Thilanka Hotel, Kandy

Sri Lanka , Kandy
KANDY, Sangamitha Mawatha, 3
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50 reviews shown

8/10

Excellent

14 Feb 2026

Joe

Interesting older hotel with an older and a newer wing. I stayed in the older wing in a nice large room but it was certainly dated.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

12 Feb 2026

Stephen

All staff were fantastic so friendly and welcoming. Special shout out to the pool manager and our waiter Nadana who both took special care of us.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 Feb 2026

Wendy

Very comfortable rooms, good food, lovely views, helpful staff, nothing not to like!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Feb 2026

Adam

Excellent hotel, great location. The outside area, pools and bar etc are superb with far reaching views of the hills and city below. Great rooms too, spacious and clean. Food was excellent too

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

30 Jan 2026

Harmeet

Fantastic views of the lake and mountains from all over the Hotel and room balcony. Stunning infinity swimming pool. The room was a bit dated and the AC, TV, Phone didn’t work. Buffet dinner at the hotel restaurant was below average.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

13 Jan 2026

Anoop

Best resort for quiet relaxation

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

17 Dec 2024

Zbigniew

Convenient location and very good restaurant

Convenient location. Great view. Clean and comfortable. Very good restaurant - many testy food options.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Sep 2024

Jiwanka

Excellent place to stay when visiting the temple. Hotel is well maintained, and the staff is excellent. Food selection and preparation is good.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

29 Aug 2024

Vanessa

The best thing about the Thilanka is the location and stunning view from the pool. The rooms are spacious and comfortable but slightly tired. The buffet offered a good selection of food and both breakfast and dinner. Would definitely recommend staying here, excellent value for money.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

26 Oct 2023

Porama

The staff and the lobby manager provided excellent service and it almost felt like home to us..
Thank you and would definitely stay next time I visit Kandy

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

16 Mar 2020

David

It was great

It was great!

Self

2/10

Poor

20 Feb 2020

Verified traveler

Poor staff attitude and service
Good view and swimming pool though

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

16 Feb 2020

Trevor

Great but....

This is a premier hotel. The room was generous and comfortable. The issues that distracted from our stay was the overpriced breakfast and dinner buffet. Overpriced in the sense that for the price charged the offering lacked a wow factor. There were some minor plumbing issues that weren't serious but indicative of a lack of attention to detail. The currency exchange rate offered was the worst that we encountered anywhere in Sri Lanka. Not something of which to be proud.

Partner

2/10

Poor

08 Feb 2020

Verified traveler

First of all, sharp practice. The photo of the swimming pool and some others that you have no your website for the Thilanka is NOT the Thilanka Hotel in Kandy. It is of some other hotel which is clearly on the coast.
This hotel is described as a 4 star. This is clearly false from the moment you walk into ther cramped shabby building and are met by clearly untrained staff. It is at best a very weak 3 star hotel.
The general condition of the place is shabby - dirty, badly painted, not maintained, liberally filled with insects and a swarm of mosquitoes at night.
The food was appalling - cheap bread left out overnight, sweetened and watered down juices and coffee the like of which i haven't tasted in over 30 years.
Staff were clueless, poorly trained and lacked the kind of essential English skills needed in this industry (and which we found in every other of the 7 hotels we stayed in in Sri Lankla during our stay).
our room - the 'suite'!! A large leftover space at the end of the corridor with not a right-angle in the place. Curtains which didn't open; windows to a microscopic balcony whch had not been cleaned in a very long time; mosquitoes everywhere (and our driver's room had bed bugs meaning he had to sleep in the car!
Three nights at this hotel cost more than a genuine 5 star hotel in Colombo - the Cinnamon Grand. All in all a rip-off.
Despite complaining to the reception staff, nothing was done either because they could be bothered, didn't know what to do, or just forgot.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

