Grand Udawalawe Safari Resort

8/10

Excellent

19 Feb 2026

Kevin

Friendly staff. Clean room

10/10

Exceptional

07 Feb 2026

Kyle

An easy, relaxing base before and after our safari.

10/10

Exceptional

25 Jan 2026

Kevin

Staff always have a smile and will get you anything you need. Nice and clean room and communal areas, good variety of food. Great location if you are visiting for the Safari, only ten minutes up the road. The transition centre, where you can see the young elephants being fed, is even closer.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Dec 2025

Andrew

Great service and very hospitable team. Secure and convenient location for national park. The bathroom in the standard room is very tired and needs refurbishment

Partner

8/10

Excellent

22 Aug 2025

Amanda

Excellent staff great safari clean property but food was poor

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

26 Jun 2025

Lisa

We

4/10

Poor

02 Mar 2025

Christopher

Property was hugely convenient for the udawalawe game reserve. The staff were very pleasant. And that was about it…. The hotel was dark, our room was unbelievably dark, and the food was disgusting. Our two meals were inedible. We left a day early.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

19 Feb 2025

Andrew

Had a great stay... only down side being we were only there for 2 nights
Lovely hotel, with very friendly staff.
Rooms great and well appointed.Great setting and relaxing after or before safari.
Only bit of advice is dont go too late for breakfast or buffet evening meal, as its all been hoovered up.
Would recommend and if we find ourself in same area again, will re book.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

30 Jan 2024

Ryan

We loved our stay here! The staff were all great, the campus was clean and well taken care of, and our room was very nice. The restaurant breakfast and dinner buffets had a nice variety of food options as well. Watch out for monkeys in the morning - one tried to steal our cream and sugar during morning coffee on the balcony.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Jan 2024

Samaraweerage

Great place to relax and enjoy. A convenient location if you’re going for safari in Udawalawe national parks

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

27 Apr 2023

Sarah

We had a wonderful time and experience here. The staff were above and beyond, the amenities were also really nice. We enjoyed the restaurant and bar and the food.

Leisure Family_with_children

6/10

Pleasant

17 Mar 2020

Verified traveler

The staff were pleasant. The room was large and comfortable. The bathroom was a bit gritty. The décor was gloomy. The food was good.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

13 Mar 2020

Jennifer

great stay in a great hotel

We had a fantastic time, the food was great - so many gluten free options, I’m coeliac so that made a huge difference.

It was my 30th birthday when we arrived, they decorated my room, gave me a free drink and also made me a gluten free cake and sang to me - brilliant!

This hotel was lovely, clean, had great pool and the staff were kind, attentive and always pleasant. we would definitely visit again :)

Partner

8/10

Excellent

09 Feb 2020

Murray

Good Spot

A great place to stay when planning a safari! Not much else to do in the area and hotel but perfect for a one night trip!

Partner

8/10

Excellent

08 Feb 2020

Sneha

Good place but very average food

The hotel was nice and well kept. The room was really big and comfortable, the staff was helpful.
The biggest issue that we faced was with the food. we are vegetarians so there were very limited choices to begin with (we are used to less options but this was abnormally low). Even the few options that were available tasted very bad. It was excessively salty and slightly under-cooked.
The hotel’s safari jeep package was almost double of what we paid outside.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

05 Feb 2020

BRIAN

Good location as near to the park and it has a pleasant swimming pool and Deluxe rooms were nice (not as described on website but still ok). Food was very poor and catered for tour groups and very expensive for food and drinks. They have no tour desk or leaflets regarding tours for independent travellers, however they booked an excellent trip for 2 people. One night here is enough as tour leaves at either 0530 or 1430 so only trip is needed and then elephant orphanage / transit home, which was worth a visit and in walking distance. Only hotel like this in the area so if you want the facilities then book this but be aware not up to expected standards.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

10 Jan 2020

Robert

Excellent hotel - except for the food

Based on the hotel itself, we'd give this hotel a 5 star rating. The only reason we have to give it a 4 is that the food war really disappointing. We had been in Sri Lanka for about a week in various hotels and restaurants prior to this stay, and really love the food and have found the quality and flavor of food in this country to be very consistent. However, the food here was really rather bad. We ate dinner and breakfast here twice, and all meals were consistently poor. Even the papadums were kind of stale tasting - this is not that hard an item to cook well! Otherwise, the hotel was great - great rooms, great staff, excellent grounds, nice pool. But they really need to replace the food service manager or chef and upgrade their food.

