The Grand Kandyan Hotel

Sri Lanka , Kandy
KANDY, No. 89/10, Lady Gordon'S Drive
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50 reviews shown

6/10

Pleasant

19 Mar 2026

roma

The pictures in the web looks really good. Lobby area and dinning areas are good. Very old hotel rooms are not good. Needs a lot of upgrades

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

04 Feb 2026

Simon

One of the most impressive entrances I’ve seen and a very pleasant check in.
Pool area very good, with a shaded area. Pool bar great for food and drinks with cracking staff.
My single room was good, a few maintenance issues compared to the rest of the hotel.
About a 20 minute walk down a steepish hill and a typically busy road, with shops and eateries, to the lake.
Highly recommended.

Self

8/10

Excellent

20 Oct 2025

Dhaval

Restaurant cleanliness and services needs to be improved

Friends_and_family Family

4/10

Poor

27 Mar 2025

Colin

Looks good in the photos but the condition of rooms were very different. Very smelling wash room, which we realy put off and noisy air conditioning couldn’t get any continuous sleep. We do not recommend this place as our overall experience is very poor.

2/10

Poor

02 Feb 2025

Gananath

Rooms are very outdated and not clean. Food was not great either

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

30 Dec 2024

Dharmaratne

Great stay.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

03 Mar 2024

DENISE

I had a great stay here! Staff were just super friendly and easy going - made the whole 2 week vacation just stress free and enjoyable !

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

12 Jan 2024

Raj

Great hotel in kandy

Very good hotel to stay in Kandy. Staff very friendly and nice they upgraded our rooms and arranged local tours at reasonable price.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

28 Nov 2023

Adrian

Lovely stay

10/10

Exceptional

15 Nov 2023

Radhakrishnan

Excellent hotel
Excellent food - good vegetarian options
Freindly staff
Good gym and swimming pool

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jul 2023

John

One Night in Kandy

I only stayed one night at the Grand Kandyan and only wish it could have been longer.
From arrival to departure the staff couldn’t have been more helpful.
I really enjoyed the buffet evening meal and also breakfast. If you visit Sri Lanka this is the place to stay.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

23 Jan 2023

David

Excellent all round

Very enjoyable stay. All the staff were really helpful and welcoming. The room was spacious with nice views from the balcony over looking the city and hills. Rooftop pool was well maintained and I thought the gym had everything I needed. Breakfast and dinner had a wide choice of foods. I would definitively stay here again.

Partner

2/10

Poor

16 Oct 2022

William

William Finn

Food very bad and not clean

Self

10/10

Exceptional

10 Sep 2022

Lalin

Great stay! Love the staff and location, especially the staff that went beyond to make sure I had a good stay. I will definitely be back soon.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

06 Feb 2022

Ahmed

Worse wifi coverage

Wonderful opportunity but the hotel need to do something for the wifi because most of the places the coverage is bad
Other than that the hotel is really 5 stars

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

15 Dec 2021

Gerard

Beautiful hotel

Wonderful hotel. Staff were so friendly. Views from our balcony or the swimming pool area were incredible. Quick walk to town, lake, temple, etc. But very steep hill on the way. Overall, a wonderful stay and would definitely recommend.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

29 Feb 2020

Ryan

Three nights of bliss to start Sri Lankan trip

The service here was fantastic. The breakfast was amazing. Roof top swims a delight. Yes, a few things needed fixing up in our room but to be honest this is five star luxury at UK bed and breakfast prices. It felt special to be there and everyone treated you as such. If you get the chance seek out tuk tuk driver Jenudeen too. He is outside the hotel most days and has great prices for day trips and will take you everywhere all day.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

14 Jan 2020

Rfussy

Luxurious and great poolside bar. Really nice passion mojito cocktail. You can’t really walk into the main area but they can organise transport for you.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

27 Dec 2019

Verified traveler

Surprising for a 5 star property pool washing rooms don’t have soap / shower gels.

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

10 Nov 2019

Verified traveler

Very clean and tidy. Excellent location and the roof top pool agrest relax after a hot day

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

29 Oct 2019

Verified traveler

STUNNING HOTEL! AMAZING HOSPITALITY! BEAUTIFUL ROOMS WITH VIEWS !

