Grand Udawalawe Safari Resort

Ok hotel. Don’t recommend the food for lunch

Our third stop on our week-long tour of Sri Lanka and just by reading the reviews we kind of knew this hotel wouldn’t be quite as good as the Jetwing hotels that we had come from. Saying that, it is a good 3 star (Sri Lankan) hotel and we really enjoyed our stay here. It was only for one night but I could have stayed a few more nights quite easily. What knocks the Grand Safari Resort down a bit is that it’s set up to cater for larger groups and coach loads of tourists. It was obvious that lots of people come & go very quickly, and generally, some areas of the hotel are a little weathered and could do with some maintenance & decoration. Although it seemed quiet all around the hotel, when it came to the breakfast and evening meals the restaurant was like ‘feeding time at the zoo’ with bums on all seats & queues for the buffet. The food was again 3 star, not a huge choice, not as fresh as we’d just experienced, but there was no way you would go hungry. On to the good bits; the front office staff were all fantastic and check in was very quick. We were shown to our room and greeted with monkeys on the balcony. The air-con was ever-so-slightly a little noisy but the room itself was lovely and very clean indeed. We then enjoyed a wander around the hotel grounds, and this is where the hotel really earns some points. It’s like a mini jungle paradise with monkeys and lots of birds in the trees; there are streams all around where tortoises laze on the banks and small ponds in the gardens where pretty flowers grow. I then went for an evening swim and had the pool all to myself which was magical. We also sampled a few cocktails in the small but lovely bar area. Location wise, the Udawalawe Grand Safari Resort can’t be beat for the Elephant Transit Home which is literally 3 minutes down the road (we highly recommend a visit during feeding time) and the Udawalawe National Park entrance which is only 5 minutes away. Check out was just as nice as the check in where the manager came to say goodbye and wish us a lovely rest of our holiday. Apologise for not remembering any names. Lastly, and not the hotel’s fault at all, HUGE thanks to the husband & wife who decided to have a full-blown raging argument about 11pm near our room. If I wasn’t so tired I would have got out of bed and refereed your fight.

The hotel was ok but a little dated and needed some bathroom upgrades. The bathroom had a shower over bath and felt like we would fall through it as the bath was cracked! Had an incident by the pool with 6 local, drunk men swimming in their underpants. They clearly knew staff as they were all chatting and laughing as we arrived. One of them then started taking photos of my wife in her bikini. Staff were slow to respond. Junior manager was hopeless and just stood smiling at us. Senior manger kept turning his back on my wife and said he would ask them to leave (in a car, drink). No apology. Complaint made. No reply

Situated on the outskirts of Udawalawe National Park, the hotel is pleasantly situated, with a stream running through it. Rooms are large, with mini fridge, air con, safe, tv etc. Staff are very friendly and helpful. Restaurant serves buffet style food with a good selection of dishes suiting all tastes. The Elephant Transit home is nearby and well worth a visit at feeding time. The entrance to the National park is a short distance away.

Hotel okay. Our room was okay, but nothing special. Whole hotel very humid due to location. Only respite was in the bar which had better air conditioning. Buffet nothing special either. Staff seemed to often not care much or know their job well.