London Palace

The hotel is in a quiet spot, and the rooms were very clean with a lovely balcony view. Sudath, the manager, looked after us attentively and gave exceptional service. We also got a very generous traditional hopper and curry breakfast. It’s a well run hotel.

Our room was large and clean, with good AC and a fan. The breakfast was delicious, and the staff were friendly and very helpful with tours and information. There are small markets, shops, and bakeries just around the corner.

The location is good, not far from the city centre, and the room was quite large. But this is a guest house with minimal facilities, not a palace. My husband and I were given a family room with one double bed and two single beds, and it felt too cramped for us. The mini fridge was empty, and they didn’t even provide a bottle of water as a gesture. The bathroom is outdated. The dining area is okay, just some tables and chairs, and the neighbours are very close. One side, next to the dining area, was dirty and disgusting because of the open drainage system below. There were some foreigners there. Maybe they chose it by mistake because of the name “London Palace”. A scam!

The only problem was that the internet could be patchy at times. Otherwise, I felt very safe in the quiet neighbourhood, and the staff were friendly and helpful. They arranged Pala, a lovely Tuk tuk driver, for a couple of half-day trips to the Anuradhapura ancient city and Mihintale. London Palace is a peaceful guesthouse on a quiet sidestreet. My room was bright, clean, and a really good size, with a balcony looking out onto greenery. It had a desk, dressing table, open wardrobe, ceiling fan, air con, bar fridge, and a very comfortable bed with a mosquito net. It was lovely to come back to cold drinks after being out in the heat. There were plenty of nice food options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.