Partner

4/10

Poor

30 Sep 2019

James

Disappointing stay

Unfortunately we did not have a great stay at Udawalawe Safari Resort. The hotel is in definite need of an upgrade and is very dated. The price is definitely overpriced for what you get (especially for Sri Lanka). The reception staff were very friendly but we had a bad experience in the restaurant for dinner and then again the following morning for breakfast. I am vegetarian and was served bacon in my breakfast. The main issue we had was the language barrier and attitude of the staff in the restaurant.

Partner

4/10

Poor

25 Aug 2019

Tahsin

No wifi in room. Public places have wifi very bad. Took spa but the towel was very dirty

10/10

Exceptional

12 Aug 2019

Verified traveler

We arrived in Grand Uda Walawe for 1 night only and it was beautiful. We got upgraded to a nicer room which is always a nice surprise and the staff was incredible. We used the spa to get a massage and that was also amazing. The hotel organised our safari to Uda Walawe and we got a guide from the park as well as our driver who were both very knowledgeable. Be aware that the curry in the restaurant was really quite spicy (we didn’t request mild or spicy so unsure which one we got). We had been fine with curries around Sri Lanka so far but this one was a little too fiery for me! The club sandwich though was fantastic! Staff was awesome and the hotel itself is beautiful. The room was luxurious and we had conditioner in the bathroom which is quite rare! Loved this place.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

02 Apr 2019

Verified traveler

Staff were top notch. Great location. Lovely pool.

Leisure Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

23 Mar 2019

Rick

A nice resort close to Udawalawe National Park. Enjoyed the pool area very much. Spacious room.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

13 Mar 2019

Verified traveler

Great one night stay

Great hotel, nice large rooms with powerful showers however the drains can’t keep up with the flow and the bathroom floods, good air conditioning and great on site restauarant with many different options in their buffet both for breakfast and lunch, the WiFi only works in common areas an not in rooms, this is the only thing I would suggest the hotel works on but the service and customer is first rate

8/10

Excellent

13 Feb 2019

Joseph A

Good for safari as it's so close to the park

Truly awful WiFi. The restaurant is expensive. Ideal for a one night stay if you want to do the safari

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

08 Jan 2019

Verified traveler

Excellent! We had a very comfortable room, friendly staff and great food

6/10

Pleasant

25 Dec 2018

Martin

Underwhelming at best.

Our stay here where underwhelming at best. First they messed up our booking and we needed to wait for a new room. For the price we pay the standard was not really good. The shower head needed to either be changed or a proper deep cleaning, around the bathtub it was a bad paint job who made it look more dirty. The towels was old and washed out, the bed linens too was old.

The services, they were nice but the English was so bad that all communication was a frustration. Especially in the restaurants, who was overpriced, slow service and not that good. Several of us got sick afterwards.

Oh. And the WiFi in the rooms was completely down and that was something we needed to ask around of instead in just informing us that at arrival.

Family

8/10

Excellent

13 Nov 2018

Solli

It is a very nice location of the hotel, close to the road but very silence. The rooms are very comfortably and clean. A big nice pool.

Very delicious food at the buffets, the only thing is you have to pay for your drinks during dinner, there should at least be one drink included.

All there are working there was friendly and helpfull all the time.

Would like to stay there again. Absolut perfect.

10/10

Exceptional

02 May 2018

Verified traveler

Lovely stay, rooms very clean and comfortable, staff helpful. Would recommend

8/10

Excellent

15 Apr 2018

Mukesh

Great for a stopover.

We only stayed here for one night as a stopover. We didn't do any safari. Ideal for a stopover. The facilities are good for a 3* hotel, including a good pool and basic spa - very nice after a long day driving. The staff very helpful and the rooms are a good size and well appointed. Buffet dinner and breakfast had plenty of choice and a good mix of Sri Lankan and Western food.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

11 Feb 2018

tony

Comfortable, convenient safari base

All aspects lived up to expectations. Jungle setting gave good feel to hotel and vegetable curries in buffet outstanding. Enjoyed safaris in nearby National Park and 2 night stay gave opportunity for morning and afternoon outings.

4/10

Poor

05 Feb 2018

Aaron

Stuck in the 90’s

Very old and out dated hotel, bathroom was dirty, shower floor was timber, and obviously hard to clean (or never cleaned) as my feet were black after showering. Shower head was terrible. Restaurant is very basic and buffet is not appealing for dinner or breakfast.

8/10

Excellent

29 Jan 2018

M

Convenient location.

Good hotel with decent amenities. Staff were friendly. The food in the restaurant was adequate. You may not find better hotels in this small town.

