Book a Monaragala District Cottage

"The hotel is new and there are nice views but it is hard to find (no signs on the road and most Tuktuk drivers don't know the place) and they are building a 2nd floor so it can get noisy. It's a bit isolated although it is possible to walk to the center if you don't mind hills and it is pitch black in the evening (I did it several times to avoid the hassle of getting a Tuktuk). The room was not cleaned once during my 3 night stay. The staff were kind but they were hanging out in the lobby with friends/other staff(?) in the evening, making it feel more like a dorm than a hotel. Also, I asked them to organize Tuktuk transport twice assuming I they had reliable partners that ask fair prices and the driver they arranged tried charging me triple the normal price (I spent several months in Sri Lanka so I am aware of fair prices...). The hotel is nice but it isn't run like a hotel."

"The facilities and staff are very good. The food is below par. Food that is to be served hot were served lukewarm. By the time, I walked back to my table from the buffet line, the items were cold. Imagine cold "kirihodi" on String Hoppers or cold scrambled eggs on toast :-) The food that was to be served cold were at room temperature. Not what you expected from a 5-star. The selections were poor. Not much grilled meats/fish. Crab the size of a large shrimp. Remember seeing larger crabs in the paddyfields :-) Thai green curry that had absolutely no vegetables - just small shrimp floating in a green food colored gravy. The so-called Papaya Juice was nothing more than watered down iced washing of a papaya slice! Worst, no coffee after dinner. On top of all this the food is highly over priced. A terrible value! One afternoon at the pool side bar, they wanted a Rs. 1400 for a cup of "kade" tea. What are they making this stuff of - gold? Some of the staff seems clueless of what they are selling. Example, by the pool side on a hot afternoon, we asked for the price a ice-cream bar. The guy had no idea but guessed it was Rs. 4000. The actual price after another guy checked on his POS, was Rs. 600. The first guy should not be a server! We will not be back! They are missing the mark big time! Hope the management take the feedback and improve their offerings. What a shame, afterall they have fantastic facilities and most staff are very good!"

"Room wasn’t very clean. The bath was dirty the bed sheets had holes in them and the rugs on the floor were very worn. Considering the cost. A bit of re- investment would not go a miss. "

"Excellent service, kind staff. Food was delicious. Rooms were spacious and clean"

"Great safari and pool villa and very kind and great staff. More than a Hilton "

"Hi this is a slightly more expensive for the area but for us it was worth it. There was a hidden surprise for us as they have an infinity pool on the roof and sundeck which had views to die for. The breakfast was excellent the games room was fun and the staff took no hesitation to join in with playing games with my son. Room was lovely and staff amazing and great location for short walk into Ella to explore. But quite expensive is only negative"

"We knew this would be an adventure in the jungle without normal comforts but this was really disappointing. The tent were generally quite dirty but the main problem is the only toilet on the whole site is in your own tent and out tent smelt of sewage so badly we left after one night as we could not stand another night there. There were also a million insects including a giant millipede as the zips do not completely seal off tent. Then the bar was not operating as their licence has expired. The bbq we really looked forward to was also really poor as we were sat on our own away from main area and it was completely cold by the time it got to us although other guests sat in main food area said same thing. Food came one hour late and as no access to any other food on site (they have no cafe) and nearby town is far away it seems they have you trapped as the breakfast we paid 30 dollars for and ate on safari consisted of some fruit and white bread sandwiches which were not that tasty. I do not normally complain but for the cost of dinner and breakfast being very high and feeling quite trapped with options then this seemed poor. The staff were friendly as per normal but you need to be warned it is overpriced, poorly run and very rough experience for us as a family. "

"The hotel is immaculate and clearly a lot of money has been spent on design. The room was spacious with stunning views, the best pillows we have had on our 3 week tour. Breakfast was lovely too. I do not regret our stay BUT want to be realistic to help the hotel improve/for others expectations. The road to the hotel is rough and steep, our driver really struggled and we usually walked up to him. The rooms are not soundproof as the door opens to a balcony overlooking the car park, dogs fighting and tuk tuks dropping off guests are common sounds into the night. The doors have big gaps and this allows mosquitoes inside, which is a problem as I am allergic. I had to fill the gap with tissues (it’s 1cm wide the whole middle width of the door - all doors, not just ours). We had looked forward to the yoga, but never heard back when we asked about it so we are not sure if it happens or not. Also for such a luxury property, menus are printed on printer paper - no list of ingredients for cocktails, and being handed such tatty pieces of paper at the bar and for breakfast really lets down the image of the hotel. The staff are clearly lovely but we struggled - my massage booking was not made, request for items at breakfast never arrived, and no service out by the pool meaning we had to come in to ask for drinks and towels. Finally, please help the street dogs. Westerners love animals and it is upsetting to hear them fighting all night. Just a few tweaks and this would be 10/10 hotel. "

"Great option for wanting to visit Yala. We stayed in the tent. Enough room For two people. Bed was comfortable. Bathroom and toilet were the inside tent. We were able to two safari on our one night stay. For our visit, we preferred the evening tour as seen a range of animals. MJ was a great guide Food was good, nice candle lit dinner and interesting night walk Included. Staff were friendly and helpful. Would recommend. "