Friends_and_family Partner

6/10

Pleasant

26 Aug 2019

Bridgette

We had our son's wedding there, had a few issues which had to be addressed. Pretty disappointing on the whole. Check in was pretty lengthy too.

Partner

2/10

Poor

21 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

Regal it may look but regal it is not. The most terrible hotel I have ever stayed at in Sri Lanka.

8/10

Excellent

12 Apr 2019

Verified traveler

Huge rooms and a sitting area on each level. The workmanship in the rooms could be improved on. The air conditioning in the general areas was not working. Overall an excellent hotel.

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

07 Apr 2019

Verified traveler

The hotel has a lovely view of Kandy and a pleasant roof top patio with pool.

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

01 Apr 2019

Shabeeb

The hotel is very good to stay , the service is very good

Partner

4/10

Poor

01 Apr 2019

Verified traveler

The place was fine for a 5 star hotel. Very palatial but didn’t have warmth and charm to it. It felt very cold. The rooms were clean and spacious and the bed was very comfortable.
Found the staff lovely and very friendly but felt they didn’t seem to have a lot of experience and were slow. If I were to come back I would stay elsewhere

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

29 Mar 2019

Devi

Friendly staff, multicuisine to palate any type any international traveller. We really enjoyed our stay at the place although it was only a day. Would love to go back.

Family

2/10

Poor

09 Mar 2019

Helen

Much too expensive for the quality of the hotel

Beware, the Grand Kandyan is a long way from being “a paradise that awaits” as advertised.
It certainly has 5 star prices and the ground floor has a feel of palatial grandeur with the marble floors, chandeliers and well dressed doormen. However this grandeur is a thin veneer and is soon lost as you move up through the hotel. The hotel feels unloved and in need of major refurbishment. The thick carpets everywhere smell of damp and although the rooms are of good size and well appointed the en-suite was not 5 star with the shower door not fitting, leaking water everywhere with black grime where it met the floor. However the worst is the “roof top pool and sky lounge” which sounds great until you see it. This area was the worst we experienced in all Sri Lankan hotels on our trip. Horrid concrete surround to an ice cold pool with wheels that fell off rusty metal sun loungers and no real area to sunbathe in. The hotel was a real disappointment considering its comparative price to other hotels and we would certainly recommend that you avoid this experience at all costs.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

27 Dec 2018

Chloe

Best hotel in sri lanka

The thai restraunt was amazing...great value for money. Room was luxury at its best. Staff were so friendly and professional

Family

10/10

Exceptional

19 Dec 2018

Steve

Grand hotel overlooking Kandy. Beautiful appointments and fantastic and friendly staff. I would definitely recommend the pool bar and pool area. We would also recommend a massage at the spa, it is inexpensive and the two staff are very friendly.

6/10

Pleasant

19 Dec 2018

Verified traveler

I arrived there on a weekend and I had a long travel and needed rest. There was an event with loud music that was reaching all the rooms till midnight. As for the room, it was spacious and nice. However, it wasn’t that very clean when I arrived. The lobby is so spacious and nice. Last of all, breakfast buffet should be reconsidered for international travelers. As for me, the taste didn’t suit me well.

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

08 Dec 2018

Verified traveler

Nice hotel, very clean and friendly, however the gym staff need training as they were not the friendly, they did not offer any towels or water.

10/10

Exceptional

29 Nov 2018

Ella

Our stay was very pleasant, the room was really big (honeymoon room) and comfortable for lounging with a sofa and chaise longue. View from the room was wonderful. Breakfast was good. It's about a 20 minute walk to get to / from the hotel and the centre of Kandy but you can always grab a tuktuk.

8/10

Excellent

18 Nov 2018

Verified traveler

The staff try incredibly hard to be the best they can. Lovely location and that personal touch makes a big difference

10/10

Exceptional

24 Oct 2018

Davy

Hotel was in a good location with excellent views of the surrounding countryside. Staff were very welcoming and very professional. We were made to feek very much at home.

8/10

Excellent

21 Oct 2018

tony

good views

nice hotel but getting a little tired, all went well however if you drink cappuccino be careful they charge extra for it even if your breakfast is included ( and its not a small charge!!!!)

10/10

Exceptional

15 Sep 2018

Daniel

Very nice Hotel, friendly staff, tasty food and a great view.

