Kalu's Hideaway Udawalawe

Sfeer

Essere accolti con un breve ma piacevole massaggio al viso e spalle è stato davvero stupendo! L'hotel è molto accogliente e perfetto quale base per il jeep safari nel Parco di Udawalawe. Il servizio è all'altezza del posto. Camera ampia, bagno spazioso. Ottima la cena, con cibo locale a buffet! Purtroppo abbiamo soggiornato solamente una notte, ma valeva la pena fermarsi oltre...!

we had a wonderful time! everyone was so polite and strived to meet our needs. the property is beautiful and is a wonderful mix of conservation and tourism. it was so peaceful and we will definetely visit again!

La piscina y cocina

La cama tenía hormigas, pero vinieron corriendo a cambiarnos las sábanas.

This is a wonderful retreat near the Udawalawe park and village. It is large and quiet. There is a nice pool, a butterfly garden and more extensive garden. The staff is friendly and professional, not pushy. The rooms (2p) were good with AC and large beds. The restaurant served a good dinner and breakfast. The retreat's owner is a former professional cricket player who came by to have a friendly chat. We wished we would be staying longer.

Before arrival, they did not respond to a question via the Booking.com messaging.

Impressive open plan safari lodge building, with jazz playing quietly at dinner, and attentive but not overbearing staff. Off season and we were one of only three groups of guests. Probably wouldn't take young children here again just because of the relaxed ambiance, although staff were lovely with them, and made packed fruit and cake for our children for their safari jeep breakfast. Food was good, and I would say in keeping with tourist pricing. Although beware the spicy ketchup if you have young children ;-)

We were caught out at check in (after losing my purse) when we were asked to pay 10,000 rupees of our stay in cash. There was no explanation and no negotiating this, with the nearest atm 8km away. The whole stay felt quite awkward thereafter. There was not time to get to the ATM after our safari, so we were unable to pay the elephant transit home entry for the morning feeding and missed it completely as a result. Room was clean, some mouse poo in bathroom on one towel, but probably can't be helped as this was an detached garden room. And we were here for the animals after all, big and small!

Beautifully designed and a great location. The staff were very helpful too. Something of an eco-hotel, with a large kitchen garden which supplies all of the fresh vegetables and much of the fruit. The pool is lovely too. Highly recommended.

The non-local food was a little bit hit and miss, but more fool us for even thinking of ordering a club sandwich in such a foodie country!

Absolute stunning garden and pool area. We met Kalu which was lovely. This was just a short stopover for visit g the orphanage and the national park but we wish we could have stayed longer.

Breakfast was a bit limited as the hotel was quiet but the food we had was lovely.

Le calme et le design de l’hôtel Le jardin et la piscine Les repas sont excellents avec bcp de choix.

Tout était parfait

This is a very beautiful accommodation. The staff was very friendly and welcoming throughout our stay. Our room was spacious and featured a huge terrace with a stunning view, which we absolutely loved. We also booked two massages, which were definitely worth it – such a relaxing experience. The food was very good, and everything was well organized. They even arranged a safari for us, and when we returned later than planned in the morning, they kindly waited with breakfast for us, which we really appreciated. We would highly recommend staying here.

Large and spacious rooms. Huge open landscape within, separate kids pool, gazebos, open dining area, Sri Lankan food option is very good, overall good food

Contacting reception from room sometimes goes unanswered

Great pool. Eco and butterfly garden - great touch

A few bugs but you are in the jungle

Beautiful place, everything about the place made you feel calm

Nice to have two double beds in the room. Staff are friendly. Lovely sitting areas and swing chairs near the river. Very close to the reserve so you can see the elephants.

Food wasn't amazing - there is some way to go there but I don't think this would be too hard to remedy Lounge area a bit dated but I didn't mind - reminded me of South African game reserve

Grande chambre rien de plus

Je me suis vraiment sentie comme un portefeuille ambulant Demande de réservation de tuktuk pour dîner dans un autre hôtel - le prix était 5x plus cher que celui du retour (organisé par l’autre hôtel pourtant de meilleur standing) Massages effectués avec des personnes complètement incompétentes pour un prix très cher et beaucoup plus cher que les prix du marché Très désagréable

We loved it all apart from we thought the à la carte food was not good so maybe that should be improved going forward, thanks

Nice pool area, safari near by and good safari driver

Limited options for food, over priced for buffet, meals had hidden tax and service charge. For breakfast had to get buffet no alternatives. Lacked atmosphere

The property was beautiful, lovely outdoor lights throughout the resort, the huts were beautiful and ours had a private pool too which was just perfect. The whole resort is surrounded by an electric fence which gave us reassurance given the area we were staying in. The staff were great and couldn’t have been more helpful and friendly. Extremely accommodating and I would recommend this place to anyone. We will definitely stay here again one day. The stay included breakfast, lunch and dinner too, as well as entertainment (which we didn’t know about) by local dancers for the evening meal. Lovely surprise!!

