Oak Ray Wild Yala Hotel

The staff were so kind, friendly, and ready to help, especially Narendra and Mr Susanthe. We’re very grateful for their hospitality, and we’ll remember it for a long time. We only stayed briefly at Oak Ray Yala, but it was really memorable. The food was delicious, with something for everyone, and the room was amazing for the price. It felt more like a 5 star hotel. We can’t wait to return with the family next time. Thank you!

Being surrounded by nature and close to local homes, where people were super friendly, made the stay special. The hotel staff were lovely and accommodating, and we felt welcome and looked after. Our room was spacious and comfortable, and the shower was really good. Breakfast had a nice variety at the buffet, while dinner came from an a la carte menu. There was also a great selection of drinks. We’ll definitely stay here again if we return to Yala.

The hotel’s Christmas party made our first night miserable. We had a safari booked for the next morning with a 5 AM pickup, but the DJ’s speakers were so loud they shook our window glass. At 9:30 pm, when we asked management to turn the music down so we could sleep, they said they couldn’t because it was an organized event. We hadn’t been told to expect it, and we’d chosen this place because it was close to Yala National Park for our morning safari. They didn’t have earplugs, and moving us to the other end of the hotel was pointless because the sound was still so loud. The whole thing should have been handled much better, and there was no need for the speakers to be that loud. There was also a problem at check-in. We’d booked two nights through booking.com at an agreed rate to pay on arrival, but reception tried to charge us that amount for each night, which was twice the agreed total. When I pointed it out, they said the price was now correct and asked me to pay in LKR. I’d been looking at USD and wasn’t familiar with LKR, so I trusted the receptionist and tapped my card. That was a big mistake. Luckily, I didn’t have enough in my account, so the transaction declined. My phone then notified me the attempted charge was twice what it should have been. I made them charge the agreed rate, and they apologized. I know mistakes happen, but this felt like a complete scam and left me very uncomfortable. Our second night was much better, but after the attempted overcharge and getting only five hours of sleep, we were already done with the hotel. This was the only issue we had during our 18-night stay around Sri Lanka.

It’s a stunning property, and the staff were lovely. Dilki deserves special thanks for helping with my baby. She offered to watch him while we ate, and the gentleman in charge of the dining room was attentive and very helpful too. I loved the hotel and would definitely recommend staying here.