10/10

Exceptional

11 Sep 2018

Dr.shantha

Excellent

Family

8/10

Excellent

07 Aug 2018

Kathleen

Great service

Great service at the bar, check in and room service.

8/10

Excellent

06 Jul 2018

Verified traveler

A night in Kandy, Sri Lanka.

The location was great, and the hotel was spacious, we also received a free upgrade however the room service was too slow, no bathrobe in the bathroom, and they had long delay each and everytime we needed something, overall was a good stay.

Family

6/10

Pleasant

01 Jul 2018

Verified traveler

Good service

The strongest point of this hotel is its staff which was very attentive and obliging.
The building is lavish but you don't feel it was designed.
Basic amenities in the rooms and other public areas function nearly perfectly. However, some areas are a bit mouldy.
The beds mattesses and linen are of standard quality. The same cant be said about the other room furniture.
Views from the rooms aren't great as you see asbestos roofs everywhere. I guess it's a problem with the crowded kandy town.

6/10

Pleasant

18 Jun 2018

DANIEL

Not the best location - nothing in walking distance.
My pillow was like a lump of concrete.
The decor, which was a mixture of Liberace meets Play School, may suit some national tastes (but not European) - it is all garish golds and bright reds.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

30 May 2018

Verified traveler

This place is really fantastic with great amenities such as a full gym, beautiful pool, three restaurants and a cute area for drinks (alcohol is available here) and also snacks. They have reasonable wifi throughout the hotel. The only thing that I hope they change is their policy that blocks Netflix. Download your fav shows in advance and you can see them on non-streaming, but if you stream video here, it might not work out so well.

4/10

Poor

25 May 2018

Nipuni

Disapointed stay

It wasnt what we expected from a 5 star hotel. The bathroom wasnt cleaned properly. The tolilet seat was old and stained. The batroom tiles were black with mould. The services were not very punctual. They kept us waiting for 45 mins to handover our lugages at the check out. Only good thing was the food. Food was excellent. We dont mind one or two mistakes but this was too many. Overall disapointed and would not go again and not recomend.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

26 Apr 2018

dave

Great hotel in excellent location

This hotel is very good the staff were very helpful and the facilities excellent the meals were also very good
Roof top pool spectacular

10/10

Exceptional

10 Apr 2018

Verified traveler

Exsquite hotel

We booked this hotel as I was desperate for a swimming pool to help me with the heat in Sri Lanka. We spent 3 nights here and could not fault it at all. Amazing views from the panoramic windows.
A brilliant way to restore your Kama after busy sight seeing in Kandy.

10/10

Exceptional

09 Apr 2018

TND

Excellent hotel

Awesome experience! Rooms were fantastic.

It was rather warm in the lobby. Perhaps it would be beneficial to have the AC on.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 Mar 2018

arun

Great on a hill with super city views.

Nizam and Imesha looked after us all
along. All staff in general were very good
polite, courteous, professional and very helpful.
Our stay was great and we enjoyed all
7 days and 6 nights. Will consider coming back and recommend to all my friends planning visit to Sri Lanka.

4/10

Poor

19 Feb 2018

Holly

More like a 3*

Pros: Rooftop pool, breakfast, big rooms
Cons: Damp, noise, condition of hotel

I visited here for four nights with my partner. On walking into the lobby the hotel made quite an impression and is very grand. However once we got to the rooms we were very unimpressed.

The room was damp (see pictures) with big patches on the ceiling and by the skirting. I was shocked to find out it was a new hotel! The workmanship in the room was poor with wonky cupboard doors, poorly fitted carpets and a shower door which didn’t close. The beds were very comfy and it was a spacious room (we had a deluxe room).

The main issue was noise. The sound proofing was bad between rooms and we could hear guests next door having conversations. After coming back from dinner on the first night we then found out there was a disco event right below our room. We phoned reception who said it finishes at 10pm. It went on, we complained again about the noise. It stopped around 11pm.

The next day we complained to the manager and were able to move from the 6th to a room on the 3rd floor, which was better condition with less noise.

The rest of the stay was fine. The pool area is nice, and we spent a day relaxing there. We had breakfast included, it’s a buffet and good. We tried the Indian restaurant, it’s average food and the most expensive meal we had in Sri Lanka. The hotel is 10-mins to town in a tuk-tuk.

Overall we were disappointed as we were hoping for a 5* experience. Its more like a 3*.