Rio Homestay

The setting felt dirty and unattractive, down a flight of stairs, with no mountain view. They also added charges for dinner, which I haven't encountered when staying with families in Sri Lanka, only at restaurants. Dinner itself is much more expensive than at nearby guest houses and restaurants, and the tuktuk ride to Lipton seat was overpriced. Be careful with the way they act overly kind. I felt they kept pushing us to spend more, whether on a bike rental, a safari, or extra nights. They were also constantly asking for good comments and five stars. That felt like harassment and made me want to do the exact opposite. The other reviews are true.

We left after just two hours because the place was so unpleasant. There were spiders crawling out of the bed, the sheets were completely dirty, and there was no hot water. The pictures on the website were fake. Tourist scam. Don't book this guesthouse.

I liked the location, and even found the setting interesting, though some people might think it looks dismal. There were pretty flowers along the border. The people running the place were helpful, gave me a cup of tea when I arrived, and didn't hurry me. The food was good, and they just gave me tour information without pressuring me to book anything.

Please be careful. I booked a night through airbnb, and after I'd stayed there, the family said airbnb hadn't paid them and asked me to pay again in cash. They promised I'd get my money back. I trusted them because they seemed nice, and paid. I never heard from them again. I had to contact the airbnb service center to get help. The family didn't respond to airbnb either, so the service center could only offer me a travel coupon. I'm really disappointed and can't recommend staying there. The place itself was quite nice, by the way, but I felt they were trying to get me to pay twice.