Rowinrich Cottages

A cozy, quiet spot with a lovely view, warm hospitality, and an authentic local feel. It’s fairly secluded, around 5-10 minutes from central Ella, and you’ll need to manage the steps up to the rooms. Breakfast is buffet style and costs 1500. A good choice if that suits you.

The courteous, helpful staff made our stay comfortable, and the roomy bedroom had a wonderful view. Rowinrich Cottages is a peaceful place among nature, about 800 meters from the railway station, though the walk is uphill and there are quite a few stairs. We had to leave early because of heavy rain. With the cottage up the hill, reaching the main market in bad weather was difficult. The greenery around the property also meant we ran into leeches when we went outside, which we didn’t enjoy, though that’s just nature and not the stay’s fault. In good weather or summer, it seems like an ideal quiet retreat. Just be ready for the climb.

Going up and down those stairs with heavy bags is a bit of a workout, though the owner helped us both ways. There’s hot water, but you have to wait a while for it. The bathroom could use some updating: the sink tap wobbles, and there wasn’t any soap, so we had to buy some. The room itself is spacious, comfortable, and very nice, with a kettle, tea, a fridge, and a gorgeous balcony view. For the price, it’s very good value. I wouldn’t suggest it for older people who might have trouble with all the stairs.

We ended up cancelling our booking after several problems, and the owner returned only 5k of the 10k advance, saying there might be losses and keeping 50%. The cottage was poorly maintained and wasn’t clean, especially upstairs, which looked neglected. Parking was small and held just two vehicles. Finding it was difficult at night: the road was poorly lit, there were no signboards, and the secluded location didn’t have proper lighting, which may not suit families. Although the cottage is in an ideal location, our Hiace Van couldn’t reach the parking area, so we had to walk quite a distance. The owner said there were 25 steps from the parking, but there were many more, a challenge with tired children. We had booked three rooms. Poor access, maintenance issues, and the unexpected charge made the stay disappointing and not worth the money. I wouldn’t recommend it.