Camellia Resort and Spa

The rooms are spacious and have useful facilities, including an iron and ironing board. Staff seemed a little disengaged, though, and it was hard to get their attention at dinner or breakfast. Dinner at the restaurant was just OK. Breakfast was better, with a wide buffet selection that was well stocked, including Western breakfast items and Sri Lankan specialties. The hotel is OK overall.

The food choices barely changed during our stay, and there wasn't much variety. The area where food was served was also unhygienic, with lots of flies and bees around it and no serious effort to deal with them. That was especially concerning with families and children around. Service was extremely poor, particularly in the restaurant. The ground staff were polite and tried their best, but the restaurant managers were neither courteous nor helpful. Even a simple request took far too long, and asking for a fan felt like we were being unreasonable. The co-owner was rude and showed no concern even though we had a child with us. It seemed the focus was on large groups, while families and smaller groups were ignored. There was no room service, which is unacceptable for a place offering rooms and dining. This was honestly one of my worst hospitality experiences in Sri Lanka. Poor service, hygiene, and an unwelcoming attitude ruined the stay, and I wouldn't recommend it to families, small groups, or anyone travelling with children.

The rooms were large and very clean, and the staff were friendly and helpful. Almost everyone could speak English. I liked the varied buffet, especially the fresh fruit and omelettes made to order. The landscaped grounds were lovely, with lots of birds around, including peacocks. They can get pretty noisy at night, which comes with the experience. Inside, the rooms were noisy too, and the beds creaked with almost every movement. I was very satisfied with my last two nights there.

The staff were friendly and hospitable, and the views were good. It's also close to safari and Sirigirya rock. The rooms are spacious, but they don't ventilate well. There was no bathroom exhaust fan, and opening the windows meant insects could get in because of all the trees around. The Christmas gala dinner was a rip off. Our agent couldn't book the room without including it, at 60$ per person. As teetotaller vegetarians, we found almost nothing suitable on the menu. Nearly everything had meat, seafood, or egg, even the pizza had pepperoni. They knew our needs in advance, but the vegetarian choices were still very limited. I would have appreciated the place more if the dinner hadn't been mandatory and they had accommodated our needs.