Nothing!!

Everything! The luxury safari lodge architecture with the wonderful garden packed with a massive variety of plants and a butterfly garden. The staff were really lovely snd very helpful. They arranged a private safari jeep for us and the guide was excellent giving us information about all the animals and the numerous elephants. He also drove very well and did not crowd the animals. The food was great at breakfast and dinner. The room was cool and very clean.

Our room did not have an outside facing window - just in to a corridor.

Great location close to Udawalawe National Park and set in beautiful gardens. The rooms were spacious and very clean and the food was excellent particularly the banana fritters! Lots of choice for breakfast. The pool was clean and well maintained.

Nothing.

Nice rooms, lovely gardens, set within nature

They were persistent in wanting us to pay cash - this isn’t a cheap hotel in fact it’s one of the most expensive of our whole trip and whilst we carry cash we didn’t have that amount of cash on us - we explained this but they kept persisting wanting us to pay cash to the point that it became really uncomfortable - messaging several times a day wanting even partial cash payment. It became all very weird

We really loved this property , it felt unique and natural with its safari lodge vibe. The facilities were great for us with our 2 children (8 and 4), they enjoyed the little play park which was tucked away so as not to disturb guests without children. The pool was also fantastic. There was also table tennis and a snooker table and lots of lovely spots for relaxing in. The small gym was also nice. The recently created butterfly garden was an absolute highlight, there were informative signs and we enjoyed spotting the different butterflies (there were so many!). The little paths meandering through the gardens were gorgeous to wander along and spots to sit and take in all the nature , such as swinging seats down by the river. The breakfast and dinner buffets were really nice. The staff were lovely and welcoming - it was fun on arrival lighting the welcome lamp and having a 5 minute head massage. They also organised the safari for us and did a bit of a pack up breakfast so we weren’t too hungry.

It would have been helpful if we would have been informed about the dinner options (you can have a buffet or order of the menu) when we arrived, we then wouldn’t have ordered a late lunch! The air con in one of the rooms was a little noisy as was a little older (the one in the order room was fine).

Close to safari Very beautiful place with a very beautiful garden

Food was not good, with very slow service that made me leave in the middle of the meal. In addition, constant noise from morning to evening from tree pruning disturbs the quiet of the vacation. You can't have fun at the pool like that. The reception sent me a message in the middle of the evening to come and pay for the night I booked, in my opinion this is not a way to pay at check-out or check-in, very unprofessional. It cost me $180 per night, I wouldn't pay in retrospect.

Great hotel, close to Udawalawe National Park.

The hotel is fantastic. It is in its own grounds and grows its own organic fruit and vegetables to use in the restaurant. The rooms and clean and everything you need. The food is delicious. You want for nothing. The staff look after your every need.

The only problem was we only had two nights there.

Freundliches und bemühtes personal - gutes Frühstück-schöne Umgebung - gut für Safari

Tote Kakerlake hinter dem Bett- Bettlaken fleckig und sagen ungepflegt aus.. wir konnten erst ca 45 min später einchecken

Lovely small hotel located less than 10 minutes away from Udawala National Park (south) entrance. Surrounded by beautiful well kept gardens, growing vegetables/fruits for meals cooked. Both nights we had excellent Sri Lankan rice/curry made with garden produce. Very efficient/friendly staff. Rooms were clean, comfortable and we had a balcony that looked out across tree tops, so bird watching was excellent. Lots of places to chill out around the hotel and cricket memorabilia (as place is owned by ex/famous cricket player). Highly recommend doing the 6-9am safari (get your own jeep) - we had excellent driver/guide called Dayshan, so ask for him, as he was knowledgeable and respectful to wildlife. Excellent place to come chill and/or do elephant safari.

