Heritance Kandalama

the staff in the kitchen and restaurant was exceptionally good the food extraordinary the "dine in a cave" experience superb Chef Dinesh went out of his way to organise a live cooking under the rock! we will not forget this

reception was as bad as it gets: unfriendly and treatment like thieves: pay first, than enter

Everything! One of the best hotels in Sri Lanka. Ecologically conscious, great staff, a lot of activities nearby, and architectural gem. We hired a jeep through hotel and had the best experience with driver Bandara. Do ask for him if you need a guide with immense local knowledge and connections. Naturalist Navindu also provides great knowledge on surrounding area and can help organise fantastic outdoor experiences

A gem hidden near the Kandalama lake, beautiful architecture - we particularly enjoyed visiting the hotel and its intricacies, as well as the three swimming pools and the green vegetation covered roof. The staff were throughout so professional, as well as incredibly welcoming, kind and helpful. I’ve rarely experienced this level of attention and support. Particularly, their naturalist, Norinda, was the most wonderful person. He decorated the room beautifully for my partner’s birthday and gave him a special delicious cake. He looked after us so well, always made sure we could experience the nature and wildlife. If you go there, make sure you get to meet this wonder of a person.

The buffet restaurant is a little busy. We did not mind at all, and there is another option for those who prefer quieter nights. Another thing I didn’t like was the fact we couldn’t stay longer!

The location was the reason we booked our stay here and it was stunning. The lake and jungle view from almost every area of the hotel was incredible.

Contrasting with the wonderful location and awesome architecture, there were minor frustrations that could easily be addressed. We weren’t given the wifi password during check in nor was it in our room. There was very little information on the hotel in our room either, which was odd given the range of services and cool locations across the hotel site. It was also difficult to find anything on the history or build of the site, which I think would have been fascinating.

From the moment we arrived at kandalama, we were greeted by the most lovely staff. The facilities are incredible, the staff are wonderful, and the views and scenery are so special. A special shout-out to Vishan and sadun, who made the cutest towel elephants for us everyday, and did a great job at checking in on us to make sure we had everything we needed. The music at 8pm every night in the lounge upstairs, was a delight at the end of the day. I also had an incredible massage at the coco spa. The ladies were so lovely, and my masseuse did a great job. Very relaxing, and would recommend the hot stone massage.

There weren’t a lot of dinner options. We opted for the a la carte restaurant for our dinners, which had amazing food, very impressed with the chef. However, it would be nice to see more local food on the menu, as it feels they are catering too much to westerners with burgers and hotdogs etc.

Such a beautiful and artistic architecture (well, the amazing Geoffrey Bawa after all!) Such a dreamy location. Peaceful, lush, tranquil, in the midst of so much fauna and flora. Comfortable and specious room. Great distribution of the space. Great restaurant. We had breakfast and dinner every day and the food was different every time. There’s enough to cater all tastes and dietary conditions. At sunset there’s a flute player overlooking the infinity pool and Sirigiya… magical!

Cleanliness could be better in the bathrooms, particularly the shower. The shower screens are opaque and with soap scum. The tiles are black and, therefore, it’s easy to be lazy as the colour conceals mould and unclean areas. However, in this case it has accumulated so much that is totally visible. The only positive side of this un-cleaning situation is that I lost a diamond earring while I was taking a shower, and since they don’t clean the shower, well I was able to spot it easily inside the shower the next day… yay for me! Not a big deal, but although the place has beautiful pools (three that we know of) there’s not enough sun beds available at any of them. The most would be 8-10 and people fight over them fiercely.

Breathtaking views. Excellent architecture. Beautiful sunsets.. serene, greenery. One of a kind hotel in terms of scenic views. One should not miss the sunsets from the roof. The hotel has 3 pools, one of which is infinity pool. I love the way they have designed the hotel around rocks and trees and the way it embraces nature.

Rooms are small and basic especially for the steep price you are paying. Service leaves a lot to be desired. Many times we asked for water in room and they simply forgot to send. Moreover, the servers there seem to have a racial bias (sorry to say). They don’t ay attention to people from Indian subcontinent and nearby countries even when they are paying equal amounts for stay and food.

Unusual set up, very cool design although 27 years old! Set around a rock

Bit dark

Really beautiful property near Dambulla. The ground floor infinity pool looks out over a beautiful lake and you can see Sigiriya in the distance. The staff were all really pleasant and nice. We were only there for one night so we opted for the buffet dinner which was really good. They have a lot of different cooking stations and it was really tasty. The room was also really clean and spacious and was a great start to our trip in Sri Lanka.

One thing I would say is the price on booking.com is not the final price we were charged. Although it was only €52 more when checking out just be careful of additional taxes when booking. The also have many pools, as mentioned above our favourite although we didn’t get long in it was the cafe infinity pool. There is a natural pool upstairs on a higher floor that checked out but it almost feels like you’re in a part of the hotel you shouldn’t be as there’s nobody around.

Finally it’s iconic place designed by Jeffrey Bawa - well known Sri Lankan architect in late 1960s. So it’s not an hotel but real attraction point with feel of the history. You may see monkeys on your balcony who can stole any eat from it - giving a lot of fun and nice pictures. The amenities are also beautiful and nice. Staff trying to give you the best experience.

The equipment and room layout is a bit outdated due to the age of the construction. There are not so many outlets for charging smartphones and no USB sockets, but it looks quite modern and up-to-date thanks to the excellent design and concept. Because of the hotel's location, you'll spend a few fun minutes driving on the dirt road connecting the hotel to the larger asphalt roads.