Kirinda Lodge by Ceilao Villas

We were eight people and had the whole villa to ourselves. The rooms were clean and spacious, the food was delicious, and the atmosphere was great. Staff and service were top notch. The pool had no lights at night, but they fixed that promptly when we asked. The road is a bit messy, and you have to drive about half a KM through a village, so try to arrive early. In the morning you wake to peacocks calling. It’s very close to Yala, and we went on safari too. Such a relaxing place overall. We’d recommend it and hope to be back soon.

The service was superb, the food was great, and the place was clean. Having a generator was a real plus when the power went out. The location is handy for park visits, with the gate about 20 to 30 minutes away. There are some things to fix. Only two rooms have AC, and other places around the corner offer AC rooms for the same or lower price. The pool filter won’t work when all the ACs are on. The AC hadn’t been serviced, so we had to clean it ourselves. Some room locks were broken, as were the bathroom and window locks. It’s not a bad place if those issues are sorted. We got a discounted rate of Rs 35,000 with breakfast, which was a good deal.

Waking up to birdsong, watching the sunrise, and seeing buffalo wander toward the lake opposite made this feel like a little slice of heaven in the jungle. The garden has a lovely shaded spot for reading, and there’s a pool if you’d rather cool off. The village-style, home-cooked food was beyond words. I’ve spent another three days away from the corporate wilderness, and this place felt like home. If I could work from anywhere, I’d choose here. Go and experience it for yourself, and have a look at my photos 😊

The rooms are spacious and really pretty, and there’s a pool and a very good breakfast. The setting is beautiful, right by Yala Nationalpark at the end of the B35. Allow plenty of time to get there: the road is in pretty bad shape, and finding the place can be difficult, especially after dark.