Wish the pool was a little longer to do some laps - but otherwise it was very clean and well kept

Atmospheric lounge and dining area. Pool was lovely and the surrounding gardens were beautiful with their abundant vegetable and fruit gardens. You can walk down to the river. The Sri Lankan evening buffet was fantastic and the food overall was quite good.

Bathroom shower was a bit grungy around the glass screen but otherwise was very clean

Schöne Lage, tolle Atmosphäre im Wald. Großer Pool. Gutes Essen, das allerdings immer sehr lange gebraucht hat.

Very nice

Le personnel est très gentil, très pratique d’avoir un restaurant au sein de l’hôtel, la literie est confortable et le jardin est INCROYABLE bravo a toutes personnes qui y travaillent. La piscine et les aménagements sont supers.

La salle de bain mérite d’être modernisée.

As soon as we arrived we knew it would be special. The gardens are full of fruit and veg, and so many birds! Beautiful pool. Comfortable room. Loved the cricket display from the owner’s World Cup cricket display. Elephant orphanage nearby was great, as was the safari trip. Thank you to all the staff for a great stay. Curry and rice was amazing.

Nothing!

Altid var tip top fra da jeg ankom, og til det øjeblik jeg forlod hotellet. Et enkelt lille teknisk problem med wifi blev løst super hurtigt og professionelt. Lækker morgenmad. Alt er pænt og i orden. God værdi for pengene

Great location for Udawalawe National Park. Lovely swimming pool and restaurant.

Our room was next to the restaurant so very noisy.

We had a wonderful stay at Kalus Hideaway Udawalawe. The food was delicious, and the staff were exceptionally well-trained, attentive, and friendly. The rooms, while slightly dated, were spacious, functional, and well-equipped. We enjoyed the beautiful gardens, especially the butterfly garden, which was a delight to explore. The on-site restaurant had a lovely atmosphere, and our excursion to Udawalawe National Park was a highlight of the trip. Overall, a relaxing and memorable experience — highly recommended.

Ligt op mooie plek, heeft mooi zwembad en tuin. Ruime kamers. Rustig gelegen en goede uitvalsbasis voor Safari. Vriendelijk personeel.

Juli is blijkbaar laagseizoen, hierdoor een vast ontbijt menu dat prima, maar niet bijzonder was.

Super gepflegte Anlage mit tollem Garten! Ganz liebes Personal und das Essen war mit das beste was wir auf unserer Reise hatten. Große Empfehlung!

Great location, comfortable and clean rooms. Very helpful staff, and beautiful surroundings

Nothing in particular

We loved Kalu's Hideaway. It is a lovely hotel with beautiful gardens and pool area which lead down to a river where you can sit and enjoy the scenery and peace. We were only here for one night and enjoyed a brilliant safari in our afternoon so didn't get the opportunity to really relax and enjoy the surroundings as much as we would have liked but the time we were able to spend here was lovely. Would definitely recommend this as the place to stay in Udawalawe.

Excellent property, great rooms, good food & lovely staff.

Kalu’s Hideaway was perfectly located to visit Udawalawe national park to see the elephants. The staff were very friendly, the swimming pool and garden surroundings were tranquil, the traditional Sri Lankan breakfast of hoppers and roti was very tasty!

The beds were not the comfiest and the food menu was limited, but for two nights it was no problem.

Nestled next to a picturesque village with bungalows encircled by lush tropical trees, this hotel feels like a dream brought to life. From the moment we arrived at the hotel, its vibrant botanical garden caught our attention. It boasts an impressive array of tropical plants and trees. The pool is a true oasis, perfect for resting and cooling off on hot days. The staff deserves a special mention for their warmth and kindness. Our only regret is staying for just one night in relation to our safari in Udawalawe National Park. We feel we missed the opportunity to truly enjoy the delights of this magical place. Staying at least two nights would have been ideal—not only for exploring the safari but also for cherishing the beauty of the resort, its garden, the pool, and the charming forest village surroundings.

Loved the gardens and swimming pool. The breakfast on the first morning, great selection andvwell presented.

The breakfast on the second day was table service and not as much choice. The dinner on the second night was a lot bettter once we spoke to the chef about Sri Lankan dishes.

Lovely setting, grounds and pool.

Spacious, well appointed bedroom with nice bathroom. Good swimming pool. Friendly and helpful staff. Lovely grounds planted with an interesting range of fruit and vegetables, as well as tropical trees, all meticulously labelled for the benefit of guests. Lots of birds. Various places to sit both within the hotel and outside, including by the river at the end of the garden.

