Grand Udawalawe Safari Resort

Best place to stay if planning safari in Udalawawe nature park or visit elephants in Pnnawala.

Was a bit crowded in the restaurant, restaurant in other building. We got a bit wet on the way as it was raining.

Breakfast served in Non-AC area where flies and mosquitoes bothered us

Breakfast served in Non-AC area

Clean and friendly staff

“This was our worst stay in Sri Lanka. I honestly don’t know how this place is rated 5 stars—it doesn’t even meet the standard of a 3-star hotel. The food was awful, and there were no proper facilities at all. Very disappointing.

Positives Breakfast varietyLarge roomShower pressureCleanHelpful staffGreat location if you love elephants NegativesAC very loud. Thought it was raining all night but it was just the AC noise. Not a lot of cool air for all the noise it made. Maybe time to upgrade beds and bathroom. At breakfast more durable covering needed as flies were getting under the cling film.

Proximity to Udawalawe National ParkInteresting and attractive design within a forest settingLarge outdoor poolWarm welcome from friendly front desk staff

Hotel and rooms are a little faded and would benefit from refurbishment.Restaurant - although providing an ‘A La Carte’ option - is adequate but predominantly caters to group travelers favoring a buffet. Restaurant staff do not match the professionalism of their front desk counterparts.Somewhat overpriced but reflective of its status compared to local competition.

Nice design, quite location.Nice pool. Good buffet in the restaurant. Safari easy to reach.

Some air conditioning not fully working.For the size of the hotel quite limited English skills of many staff members.

Great location to visit the Elephant Orphanage and do a safari. Jungle garden was great for spotting local wildlife, some iguanas and lots of monkeys

A little dated

Location for the park is brilliant. The pools were nice, reception staff lovely and the rooms a good size

The place is dated and showing the signs of wear and tear. Restaurant staff were nice but not very attentive. 6 of them sat on the phones at a table, not particularly interested in much elseWe were pretty horrified to see a member of staff shooting a slingshot at the monkeys in the trees by the restaurant too. It seemed pretty cruel

Best hotel in that area. Nice staff, cozy bed, clean room, good location that 15mins away drving to udawalawe safari. And we have a very nice dinner at the hortel resturant.

*A great welcome to the hotel, all the staff were very happy.* Everyone was knowledgeable about the local area and things to do, and in particular the Front Office Manager Jaya Sri Wickramasinghe, he organised the transport to the elephant transit home and also a great Sri Lanka dinner for the last night. * We were a bit nervous about coming here, esp after reading all the reviews about the cleanliness of the hotel etc, but the hotel is trying to blend in with outdoor / indoor concept. * The bathrooms yes could do with a little tlc, but when considering we had 3 showers a day, you couldn't really open the windows due to the insets etc coming in and the humidity and tropical temp outside, it is understandable. * The restaurant and bar staff were great, we were very looked after, esp as my husband had been bitten by mosquito throughout the trip, the staff came and gave us cinnamon oil to burn near our legs to help. *The wildlife around the hotel, seeing turtles, monkeys, fireflys and wild birds - just wonderful.

Couldn't fault anything, do give the hotel a go, you will not be disappointed.

Excellent property with lot of greenery. Had a short stay so could not really spend a relaxed day here. The room sizes were excellent with balcony.

We were vegetarians , food options for vegetarians was a real issue. We had not carried any food with us from the previous destination. If we had known we would have planned.

Really relaxing and comfortable hotel well placed for visiting the National ParkThe staff were really helpful; doing everything with a smileThe buffet dinner and breakfast was excellent with a wide selection of choices

Excellent facilities, really welcoming staff who showed real attention to detail. Food varied and tasty. Room was very comfortable and hot water plentiful. We really enjoyed our time here and would definitely recommend this hotel if going on safari. Best hotel we stayed in Sri Lanka.

Nothing, only wished we could have stayed longer.

We were upgraded to two suites on arrival as we were staying for two nights. They were very spacious and each had it's own rooftop deck.

It was a little dated and could have done with a bit of an upgrade. Our suites were situated quite far from the main dining area.

Excellent location, comfortable room and great staff

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Staff were very friendly, the room was big and clean with a nice big comfortable bed it had great AC and a ceiling fan which was needed as it was hot there.FOOD WAS AMAZING! Great selection of food all fresh, all tasted great.Nice big pool and hotel had loads of wildlife in and around it.Was located a 10-minute drive from the National Park entrance, so great for the safarai would recomend and would stay again

Beautiful place, good service. Nice food.

Some parts needs to be upgraded or refurbished.

Comfort, quiet amidst green landscaped environment

The room was large and very comfortable. Big selection at the buffet and lots of gluten free curry options. Everything you need in a hotel is here. I stayed in a room by myself and felt very safe.

I can't fault it.

The hotel is lovely and does the job, the rooms are the nicest part of the hotel.

The food was subpar, especially for the money. No water is included, neither is coffee (very weird to say we had paid for breakfast). They didn’t have any chilled water- only warm.Staff were less than helpful. I don’t think it was because they were rude, they just genuinely didn’t know how to solve problems. My booking came up that 2 people were staying in two separate rooms but I’d booked two double rooms for 4 people total. I told them I was happy to pay more to amend the booking (I honestly didn’t know if it was my error or theirs). They wanted to charge me an extra 88$ but the cost to add two people to the booking through booking.com was 17$ per person. I explained this and that I wouldn’t be paying more than what the website states. 1 hour later I was still in reception, with no hotel room. Eventually, I asked us to resolve the rest of the bill on check out because I needed to get a shower and food. The next day, none of them had communicated the issue.Classic case of the blind leading the blind. If you’re looking for a base between safaris, it’s fine. Not for longer than 1 night.