Hotel berhampiran Rusirugama Playground, Matale

We had dinner here on 13th August 2024. Standards have dropped since we last visited and the former GM has left. When we drove in, there were about 7 to 8 staff in the front verandah standing around and watching. Once we sat for dinner periodically The chef came out and was having conversations with staff in the dining verandah, then 4 staff members were having a conversation near the kitchen door for long periods of time. It had the atmosphere of a village cafe with all these gatherings and conversations going on and I started videoing the village style drama and then they disappeared and I can hear them having a conversation behind me.When I tried to enter the pin for my American Express card, another staff member in addition to the server was looking over my shoulder and I inquired if he wanted my pin. He then walked away with a sheepish grin. These are cultural baggage which have not been addressed by training. We have not encountered such behaviour at Kandy house or Mahaweli Reach Riverside, when we dine at these locations. The food was good and the staff member who served us was good, but he should not have disappeared with my platinum American Express card. I spoke to the new GM about these issues but without much confidence. In Sri Lanka standards overall have dropped.

Colonial style hotel that offers very traditional rooms in a lovely setting. Pool, rooms, common areas, grounds etc all excellent. Exactly what we feel most comfortable with. We were lucky to get an upgrade to a slightly larger room with separate seating area on the upper floor which was a lovely gesture. Service excellent. The allocated butler was very friendly, professional and was very accommodating. I saw other reviews commenting on the food menu and cost. Lovely lunch menu. Very tasty with good portion size. Dinner menu had two starter options and three main to choose from. We had no issue in selecting and found the quality to be truly excellent. Very high standard. I saw other reviewers commenting on the price of food and drink. I agree it is high but should not come as a surprise given the cost of the rooms. If you are prepared to pay the room rate for this unique offering then you need to come ready to spend on the food and drink. Take on the whole experience, that is what holidays are for. One area for improvement which is very minor. The pool is amazing but needs a little love. Walls need a clean. The algae does come off, I tried. Also get the infinity working!! The pool is an asset so milk it.

The bed was comfy. The view was amazing. The staff were very friendly. The location is very close to downtown but up a hill so very very quiet. The food is good, EXCEPT the mutton biryani. Don't order the Mutton Biryani it was just tough fatty meat that you couldn't chew unless you want to feel like you're chewing on an old piece of gum.

This hotel is quite difficult to review because in most soft product aspects it is absolutely excellent but the hard product (room) and the pricing of alcoholic drinks really let it down and make it seem poor value for money when compared to other high end properties we stayed at. For example the Anantara Peace Haven, which many reviewers feel has high prices for food and drinks, charges about half as much for cocktails and other alcoholic drinks and we found the prices there very fair compared to Kings Pavilion. We arrived to a really lovely welcome with a cold towel and welcome drink. We were promptly shown to our room and enjoyed the welcome amenities including chocolates. When we wanted to go to Kandy the staff quickly organised a very good and inexpensive tuk tuk driver for us and reminded us of the requirement for covering up at the Temple of the Tooth which was very kind and welcome information. The turndown service was also excellent. We received more chocolates and beautiful towel art decorated our beds which was a lovely surprise. When we went to dinner, again staff were very engaging and kind. However, being on half board meant having a very limited menu to choose from. Drinks other than Fanta or Coke were outrageously priced for Sri Lanka. In nearly 3 weeks travelling through Sri Lanka staying at high end hotels all along, prices here were by far the highest. Needless to say we stuck to soft drinks. Although the food was good, I would advise against taking the half board option, as you are stuck with a limited choice and very high drinks prices. By leaving it open where you have dinner you could still choose to eat here and have the full menu to select from. Breakfast was very good and we were offered a second helping of any fruit or breakfast items that we particularly liked - this again was great service. Our room was a suite and located in a separate building behind the main structure. The bathroom was huge and very well appointed, but the room itself was a bit of a let down. While large in size, the pieces of furniture did not seem high quality and were mismatched. The room itself reminded me of a motel room somehow, the decor seemed poorly finished and the door seemed old and had a huge gap at the bottom which allowed a large caterpillar to gain access during the night. All in all the least impressive room we had during our trip and the only hotel were I felt that bugs could easily get into the room. The staircase that leads up to this annex was overgrown with plants. While I largely avoided getting bitten by mosquitos in Sri Lanka, I did get a few bites here. The patio area outside our room did not look inviting either, it wasn't paved but you walked out onto soil and a small amount of grass, there was no view to speak of. It is possible that other rooms offer a better standard as they seem to be of individual character and some seemed to be looking out over Kandy. However, the greedy drinks prices alone w

Nice place, clean, very helpful and service minded staff and a nice rooftop pool. Breakfast was tasty and quite large, perfect before a train trip to Ella. Only minus was that the AC was acting a but strange, and the room had no windows facing outside. So the night time was hot, and it was a bit difficult to sleep well. Might have been bad luck.