The pool was an excellent addition which was very welcome at the end of the day. The cleanliness of the pool was good along with the gardens which were well looked after by many staff. The breakfast buffet was plentiful and varied with an option to order eggs as you liked them. The room we had was a standard double room which was large with a really comfortable bed and great power shower. Towels were changed daily along with complimentary toiletries. Tea and coffee and water was also replenished daily. The only gripe we had about the room was that the AC was hard to get right. All the staff were excellent and worked extremely hard to please and make our visit enjoyable. A couple of the staff stood out from the rest namely Mangla La who looked after us mainly at breakfast he was exceptional taking the time to ask where we were from, what would we be doing that day and did we enjoy our previous day. I had a facial at the Spa which was one of the best I have ever had the lady was very good (sorry I didnt get her name). We would definityl visit Kalus Hideaway again if we went on a safari.

The position of the AC in our room could have been better and not facing the bed which made it at times during the night feel quite cold.

Good location to see animals, nice pool and food. Staff were excellent

Some mould in our room, could have done with a lick of paint. Outside areas were quite scruffy

the place is great. Great swimming pool, garden , breakfast. Staff is very charming

Avoid room 104 at all cost! The first night we were put there and it is the most depressing room, certainly NOT what you are paying for, and very noisy, as the snooker table is right next door! After much insistence, the next day we were moved to a proper room

Exceptional hotel, pool, staff and food

The a/c unit was very load even with it been turned down to it's lowest. We had to turn it off at night but used the ceiling fan instead

We really enjoyed our three day stay at Kalu's. All the staff and management are friendly and helpful. Breakfasts were excellent, particularly the egg hoppers. We were staying in the chalet room and enjoyed watching the amazing range of birds and wildlife in the garden. One morning we saw a Grizzled Giant Squirrel high in the tree right outside our room eating a huge mango with great dexterity that it had picked from one of the trees.

Some furnishings are perhaps getting a little tired and could do with a spot of TLC and the bench outside the chalet would benefit from a cushion. But these are small things which in no way detracted from the enjoyment of our stay.

Peaceful ambiance in a good location near the national park. Service was impeccable and the owner was visible engaging with guests. There is a spacious garden with a lake and a focus on growing vegetables. We enjoyed the safari laid on by the hotel.

All good at the hotel. The taxi service arranged by the hotel was not perfect. We had to help the driver find his way and he was taking a lot of calls.

Awesome safari lodge, super friendly staff, spacious & clean

Nothing

Hotel clean and comfortable. Beautiful gardens, close to the Udawalawe park for safari.

Food was good using vegetables grown in the garden. We had the buffet dinner which was sadly let down by some of the dishes being semi warm or cold.

Lovely helpful and attentive staff, nice grounds, clean and good breakfast.

hotel was full so our room was situated between the recpetion and restaurant, noisy and not ideal. But did get quiet after 10pm.

This by far was the highlight of our trip to Sri Lanka. What a little oasis. From the moment we stepped into Kalus hideaway we felt so special. All the staff were amazing, especially Sandaruwan & Chamara. The hotel was spotless. The food was amazing. The pool was beautiful and was lovely to sit round after a morning safari. It has a real safari lodge feel to it. Supun, the assistant manager arranged the safari for us and it was perfectly organised. The hotel is owned by cricket legend Romesh Kaluwitharana. We were very lucky to meet him, his wife and his family who made us feel so welcome. Kalus cricket man cave is mind blowing! And lovely to see all his achievements displayed. We will definitely be returning for another visit.

Nothing. It was perfect!

Truly is a Hideaway with a beautiful garden and relaxing pool. Near the safari, which the staff arranged. Very friendly staff.

There were few a few ants and mosquitos in the rooms, but we are in a jungle, so some of that is expected.

Very good base to see Udawalawe. It's surrounded by an organic plantation, the pool is nice and inviting. View from the room was exceptional

Search a beautiful property! The staff was friendly and professional, plus helped arrange our Safari. Loved the fresh veggies they grow right on site.

There were a few insects in the rooms, but we were in the heart of the jungle, so that can be expected.

