Cloudy Hill Cottage

Cloudy Hill was a perfect base for climbing Ella’s Rock. The family running the homestay were extremely kind and friendly, and made us feel welcome as soon as we arrived. From our room the view was amazing, and we could even watch the sunrise from bed. We highly recommend the cooking class. The host is an incredible cook, and we had our best rice and curry here after trying so many. Thanks for making our time in Ella so pleasant.

Ella town is busy and touristy, so we loved staying up in the mountains with a gorgeous view. It’s a quick drive of maybe 8 minutes, and Renu made it easy by arranging transport. She organized daily tuk tuks into town and to remote villages where walking trails started, since PickMe doesn’t work in the area. She also sorted onward van travel to Hiriketiya for our group. The family run place is the best we stayed at in Sri Lanka: great views, cleanliness, comfort, food, and hospitality. They were so friendly and always quick to help. There’s a whole book of day trips to choose from, with lots of information. When one of us got food poisoning, they brought natural medicine up to the room, and it helped with a speedy recovery. Renu was very responsive on WhatsApp, usually replying within a minute. We got tea and cakes on our balconies when we arrived, and help carrying our bags to our rooms and cars. The rooms were spotless, with super comfy beds, mini fridges, and kettles with tea and coffee. Bathrooms had plenty of soap, shampoo, and conditioner. Breakfast was made fresh daily and varied from day to day. There was always tea, coffee, fresh fruit, toast, and pancakes, plus a different addition each morning, such as egg hoppers, fried egg on toast, or delicious French toast with cheese. We also recommend eating at the clay pot & sleek spoon in a quieter part of town.

The view from our room over Ella was beautiful, and breakfast was really good, with something different each day. Our host and the staff were very friendly. We had an amazing stay at Cloudy Hill Cottage and highly recommend it. If you fancy some exercise, you can walk up from Ella town, or take a very quick, cheap tuk tuk ride.

Breakfast was fresh and tasty every morning, and we got to try different parts of Sri Lankan cuisine. The owner was lovely, kind, and very helpful, and the view from our room was stunning. It’s a little far from town, which is why it’s so peaceful and has such a great view, but they always ordered tuk tuks for us and getting around was no problem. We had a lovely stay.