Nature Resort Tissamaharama

We booked directly with the owner and manager and paid a week in advance for two rooms and two Japanese safari jeeps. At 5 a.m., just before the safari, the manager told us only one jeep was available, and it wasn’t Japanese. The nine of us had to make do with it. The location was a very bad choice on our part, made without knowing. The rooms were also in poor shape: there was no water at the sinks, the water pressure was poor, many power outlets didn’t work, and there wasn’t even a bottle of water in the room. I wouldn’t recommend this place.

The manager was incredibly kind and helpful, and found us a great safari jeep at an amazing price. The room was spacious and comfortable, and the breakfast was top notch. It’s one of the best service experiences I’ve had in Sri Lanka so far. I’d recommend this place in Tissa without hesitation.

Our host nihal took great care of us during our two nights here. He made coffee for us in the morning, had lunch ready for when we came back, and served hot drinks throughout our stay. He also organised our safari tour and made the whole experience comfortable. I’d absolutely recommend staying here.

The whole check-in turned into a stressful mess. We’d booked an economy double room with air conditioning for two nights, but the property didn’t have our details ready. Once in the room, we found the AC remote had been taken. When I asked for it, the receptionist insisted we hadn’t paid for air conditioning. We checked our booking and knew we had. The receptionist said the owner would call to confirm, but the owner couldn’t tell us our booking name, itinerary number, or what room we’d booked because he was on his way to the office. He said he’d call back. Meanwhile, the receptionist laughed at us and kept saying we hadn’t paid for AC. When the owner called again, we asked what information he had about the booking, and he hung up. The receptionist said Expedia had made a mistake and emailed him to say we didn’t want AC. When I asked to see the email, he couldn’t produce it. Over the course of an hour, the owner repeatedly hung up on us, and we were told we had mental health issues and that this wasn’t his problem. We paid $35.19, but the hotel said we’d paid only $26.38. Their receipt showed the difference was Expedia’s share of the booking total. We tried explaining that this is how the service works, but the receptionist kept blaming Expedia and saying it happens all the time, and that we had to contact Expedia ourselves to fix it. In the end, they reluctantly gave us the remote, on the condition that we contact Expedia about the supposed issue. I could go on about how unprofessional and disrespectful they were to my partner and me. I’d strongly advise avoiding this place. They don’t know how to run a business or treat customers with respect. An absolute disgrace of a business.