Kalu's Hideaway Udawalawe

We stopped for lunch at Kalu’s Hideaway on the way to the Udawalawa Elephant Orphanage. The place is clean, well cared for, and surrounded by beautiful scenery. It also has a special connection to former Sri Lankan cricketer Romesh Kaluwitharana, with photos and memorabilia from his cricket journey. The food was fresh, delicious, and organic, with many ingredients from their own garden. We ordered several dishes, so there was a bit of a wait, but it made sense and the quality was worth it. A peaceful place with a lovely atmosphere, meaningful history, and excellent organic food. Highly recommended for a visit to the Udawalawa area.

We could easily have spent two nights here, but only had one, and didn't get enough time to enjoy everything. The gardens are extensive and beautiful. I would have loved to wander around and read by the pool for days. At the bottom of the garden there's a river, where we watched an enormous water monitor lizard swim and climb the banks. Our room at the top of Kalu's Hideaway was ideal for our family of four, with an extra bed and cot. The sizeable patio was safely fenced for the kids and had almost 360-degree views of the surrounding jungle. It was quite a sight to wake up to. With so many windows, we could enjoy the view from bed and even from the shower. The hotel is conveniently close to the national parks and elephants, but tucked away from the busy main road and tourist traps. The staff went out of their way to make us comfortable, especially at dinner for our picky 4-year-old. Every meal was delicious, plentiful, and varied. The cold room had an impressive spread of salads and desserts, and breakfast was excellent. We were lucky that Kalu himself was at the hotel that night. He was a gracious, kind host, happy to pose for photos with guests who wanted them, and generous with his time. It's clear he puts a lot of work into the hotel. The whole stay was fantastic, and I highly recommend it.

The quiet atmosphere was nice, and the staff were pleasant. The pool and restaurant areas were also nicely done. But the stay got off to a bad start: we were shown one of the four rooms right in the dining room, which we weren't happy with. They moved us to a room on the next floor for an extra $30. Lunch was another disappointment. They said they had no coffee when I asked for an Americano, and the omelettes came undercooked. That evening every chafing dish was left open, so all the food was cold. The salads looked like they'd been made hours earlier, and the orange mousse was so dried out it seemed to have been sitting there for days. At breakfast, the chafing dishes were open again. We chose egg hoppers hoping they'd be hot and fresh, but the whites weren't cooked, and we had to ask for them to be cooked more. The fruit juices were watered down, the coffee was pretty bad, and there wasn't much choice. This isn't a big hotel, so buffet service doesn't really work if offering more options means lots of waste. The rooms felt shabby and overdue for renovation. Even a thorough scrub would've helped. There was no bathroom extractor fan, and the window was covered in green mesh. The price was far too high for the quality. It was twice what we paid the night before at the lovely Chaarya resort and spa, and this was the most expensive and worst of the 7 hotels we used on our tour. We found it overrated and overpriced. I can't attach photos because the 'add photos' button isn't working.

Kalu’s Hideaway was a peaceful oasis during some of the more chaotic parts of our trip. The gardens are beautiful, with labels on the plants so you can wander around and see what's growing. Breakfast and dinner buffets were really good, and the location was perfect for a tour of Udawale park, where we saw loads of elephants. There's a nice gym, which let us fit in a much-needed workout, plus ping pong, a pool table, and a lovely pool to relax by. Really recommend Kalu’s!