This was a very beautiful place . Great view and the elephants come right up to the fence. The rooms were clean. The people were very friendly. One of our children got sick and they let us check in early. They gave us free transport to the train station.

One of the staff I think thought our children were trying to steal food from the buffet and was very pushy about paying right now. He wanted me to run up to my room right now to get money even though they were going to put it on my room. But he was the only staff member that was like that. They do turn the WiFi off at a certain time . I went downstairs at midnight and the guy told me it’s off till morning. Than I had to get another password for it to work.

My room had a river view which meant I could watch the river’s wildlife from my balcony.

I was told there was an “Elephant Orphanage” close to the hotel, which I assumed to be some sort of conservation project. It was actually a circus show for tourists. Elephants were brought to the river twice a day at set times. The wardens encouraged you to come down closer to the elephants to perhaps stroke them. The wardens then tried to elicit money from you. I found it quite sad and distasteful frankly.

The location for seeing the elephants in the river is great. It is near to elephant orphanage too. The hotel is now little bit old it must have been famous once.

Be carefull of the group of scamers who wait at the beginning of driveway to the hotel. They will try to persuade you to see other elephants than those in the orphanage or use only their taxi. We do not recommend it they are expensive and they lie.

The location is very beautiful due to the fact that they have rooms with a balcony facing the river where the elephants bathe, they also have an extraordinary swimming pool with an amazing view and access to the elephants that approach the hotel fence, the food is good. The price is higher precisely because of the location of the hotel.

Our room was quite spacious, but the air conditioning only went cold, not hot, and we couldn't turn it down or up. During the time we were there, there were a few cooler days in Pinawalla and we froze a bit during the night, having only one sheet to cover ourselves. Although in our reservation it was written that check-in starts at 4:00 p.m., but we can leave our baggage at the reception until 4:00 p.m. if we arrive earlier, when we arrived (12:00 p.m.) they didn't let us go to the hotel and made us leave our baggage in a souvenir shop next to some surveillance cameras. It doesn't seem ok at all to me, but thank God that everything was fine with them.

Loved : - the location is perfect. From the pool area, the daily bathing of the elephants makes for a spectacular view. It's truly incredible. So much so, that I didn't even need to visit any of the elephant parks/sanctuaries. I could stroke, play with and even feed (leaves) the elephants as they came up to say Hello at the hotel edge. - the a la carte food is actually pretty good. The roast chichen (with bbq sause) was delicious. I would totally recommend this hotel just on the instragrammable views.

Stayed 3 nights, and not once was the room cleaned, bin emptied, toilet paper replenished etc in my room. Not a big issue for me and I'm sure they would have done it if I had asked.

Should be on a bucket list for everyone who loves nature and elephants. The location is amazing, directly next to the bathing area of the elephants and close to the elephant orphanage. You have the opportunity to bath the elephant and spent quality time just few steps away. As well in middle of the bathing time elephants come very close to the hotel so you can actually touch them and feed them with fruits which are all over the ground. Amazing amazing amazing. It’s a value for the money. If you search for something luxury it won’t be the option for you. However, all does not matter when you really come only for the elephants and beautiful views from the pool.

The main treasure was the location and the view, possibility to observe unbelievably picturesque life of elephants sitting on the balcony. Breakfast excellent, food, cocktails, catering service - perfect. When arriving from the airport, the pool helps to adapt the hot climate we're not used to. Would suggest this hotel to begin the voyage in Sri Lanka - a very impressive start. The room was moderately clean, so the bathroom. Very comfortable bed.

Reception and service should advise on hotel arrival time explaining the payment the entrance fee. Arriving after 8:30am directly from the Bandaranaike International Airport, we experienced great misunderstanding with physical getting to the hotel. The information about the arrival times and instruction how to act when you miss the arrival time - should reach the visitor via booking.com. Hotel Management should work on this. The room service did their best, but Wifi didn't appear in my room.

The elephants are phenomenal, what an incredible experience from the hotel pool. Loved watching the elephants come and go twice daily for a couple hours at a time. My daughter celebrated her 4th birthday on one of the days we stayed & staff made a very big deal to help celebrate for her, they went above and beyond.

Room was nice but dated, could do with a renovation just to make it that little bit more cosier, however hardly spent time in the hotel room so we didn’t mind too much.

This hotel and the views are just wow. We booked the room with the terrace and river view. The sound of the river was so soothing. Wish I could stay there forever. The place is worth more than the price we paid. The room was spacious, with comfortable bed. The pool is open till late at night, and the garden is well taken care of. The staff were helpful when needed. You can swim in the pool while watching the elephants having a bath in the river. The best view ever. The location is very good also with some souvenir shops and restaurants around + a herbal garden where you can have a massage and steam bath at a reasonable price I highly highly recommend it and wish I could come back, as this place is like heaven on earth

Things are so magical there. It's impossible to dislike anything.

I had booked a triple room with the river balcony and it was amazing! The pool exceeded my expectations. Seeing the elephants made for a very special stay! The hotel itself is very pretty, especially the grand entrance. My room was very big.

The service was very slow for dinner service... The beds could be more comfortable and need to offer a blanket. I only had a very thin sheet that felt like a curtain. The chained elephants that were separate to the main herd was a little confusing.... You can see the elephants up close when they're not chained,so to keep only a few chained to keep them still and close is very unnecessary. If I hadn't of booked a balcony room I don't think I would have enjoyed the rooms as much (I saw the other rooms when they were open for cleaning).