse and also our onward taxi to Mirissa. The service was friendly and efficient. Overall we were happy with our stay and we would recommend this guesthouse.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019
Response from Lakmal on 30 Mar 2019
Thank you so much for your comments. it means a lot to us.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019
Response from lakmal on 9 Apr 2019
thank you so much

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019
Response from Lakmal on 9 Apr 2019
thank you so much for your comments

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019
Response from Lakmal on 9 Apr 2019
thank you so much for your comments

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019
Response from Lakmal on 9 Apr 2019
Thank you so much for your comments

4/10 Poor

Jane

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Dirty, dusty, needs Maintaining
We had booked a 2 night stay due to the good reviews, and with the intention to go on the 'value for money' safari trip. Our taxi dropped us off midday, there was no one on reception to greet us. No water, tea, or refreshment of any kind. However, a maid told us we could go into our allocated room. This had not been prepared recently, as I found a dead lizard and dead flies in the bathroom. Apart from that the room and bed looked clean. We decided to cut our stay down to one night, do the safari that evening (which was great), then move to another hotel 10km away which was cheaper, lovely and clean, and had a swimming pool. Thank you to Hotels.com for sorting out a refund.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2019
Response from Lakmal on 15 Mar 2019
Dear Jane we sincerely appreciate your review. on behalf of the management I apologize for the poor welcome and will certainly look in to improving it. to honor your concerns over the cleanliness of the wash rooms we agreed for the refund. again thank you for informing the issues.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2019
Response from lakmal on 9 Jan 2019
Thank you so much for your review

8/10 Good

BERYL

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Close to the park.
Stayed here for 1 night. Good location near the park.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2018
Response from Lakmal on 1 Jan 2019
Thank you so much. your review mean so much to us

10/10 Excellent

Clayton

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2018
Response from Lakmal on 25 Nov 2018
Thank you very much for your positive comment. it means so much to us.

10/10 Excellent

Timothy

I had an excellent stay at Elephant Rest. The Sri Lankan dinners that they cook were some of the best that I've had in the country. The wifi worked well for the entire stay. The showers had hot water. They have their own jeep for safari and give a really good rate.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2018
Response from Lakmal on 12 Sept 2018
Thank you so much for the comments much appreciated

10/10 Excellent

Adrienne, On the road

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely place to stay near Udawalawe National Park! We drove in from Ella and the owners cooked a delicious fresh meal of rice and curry for us and later that night, made string hoppers for dinner. The room was very clean and spacious and the bed was comfortable. In the morning, they had arranged a safari, so we went out to the park at 6am. We are hungry first thing in the morning so they graciously made breakfast for us at 5:45 so we could eat before the safari. The family is so friendly and their little boy is adorable. Highly recommend staying here if you're coming to Udawalawe!
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2018
Response from Lakmal on 20 Aug 2018
Thank you very much and appreciate your feed back

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Small hotel close to Safari Park
Owners are very nice. Hotel is basic but convenient. They have their own safari vehicle.
Stayed 1 night in May 2018
Response from Lakmal on 12 Sept 2018
Thank you for the comments

10/10 Excellent

Jessica

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
One-night stay
Stayed here as a base for Udawalawe National Park and it was perfect. The room is nice, the place is extremely close to the entrance to the park, dinner and breakfast made by the hosts was delicious, and the safari in their jeep was incredible (and very reasonably priced). They also helped us to arrange a taxi to our next destination the next day. Highly recommended
Stayed 1 night in May 2018

8/10 Good

Daryl

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Interesting experience.
Convenient to wildlife park. Interesting experience living with local family, more a B & B than a hotel.
Response from Lakmal on 2 May 2018
Thank you very much for your review

10/10 Excellent

Chase

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
At home feeling in wonderful village
Wonderful place in a small village, amazing host with a charming family. The food was very good and the proximity to the park is a plus. You can easily organize safaris and transport from here.
Response from Lakmal on 2 May 2018
Thank you very much for the great review

8/10 Good

Christopher

Liked: Staff & service
great food, location and hosts but needs updating
great location, amazing dinner and breakfast after safari. room was a bit basic and not the cleanest, needed updating/lick of paint but location was great for early start at the safari and the owners were really helpful and friendly 😁
Response from Lakmal on 2 May 2018
Thank you very much for your positive feedback

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A rustic retreat
Very rural nothing in local area apart from Udawalawe national park but staff very helpful and made us very welcome and happy to cater for us Sri Lankan cuisine very tasty. Rooms clean. Scorpion in the shower a surprise but only tiny and part of the experience of being so rural
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2018
Response from Lakmal on 8 Mar 2018
Thank you very much for the comments

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great service. Basic but has everything you need.
The couple that run this place are so friendly and helpful. Lovely people. The home cooked meal was the best Sri Lankan food we have had on the trip. The safari organised through the hotel is amazing and would recommend it. Please note that this hotel is not plush but it is comfortable and clean and quiet. Perfect for our night there to do the safari. The park is very closeby.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2018
Response from Sajeewa on 23 Jan 2018
Thank you very much for review.

