Hotel suggestions for Kandy, Sri Lanka
 

Hello
We are trying to finalise our itinerary with Boutique Sri Lanki and so far I haven't found a hotel in Kandy that I like.
To give you an idea of our taste:

1 night Jetwing Beach
3 night in tea Factory
2 nights in Kandy. Should we stay in centre of Kandy or up the hills. The hotels with stunning views seem very far and the roads reviews are not promising. We are looking for luxury or luxury boutique hotels. Since we have the kids with us, I think staying closer is better but can't a hotel that ticks all the boxes.
1 Casa Colombo

Any suggestions please.
thanks a lot

Why are you staying in Kandy? Are you going to sites in Kandy or would you prefer just to see the scenery around Kandy?

We loved the Kandy House, a small boutique hotel in the hills near Kandy. I don't know how well it would work with children, however.

Frankly, I think you would be happier staying in Damulla at the Kandalama. There is lots to see and do in the area, both cultural sites and wildlife. And the Kandalama would be a much better place to take children.

Hi Kathie,
I considered skipping Kandy but I am interested in the cultural show and wonder if can catch that anywhere else?
the reason we are thinking of skipping the cultural triangle is that my kids and husband are not interested in temples or relics. All three love nature and animals (or beaches and water activities). Since we live near the beach, we decided to skip Bentota which was suggested by the travel agents.
I just found Mas Villa which looks gorgeous and seems to be located an hour away from Kandy with possible day trips to cultural triangle and Kandy. Would that work given that we are spending 3 nights in tea factory.

Thanks

The Cultural show was an interesting (but not amazing) hour or so. Personally, I wouldn't stay in Kandy just for that.

The Mas Villa looks nice, I know nothing about it. But the places they highlight are cultural sites - ruins of temples and cities. I don't know how close it might be to one of the parks where you can do game drives. From the Kandalama, We did a drive in Habarnara, where we saw herds of wild elephants.

I fear that the Mas Villa location may end up being a compromise that satisfies no one.

Can.t help with boutique type accommodation in Kandy as we used a home stay which was nice but fairly basic. Assuming you are using a driver/guide I wouldn't worry too much about location as they will take you anywhere you want. For me, the highlight of Kandy was the evening Puja ceremony at the Temple of The Tooth, an amazing sight that certainly will not be seen elsewhere. Also, well worth a visit is the nearby Pinnewela elephant orphanage.

Mas Villa is a wonderful place, but at least 90 mins from Kandy on dodgy roads. I would be inclined towards Victoria Golf Course. There are some winderful villas with staff to be hired as well as the luxury resort itself. The course is very picturesque. I stayed there as a non golfer. Fabulous. And 20-30 mins outside Kandy in Digana. Kandy is unique and if you have the chance to travel during perahera you'll see a wonderful dancing procession of elephants. It's considered Sri Lanka's biggest event. The Temple of the Tooth is great, trekking in the mountains is lovely and if you can avoid the traffic, Kandy has a lot of charm.

Thanks Stuart for that. You seem to agree with our agent on Victoria. Our agent suggested Eagle's Fall on Victoria Golf course. I had initially wanted to book Tamarind Lodge in the same area but it has no AC. I am not sure how necessary the AC is in October though. Any thoughts on that?

Can anyone advise on whether it is a good idea to take a day trip to Galle from Colombo?

Thanks so much

A day trip to Galle from Colombo? That is quite a long drive. You have two children who will be quickly bored. Not a good idea. Indeed, I remember a trip report from someone who drove from Galle back to the airport on their last day and said it was too long - imagine trying to do it roundtrip in one day!

In November we stayed at the Kandy House which has no AC and it was fine. I don't know how the location of the place you are visiting compares.

A day trip from Columbo is not a great idea. It took us about 4 hours to drive back from galle and another 2 to tNegombo. Staying in Kandy with no AC was fine for us in feb

Thanks Kathie and Crellston for your input,
I am thinking of skipping Negombo and going straight to Galle from airport and adding another night there. Our flight arrives at 6 am so the kids will probably be asleep, and maybe the roads will be easier also. Thoughts?
If ac is not a problem, then maybe Kandy house or Tamrind Lodge.
Does anyone have input re park street hotel or Tintagel in Colombo. We were advised that Casa Colombo is not child friendly and they don't offer extra beds even.

Thanks

I stayed just outside Kandy without AC in Jan and certainly missed it, but I live with AC much of the year. I would have been much happier staying IN Kandy, there are a number of hotels with good views in Kandy itself. The cultural show is a big tourist trap and not worth a detour. The best single sight in Kandy is the Temple of the Tooth, but if your family isn't interested in temples...

Yeah that's the way for us too. We live with AC year long and I prefer to close the windows at night anyway.
They are not interested in temples but I would like to visit one at least as it is an integral part ofthe culture. So what else is to be done in Kandy for two nights if the cultural show is a bust?
Thursdasd, can you tell me the name of these hotels you mention in Kandy?

Thanks a lot

Any suggestions for hotel in Galle? Is the Galle Forte worth the price, almost 300 with taxes. We prefer to stay in the Center.

Only hotel I remember from Kandy is Serene Garden - see http://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com/.../liking-kandy/ for my take on Kandy. The Hotel Suisse didn't look too bad, but it's down by the lake. dogster liked Helga's Folly but it was out of my price range, may be in yours.

If you want beach time you're better off staying out of Galle and day tripping.

esperanza - on our trip in September, we are staying here for 2 nights -

http://theva.lk/theva.html

it's about 2 kms out of Kandy, according to the website.

it's pretty new so doesn't feature in any of the guides. we have used boutique Sri Lanka too so you ought to be able to find it on their website.

thanks annhig,
they did suggest Theva but said we can only stay in suite for 400$/night or penthouse for 500$ which I think is too steep.
But please do report back on this when you go. Where else are you staying?

Esperanza - that is a bit steep, though you do of course need extra room for the kids which is probably going to cost more. I think we are paying less than half that.

re where we are staying, I have just posted our itinerary on a new thread:

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...-itinerary.cfm

we booked in April and managed to get some good prices i think; though I'm sure that there are cheaper places where we would have been equally comfortable, I've done the roughing it bit in the past.

i will certainly be doing a Trip report when we get home.

annhig, yes we do need the extra space for the kids but for all the other hotels we have chosen suites or superior rooms and the price is not nearly as high. An extra bed at theva is 100$/night!

An extra bed at theva is 100$/night!>>

in which case I'd be going elsewhere!

what about somewhere else in the hill country? or longer on the beach. if all you are interested in at Kandy is the cultural show, i think that it may not be worth the bother.