13 Jan 2020

Verified traveler

WiFi Connection very bad

Business

4/10

Poor

11 Jan 2020

Verified traveler

I requested a quiet room months in advance but was given a noisy one overlooking the pool and restaurant. I was told the hotel was full but they agreed to change rooms after asking to speak with the manager. I booked half board but the waiter was adamant I was on BB and waved his sheet at me stating this. Very rude and unprofessional but he later admitted he was wrong after I suggested he check with the manager. Veg and non veg options were in the same heated trays and food items were not all labelled to indicate what was veg. Horrendous experience with onward transport arranged through hotel. It was expensive but I was promised a new comfortable car with large boot. I complained to the transport owner after getting an old rusty dented vehicle which didn’t fit our bags. He was very rude and said look elsewhere! Ended up with a 13 year old van which was stopped by other drivers on route as the buffer was falling off and then stopped working near the destination as ‘ it struggles with hill climbs’ so we had to stop and let the car rest and drive slowly . The driver was however excellent and professional in dealing with the poorly maintained vehicle. I would recommend booking a vehicle privately and checking the condition the day before. I asked to speak with the general manager a few times during the stay but was told he was not available. Poor customer service and apathetic management

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

14 Dec 2019

Verified traveler

Great breakfast, good location. Building a bit of a slap job but rooms are huge and have all you need

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

07 Dec 2019

Verified traveler

Nice hotel but found the corridors echoed making it a bit noisy. Friendly staff. Could do with a gym though

Leisure

4/10

Poor

19 Oct 2019

Ben

Water dripping from ceiling, water heater intermittent, drainage problems in the bathroom, lots of mosquitoes in the bedroom. Staff are nice but seemed sleepy and inattentive. When checking out, guy at reception really couldn’t care less if I dropped dead in front of him. Unpleasant. Wouldn’t stay here or at any Thilanka hotels again.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

07 Oct 2019

Verified traveler

Good value for money. Food was excellent. Clean room.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

10 Sep 2019

Sena

Location is quite convenient.
Cleanliness is satisfactory.
Room airconditioner is very noisy.

Business_and_leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

14 Jul 2019

Heidi

A good stay :)

SO welcoming and a VERY early check -in with huge smiles. Great variety at breakfast and an AMAZING view. Close to lake, town and sights - walking distance.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Jul 2019

Michael

Stay in Style in Kandy

Beautiful outdoor pool area and garden

Very good food (half board) with excellent variety of local and western cuisine

Comfortable room with balcony and view of the forest

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

29 Jun 2019

Verified traveler

It’s a great location and the room is big. We’re happy 😊😊

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

22 Jun 2019

Daniel

Would go back

Nice place; good staff; breakfast was a bit disappointing, also no fotness center. Great views, hotel is a bit dated and worn in some places but overall nice.

10/10

Exceptional

17 Jun 2019

Andrew

Golf trip

We all had a great time!

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

09 Jun 2019

Great service, close to city. One good place to stay .

8/10

Excellent

12 Apr 2019

Verified traveler

Nice place. Good location. Nice breakfast.
Good pool

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

24 Dec 2018

Nice hotel, friendly staff. The buffet breakfast and dinner was good.

10/10

Exceptional

30 Jul 2018

Sharon

Great hotel!

Was a great hotel, clean rooms and very friendly staff.

Family

8/10

Excellent

15 Jul 2018

Verified traveler

Such a great place to rest after our long train journey from Ella. Wish we had more time here.

4/10

Poor

08 Jul 2018

Adia

Extra charge for everything. Checkin time supposed to be at 12, we stayed in the lobby for half an hour to wait they clean the room. Not satisfied with the facility except the reception girl, she is nice and very helpful.

6/10

Pleasant

21 Jun 2018

Carl Anthony

Building work kind of ruined the hotel but it is lovely

Partner

8/10

Excellent

18 May 2018

Ann

Kandy

A quick couple of nights in Kandy. Unfortunately a lot of construction around and very noisy.

Friends

8/10

Excellent

13 Apr 2018

Gail

One night stay

Comfortable hotel, nice pool, good breakfast. Only small criticism is concierge was no help when we asked him to book the train for us. We had to pay a tuk tuk to station and back in horrific traffic

Family

8/10

Excellent

04 Apr 2018

Verified traveler

Very good location overlooking the lake

Great comfort and very courteous staff.
Only area where it lacked is that during dinner time - which is till 2200 hrs, even before that time, staff were queuing up and taking food even before the guests could. In fact emptying some dishes as well.
This was something not very professional for the management.