10/10

Exceptional

29 Jan 2018

Eve

We stayed here for one night so we could do a Safari early in the morning. The hotel was great and the staff were very friendly. We would recommend this hotel to anyway wanting to stay near Udawalawe.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

13 Jan 2018

J A H

Room had a noisy and unclean air conditioning system. Overall a little tired and could do with some refurbishment.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

11 Jan 2018

Verified traveler

Hotel is good for a visit to Uda Walawe andfor arranging safaris.

6/10

Pleasant

27 Dec 2017

Graham

Nice hotel, but disappointing service

The hotel is a pleasant place to stay with two wings focused around a small but nice pool area. Rooms are clean and spacious, although a bit sparse.
Unfortunately we felt the hotel let itself down when it came to service. Whilst the staff were polite, there were several aspects of the service were disappointing. Examples include attempting to arrange a tour before arrival only to receive identikit responses which didn't actually answer any of our questions, or taxi rates which were double the standard taxi rate offered by all other hotels or local taxi companies (and being completely unwilling to provide us any reasonable assistance). Other staff members seemed willing to help but ultimately forgot our requests or were very slow to respond despite the hotel being very quiet.
The à la carte menu in the restaurant offers a wide ranging choice average quality however there is very little in the way of vegetarian options.

4/10

Poor

10 Dec 2017

Ignacio

Grand complaint resort

The comun areas are fine. The bedroom was fine, the mattress was not good.
The most funny was that we had breakfast included and the cafe expresso and the water were not included, they never advice about and after they charge it to us. All the staff even managers were very unprofessional. Only the front desk manager was clear and quick on the desicion making.

10/10

Exceptional

07 Oct 2017

Tess

Great Hotel

Family

10/10

Exceptional

18 Aug 2017

simon

Boutique hotel - super rooms

Great hotel just a short ride from town. Attentive and friendly staff. Restaurant had great food. Beach and pool quite small but with few guests it worked well

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

07 Aug 2017

Craig

Average hotel, but did the job C+

Disappointed with my stay, as it was not our first choice. However there were not too many hotels available. They tried very hard to push me to pay for an upgraded room, even though i had told them that we didn't want this, this might be uncomfortable for some people. the room was ok, it was big and fairly comfortable, but it feels like an old room, old bed and a dated bathroom.
the pool area was nice, however the gym was not great.
The restaurant was average at best, they seemed to just do a buffet style breakfast lunch and dinner that consisted of the same meals.
there is nothing to do in the area, you just come for the safari, i would suggest that you just stay for 1 night and move on, we stayed for 2 and felt that it was too long.
It was an average hotel in an empty area, but did the job.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Jul 2017

Dev

Trouble free , enjoyable

Very good experience, already recommended to my brother and sister who are travelling from USA and Australia.
Everything was as promised, Udawalawe trip was arranged, no trouble at all. Regret that we spend only one night.
Food was excellent, most importantly the staff was unbelievably organised, polite and knew there job. Hope the management understands the value of good staff.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

10 Feb 2017

Howard

New well-planned hotel close to the park

This hotel is only a few years old. It is set very nicely and does not in any way dominate the landscape. Very nice pool area. Very comfortable. Seems to cater to the busload tourists but I think that has to do with the lack of facilities in the area. dinning room has a cafeteria feel but the food was above average for this type of hotel. Most people who go there are using it as a way station for safaris into the park and it is an excellent choice for that end.

8/10

Excellent

26 Jan 2026

Johanna

Stort rum och stort poolområde! Bra läge till nationalparken.

Self

8/10

Excellent

04 Jan 2026

Anton

Trevliga rum och fin pool.
Rätt dålig frukost för oss västerlänningar.

Friends_and_family Family

4/10

Poor

04 Dec 2025

Kolja

Vi blev tildelt et andet værelse end det vi havde booket. Det var fugtigt (synligt på væggen og lugtede også), mørkt og beskidt. Det virkede til at værelserne i den nye del af resortet var i bedre stand! Der blev ikke gjort noget ved vores klage ift værelsesskift. Personalet var generelt venlige, men selve værelserne og faciliteterne trænger til en kærlig hånd.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

02 Nov 2025

Lars Toft

Beautiful hotel with amazing staff. We had a great time

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 Dec 2024

Tonny

Roligt og hyggeligt

Dejligt sted, god pool, venligt personale

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

11 Apr 2024

Jörgen

En stor och lyxig resort nära nationalparken. Vi hade en suit som var väldigt fin med en härlig regndush som var perfekt efter en dammig safari. Skön stor säng.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

24 Feb 2024

Vera

Alles sehr gut und sauber . Essen aller card sehr lecker, frühstück gut, aber dunkel und bedrückend.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

19 Feb 2024

Hans

It is a relaxed good maintaned hotel. We were in the governors Suite and really liked it!