10/10 Excellent

Shelley

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful experience - wow the homecooked dinner!
Our stay at Elephant Rest was a pleasure. Our host was very helpful in organising our Safari tour with a fantastic guide, our ride to the Elephant Transit Home as well as our transport to Tangalle. The highlight for us was the DELICIOUS home cooked curry our lovely hosts made for us. Hands down the best Sri Lankan meal that we have had on our trip, and up there with the tastiest I've ever had! What a gorgeous family, so very kind and welcoming. A true SL experience with all the comforts (AC, tv including cable and IPL!). Could not recommend this place more highly and most importantly, it was affordable and excellent value for money.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2017
thank you very much for appriciating our effort

10/10 Excellent

Nicholas

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely place
Amazing food and very helpful owner, we organised the safari and a taxi to our next destination via the hotel all at very reasonable rates. The hotel is clean and nice and the owners are extremyl friendly and welcoming. The food was excellent and it is really close to the National Park. The only issue is no wifi but didn't affect our stay.

10/10 Excellent

Mari Haugland

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024
Response from Lakmal on 23 Jan 2024
Thank you so much madam your review mean so mush to us

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
1 von 111
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2020

8/10 Good

TM, Tokyo

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Their dinner and breakfast were good. The safari jeep was very useful and cheaper than others. The room was very basic but clean and enough for one night.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019
Response from Lakmal on 21 Aug 2019
thank you very much your comment mean a lot to us

8/10 Good

Dennis

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Bra för en natt om man skall på safari
En liten lodge med enbart tre rum som drivs av en familj. Då vi var ensamma där just den natten fick vi välja själva när vi ville ha middag och frukost (vet inte hur det funkar annars). Vi skulle ut på safari tidigt så vi fick frukosten i ett paket att ta med. Det fanns ingen meny till middag, så vi fick äta det som bjöds, men det vär väldigt gott. Det finns inget att göra i närheten förutom att ta safari i nationalparken, men om man bara är där för safarin en natt funkar det bra. De har även en safarijeep och de erbjöd 3h-tur för ~8000LKR (~$45USD). Det enda vi kan klaga på var att wi-fi var ganska dåligt.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019
Response from Lakmal on 21 Apr 2019
Thank you so much for your comments. we appreciate it and will work to make the necessary improvements.

8/10 Good

Alexandra, Suomi

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
The room was lovely! Only minus part was the bathroom that needed to be updated . The stuff were really helpful and nice! Really relaxing place. Would come again! Love the peace of silence.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019
Response from Lakmal on 9 Apr 2019
thank you so much for your comments

10/10 Excellent

Suzanne

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2019
Response from Lakmal on 13 Feb 2019
Thank you very much. your review means so much to us.

10/10 Excellent

Sabine

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Liebevoll-familiäre Betreuung, Innenhof erholsam
Sehr nette familiäre Betreuung, sehr aufmerksam, die Zimmer einfach, sauber, der Innenhof liebevoll gestaltet, lädt zum Relaxen ein, hier kann man sich wohlfühlen, Essen sehr gut, der Nationalparkeingang gleich ums Eck,
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2019
Response from Lakmal on 20 Jan 2019
Thank you so much for your comments.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Simple but cozy and clean place run by an extremely friendly family. Hotel has their own safari truck that can be rented out with a driver for a very reasonable price.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2018
Response from Lakmal on 19 Dec 2018
Thank you so much to your positive comments. it means so much to us.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A nice little oasis in a poor place.
A very friendly and service minded host indeed. A nice little place in a regular village in Sri Lanka. Nothing to see or do in the surrounding parts except for the Udawalawe National park. When asked about the price for a safari they forgot to mention the fee for the park itself which was three times the fee for the car and guide. Luckily we had just enough cash! The dinner and breakfast were both exceptionally tasty! Lovely family that hosts the place!
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2018
Response from Lakmal on 19 Dec 2018
Thank you so much for your positive comments. it means so much to us

10/10 Excellent

Yuen Man

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great pick at Udawalawe =]
Warm welcoming by nice and cheerful staff. Eager to offer help to prepare a perfect late dinner at reasonable price in view of late check-in. Staff who are lovely couples regular attend for further needs. Spacious room with fantastic decoration, outside garden is like a mini jungle. Great safari trip arranged by hotel leading by a nice guide, great experience of visiting national park nearby within 5 mins driving. Surprising hotel at this price range. definitely recommended!
Response from Lakmal on 2 May 2018
Thank you very much for the great review.

8/10 Good

Maria

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fantastisk hemlagad mat på hotellets restaurang

10/10 Excellent

Olli

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Peaceful and beautiful hotel
Unfortunately we stayed only for one night, could have been nice to stay longer in this peaceful and very beautiful hotel near the entrance of the National park. The hotel has only 4 rooms, rooms were big and clean. The yard is full of different kind of trees and plants, close to those "Zen" places in e.g. Japan. Worth of the price. The owner is very friendly and helpful. Would recommend to everyone visiting the National park.