8/10

Excellent

09 Mar 2018

Tina

Nice hotel remote from m city centre

We arrived to find our requested - 2 beds and bathtub - deluxe with balcony room was not available so were upgraded to a suite.

This was lovely and we dined in the restaurant only on the first night and had room service subsequently. Thus was excellent and delivered timeously.

Recommended so long as you don't need access to the city centre at night as it is high in a hill overlooking the beautiful lake.

Staff very courteous.

8/10

Excellent

31 Dec 2017

Valentin

It was O.K

Family

8/10

Excellent

03 Dec 2017

Kate

Great Views and Location

The hotel was great. Although slightly pricey for Sri Lanka, it was quite a bargain compared to the US rates I am used to. The room was nice with great amenities, though the bathroom felt a bit dated and musty.The view from our balcony was perfection and we were able to walk from the hotel into town. We didn't get to use the pool because of weather, but it looks great. The buffet breakfast was delicious, but be forewarned that if the hotel is crowded, lined can form up for food. I'd recommend skipping the hotel dinners in favor of local restaurants.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

03 Dec 2017

Supriya

Not good value for money.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

16 Oct 2017

Verified traveler

Excellent hotel

Good location. Nice pool area. Great staff. Overall highly recommended

4/10

Poor

05 Jul 2017

Verified traveler

Needs renovation

For the price we paid, it is not worth.. Rooms were big, but with ants rolling around the bed everywhere and Bathroom conditions were so bad!

8/10

Excellent

03 Jan 2017

Jen

Nice hotel in Kandy

Nice hotel in Kandy with good views if you have a room in higher floors. The pool was refreshing also. We spent 2 weeks in Sri Lanka and Kandy was our least favorite tour stop. It's the 2nd largest city in Sri Lanka but there wasn't much to do there other than watch a tourist trap fire show and see the Buddha's Tooth Temple. But the temple was full of hundreds of people all cramming to see a tooth which we never did. The cave temples were nice and there's friendly monkeys everywhere. Best thing about Kandy was this hotel. Rooms are big, have all the necessities: AC, hot shower, clean fluffy towels, comfy beds, good smelling toiletries and fast wifi. The service was great and the buffets were delicious with lots of varieties at a very good price. Only bad thing was the bus loads of tourist being dropped off for the dinner buffet. So get there early to get a table and food before the big tourist groups eats it all. Better yet, skip Kandy and go to the other towns with beautiful landscapes and mountains and peace and quiet.

4/10

Poor

12 Dec 2016

guy

From the beginning we were sad we got this hotel

When we check in they said we do not have any Invitation Although we paid more than two months in advance. When it has been worked out we got a room right above the dining room - the noise was unbearable. First time in my life I had to sleep with earplugs. Then came another surprise - every morning at 5 AM Monkeys run on the roofs of the balcony that maid of Light metal, unbearable noise and wake-up inevitable.
Apart from those, it was a rich bouffat but not very tasty. the crew was very kind as anywhere in Sri Lanka.

6/10

Pleasant

06 Nov 2016

Ian

Average hotel

Average stay in an average hotel.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

06 Jul 2016

Abu Dhabi

Good location

Greeted warmly by staff who provided us with a drink. Very smooth and easy check in. Rooms and bathrooms were very clean. Fantastic views from the poolside bar. Can't fault any of the staff and the lobby manager, Marcus, was extremely helpful and we would like to thank him. Thilanka was a perfect base being approximately 10 minutes walk to the Square.

6/10

Pleasant

24 Dec 2015

Karthik

Good basic hotel

Free wife only at the reception. Veg foodies will have extremely limited options.
Rooms have a beautiful view of the lake.
Rooms are clean.

Family

8/10

Excellent

13 Nov 2015

Verified traveler

Nice large rooms and good views

Spent a night at the hotel. Rooms are large and well maintained. The hotel grounds are a little crowded and but that is to be expected. Breakfast buffet was wonderful. Overall a good experience.

Family

6/10

Pleasant

30 Oct 2015

Ahmed Amin

Wifi access

Wifi only available in lobby which was a pain

Family

10/10

Exceptional

12 Sep 2015

hussam