The Paradise Dambulla

Occidental Paradise Dambulla is far from being a true 5-star hotel, especially by Sri Lankan standards.The rooms are spacious, which is a plus, but there is definitely room for improvement when it comes to cleanliness. The same goes for the staff organization. While the reception team is very kind, friendly, and helpful, the rest of the staff felt a bit disorganized.We had an issue with the laundry service: we left a few clothes to be cleaned and almost left the hotel without them. We were told they would be delivered to our room in the afternoon, but when we returned in the evening, they were nowhere to be found. The reception staff had to make several calls to locate them, which was a bit stressful.On the positive side, the food at the restaurant is very good and diverse, both for breakfast and dinner. There are plenty of options, and I highly recommend trying the dinner buffet, especially if you want to taste local Sri Lankan dishes — it’s worth it.We stayed here for two nights and overall we felt good, but we believe some small improvements could really make a difference. Also worth mentioning: the swimming pool is large, clean, and very enjoyable.

This is a hidden gem in Dambulla, very close to major attractions and the other well known hotels. Food was amazing, in room dining experience was great. We enjoyed the environment a lot

The pool was very slippery, fell on the steps.

Beautiful room and structure (hall, swimming pool, garden)Friendly and very attentive staff

The Spa is kind of a rip off - avoid and go somewhere else for massage and treatments Same for the restaurant... Expensive and simply not good

Courteous and hard working hotel staff.Sri Lankan and International breakfast and dinner buffet.Live music every evening in bar areaLovely large swimming pool.Provided umbrellas.

After shower bathroom gets flooded with water.Lights in room are dull and yellowish (not my preference)

Relaxing and beautiful design, amazing lake next to th hotel, great food, spacious rooms , and super proffesional and warm service. Special thanks to Achini

Rooms could be a bit cleaner ?

We had a wonderful stay, and the staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming. The manager, Niroshan, and Ranga truly made our stay easy, memorable, and great value for money. They looked after us exceptionally well and were flexible and understanding of our situation, allowing us to fully enjoy our time at the hotel.Ranga ensured we had an outstanding food experience and went above and beyond to make sure we were completely satisfied. Niroshan made sure our entire family received the complimentary spa package, which was a lovely touch. Instead of strictly following hotel rulebooks and policies, they focused on creating the best possible guest experience. Their hospitality truly made our stay special.

We have no complaints

Very friendly and helpful staff. Delicious breakfast and food in general. Great pool and spa area ? Highly recommend!

Amazing staff that is ready to help with a smile. Wonderful pool to lounge to swim. A dedicated kids pool is big as well. Food has great variety in the buffet. Very spacious layout with a feeling of bliss. Nice touch with the evening cocktail party - thoroughly enjoyed the arrack passion cocktail.

Be prepared for power plugs that are all square pins. Bring along converters.

booking.com listed early check in/late check out on Availability. Mr Feros (Reception) on hearing that we had a late flight out and immediately contacted Mr De Silva (front office Manager) to offer us a late check out for all 3 rooms . They were true to what they advertise. .. Not a Gimmick ! I was impressed by the warm and friendly services of the staff. The fruit platter on arrival was a nice touch. The rooms were spacious and clean.

Spacious bungalows in nature's heart; Amazing and peaceful outdoor spaces; Buffet breakfast and dinner offered a great variety of western and sri lankan options; Attentive staff - Special thanks to the manager who went above and beyond to ensure we had a wonderful guest experience.

While the main areas were generally clean, there were a few spots that seemed to have been overlooked; We kindly discussed the matter with the manager who was very understanding and determined to pay more attention to details in the future; he even offered us a discount and a treat, which we did not ask for but greatly appreciated.

The manager Ashan was so extremely helpful and so many ways from the time I arrived late at night until the moment I left. He helped with food even though it was after the buffet had closed and he helped with organising beautiful memorable activities. The pool is really nice and long. The rooms are good. The staff are very helpful and friendly. The buffet was amazing.

This is just a suggestion, but it would be good to have a hook or rail to hang the towels on in the bathroom so they can dry out and they can be reached. The Air Conditioning in the gym was not working when I was there so it was hotter inside the gym that out.

The location is very calm and quiet. Hospitality of the hotel crew was amazing. Team manager and the front desk manager Ashan supported us to make our stay an unforgettable experience..!!?

We felt very welcomed from the moment we entered that hotel - very nice meeting, asking if we need help and staff doing everything that our stay would feel better. Facilities, buildings are also in high quality. The germ- it’s food quality - we had dinner and breakfast. Some foods were made actively by chiefs. Very delicious everything we tried, many traditional choices. And cherry on the cake was Pina colada cocktail ?!

The swimming pool was fantastic. The staff were lovely and the evening buffet had lots of choice. We were upgraded upon arrival and the lodge was huge!!

This hotel is isolated so don’t expect to hi out at night. Lots of coaches make it an overnight stop route to other locations. So buffet can get busy at times.

Very friendlyand helpful staff. Made our stay very special. Specially chef Aruna who always made sure we were okay in the buffet. And also Mr Feroz who has a nice smile. Alot of variety in the breakfast buffet. One of the biggest I've seen. Big rooms.

Room should have more lighting (we were upgraded to a quadruple suite from the double room we booked). Please take care of the dogs who bark at night.

Food was so nice

Outdoor activities never happened probably due to weather

The infrastructure is fantastic. Massive pool, great gym, awesome rooms with good beds and we had an amazing stay.The staff did everything they could to make sure we had an amazing stay and also kept us informed about the excellent buffet and food options and things to do in sigiriya

There was nothing that we didn’t like. Although some things that could be improved are:- wasp nest on the outside of the restaurant leading to a few wasps in the buffet.- pool towels and some facilities seemed a bit tired - air con was a little noisy (but perfectly functional!)

Friendly and welcoming staff. The pool was lager and better than we had anticipated. The food was amazing and something for everyone. The chief at the restaurant was so informative and helpful. We loved our stay here.

Lack of sundbeds around the pool. Only for 5 couples.

This hotel complex is a fantastic getaway for solo or family, to use it as a place to totally feel emerged into Sri Lankan culture. Also large enough for groups. The chef in charge leads a team of chefs do food excellent! The staff are so welcoming and would do anything to ensure your stay is beautiful. There is a very clean and long pool with trees surrounding and monkeys! I came with my son and stayed extra days.

All was great!

Large rooms, big open spaces

The property is very old and in desperate need of repair and maintenance. It felt like the property was straight from the 1970s/80s and had barely been maintained since then. Rooms were not very clean, there was plenty of rust in the bathrooms and the buffet area was very old. The staff’s knowledge of the hotel or other areas around Dambulla and Sigiriya was minimal and we were told different things by different members of staff when asking about things as basic as opening times for the lion rock or climb times. There are much better hotels near the historic sites for the price.