Hotel berhampiran YMHA Playground Thirunelvely, Jaffna

This is one of the best options to stay in Jaffna. It’s not in the city centre, more on the outskirts of the city , there’s nothing around, so you basically plan your time in the resort. The hotel itself is nice , the rooms look a bit old but clean , there was no hot water in our room. The territory of the hotel is beautiful with the pool , restaurant, little museums to visit (ex bunkers). The food in the restaurant is yummy , the staff is friendly and polite, especially Scotty , he was very helpful and nice to us during our stay. Good experience at this hotel, just the water situation in the rooms should be improved.

During my visit to Jaffna for the Nallur festival in September, I unfortunately did not make a prior hotel reservation and decided to check availability at The Valampuri hotel upon arrival. However, I was informed that due to high demand, the hotel was fully booked. The receptionist recommended their sister company, Green Grass Hotel, which I reluctantly agreed to stay in, considering it was late at night and I had already traveled a long journey by train. The reservation at Green Grass Hotel was for six days. Upon reflection, I regret staying at Green Grass Hotel. The room provided was unclean and located in a secluded corner of the hotel. The bed appeared worn out with evident stains on the sheets. The condition of the toilet was disappointing, with cockroaches freely moving around. Moreover, the availability of hot water was inconsistent; it was only available on certain days. When I requested the cleaning staff to tidy the room while I explored Jaffna, their service was subpar, and I doubted if the bed sheets were even changed. Despite being listed as a two-star hotel on ***********, I would rate this hotel as a one-star establishment based on my experience. Although Green Grass Hotel claimed to have Wi-Fi, it did not function properly throughout my stay. Despite complaining about this issue for four consecutive days, no resolution was provided. It is worth mentioning that while some of the staff members were helpful, others displayed rude and unhelpful behavior. If circumstances force you to stay at Green Grass Hotel for one night in the absence of alternatives, I would strongly advise finding a more accommodating hotel in Jaffna as soon as possible. The overall experience at Green Grass Hotel was certainly not worth the stay.

We were welcomed with a cold towel and wood-apple juice. Our room had a view to the lagoon and the fort which we appreciated. It was good being within walking distance of the sights we wanted to see. The restaurant is very nicely set out with the buffet options well displayed. The staff are very attentive. But even in a top hotel the food was far from hot, except for the dishes cooked especially for you. The Jaffna Night food buffet was excellent with so many different tastes (although one soup was far too spicy for us). The restaurant was full that night but there were no issues accessing the food. There are two lifts so there was little waiting even on 6th floor. Reception staff were helpful in changing money into smaller notes and providing an extra bed sheet for one of us who found sleeping under a doona too hot.

With only 4 rooms, this refurbished villa is like staying in a friends house. The wonderful staff looked after us so well and as the food was so good, we ate here 3 of our four nights as well as lunch on a number of days too. Lovely clean spacious rooms with good air conditioning and a very comfortable bed. Good size pool with pool towels provided. We couldn’t have asked for anything more with a special mention to our Butler Janaka. If you want to get away from the big hotels, then this place is highly recommended.