The hotel has an excellent pool area with attentive staff and is perfectly located for safaris at Udawalawe. We were impressed by the Sri Lankan food at the buffet for both dinner and breakfast. The room we booked had an incredible terrace with amazing views, which we loved.

A couple of fixtures seemed a little dated and it would have been great to see more of the garden used, but none of this took away from our stay.

It’s a shame the cost of the food is so high. 5000 rupees for a buffet lunch with a 10% service charge for a buffet… where you serve yourself.

We enjoyed our stay and think it’s a great hotel for the price. The staff were very helpful in general questions and organising the safari. The grounds and pool were nice to use after the safari.

Only thing to keep in mind is for any vegans food options were limited

An oasis with large airy rooms, delicious food and a beautiful pool overlooking the garden. They organised a morning safari for us at short notice for a much lower price (around 40 dollars for the jeep / guide) which was great

Kalu's was such an amazing Hotel to stay at, we did 3 nights to relax and also did an early morning Safari which I highly recommend getting up early for! The hotel organised this for us and the guide was brilliant, had some incredible intimate moments with some young elephants. I can't praise the management and staff enough.. The food was lovely! breakfast, lunch and dinner. As the hotel was quiet for a couple days we even requested a lake fish curry which they happily organised with the chef and got some local freshly made bread to go with it. It was amazing! The owner should be very proud of all his staff but a special mention to Mangala and Sadaruwan! They couldnt do enough for us and giving us great advice with eating the traditional Sri Lankan food how it should be eaten properly. We got 5 star treatment every minute we were there. We will definitely be back when we visit Sri Lanka again in 2026. Thank you for making the end of our holiday so special 😁

That we weren't staying longer!

Brilliant stay at Kula’s Hideaway, all of the staff were so helpful and accommodating for me and my family. Beautiful place with great amenities. Big thank you to Sanjeewa who was great throughout the stay and really couldn’t do enough for us, top man! Thanks again!

Apart from the mosquitos, but this is unavoidable!

Staff, service, food and facilities were all excellent.

Very relaxing and welcoming place.

Nothing that I can remember

The staff were incredible. We were grateful to have the pool as there wasn’t much to do in Udawalawe besides safari. We could relax by the pool during the day :)

It was a little bit expensive for off season but we still really enjoyed ourselves

Nice place in the middle of the nature and very close to the national parks. Always supportive and the food was good

We booked a tour to Yala via them and honestly it was not very well organised. Everything else was fine

The pool and staff were great even though it was very quiet.

No duvets on the bed only a sheet and a blanket in the cupboard in both rooms.

Well designed, well executed. Great job creating a refreshing hideaway in Udawalawe. Loved the dining area in particular

Kalu’s has an amazing outlook and atmosphere set in stunning gardens. Everything has been beautifully and tastefully designed.

Nothing- everything was amazing

The chalet was large, clean, private, with great air conditioning. The pool is clean with nice poolside seating. The staff was incredible. The food was delicious. We stayed only the night before a morning safari, but we would wish we would have booked the night after as well. This was the most relaxing lodging we have found in Sri Lanka. Thank you Kalu!

Large pool and beautiful jungle setting. Good pool side areas with lots of shade. Food at dinner was very tasty and good value. The management agreed to room upgrade after the room we were given was not good. ( check whether your room has a balcony as the rooms in the 'block' do and those in the main building do not ) Playing pool before dinner Great AC in the rooms Good value safari driver arranged by the staff in the hotel ( tip. we paid the driver $40 for the driver, and bought tickets on arrival at the Udawalawe park entrance. you can pick up a local volunteer guide in the car park as you buy your tickets who can talk through the animals and park detail. we then tipped the guide around $10. The total for the 3 hour safari worked about $40 per person)

The fridge in the room did not work. The grounds, although pretty, were not that well maintained. There is a lovely seating area by the river, but the seats were dirty and the area not inviting. A lot of the waiting on staff were super friendly and food on the whole was really good at dinner, but the breakfast was a bit limited compared to others we'd been lucky enough to have in Sri Lanka and the drinks service could be very slow. The management , although responsive were not super friendly or attentive (again i think we have been spoiled by some wonderful experiences elsewhere on our trip )

Fantastic facilities and service, beautiful hotel that exceeded expectations!

Great location, great staff and beautiful hotel and. Surroundings. Thanks a lot to Pradeep our driver and to Supun for the support in organizing our trip and the great safari! We Strongly recommend the hotel! Thanks