The Nest by Amarasinghe's

We booked two double-bed rooms through Booking.com after seeing the attractive pictures online and paid a 50% advance. However, when we arrived with our family, the reality was completely different from what was advertised. Instead of proper double-bed rooms, they had simply pushed two single beds together. The rooms were poorly maintained, the floors were dirty, and the bathrooms were unhygienic and clearly not cleaned properly. When we complained, the hotel management casually said the better rooms were already given to other guests because of the holiday season, but they never informed us about this before taking our advance payment. This feels very misleading and unprofessional. Despite providing low-quality rooms, they still charged the full rate shown for the better rooms online. Since it was around 10 PM, raining heavily, and we were travelling with family, we had no practical option to cancel and search for another hotel. Very disappointing experience and definitely not worth the money.

We were offered a great side room with a huge balcony, and it turned out to be a real highlight. From the outside the place looks quite simple, but once inside it feels like a “backpacker’s posh” setup, very thoughtfully designed with small details that really suit a western traveler. The room was spacious, clean, and practical, with plenty of hooks and storage for gear. The bathroom was excellent, with a proper separate shower and good quality shampoo and shower gel. The balcony views were stunning and we spent a lot of time just enjoying them. The location is peaceful, sheltered from the wind and away from the town noise, yet still convenient with a shortcut up to the hilltop. The garden is beautiful, full of flowers, and the large lobby area is perfect to relax or meet other travelers. It has a nice mountain lodge vibe. Breakfast was generous and really good, with eggs, toast, fruits, yogurt, rotis and proper coffee. The owners are very friendly and helpful, which made the stay even better.

The last part of the road can be a bit tricky with sharp turns, especially if arriving by car, but it is manageable.

Kind staff, inspiring view, quiet night for sleeping.

No Internet upstairs. The road was really challenging.

Havre de tranquillité, nature merveilleuse Belle guest house, cuisine et petit déjeuner de grande qualité Tous arrangements pour transports et excursions Incontournable a Haputale

Prix très attractif

Mobilier vétuste

庭のお花が沢山でした、よく手入れをしていました。

シャワーがいつまでも出ないし、ぬるいお湯です。坂の上ですとても危険な坂道。専属のツクツクのドライバーさんに、だまされた、苦い経験が旅を不快なものにしてしまった。

La camera ha una bella vista ed è pulita. La colazione è buona.

Per la prima volta in Sri Lanka abbiamo trovato un letto matrimoniale SENZA lenzuola. Sul letto era posizionato solo il lenzuolo di sotto ed erano presenti due coperte SINGOLE e non matrimoniali, di pile. Gli asciugamani erano lisi e molto vecchi, la doccia molto rumorosa. Abbiamo chiesto le lenzuola e ci sono state fornite due piccole lenzuola singole. La proprietaria non è molto amichevole.

Nous avons apprécié la chambre spacieuse, propre et lumineuse. Nous avons profité du bacon. La salle de bain est agréable et bien équipée. Notre hôte a été serviable et agréable. Accès au centre ville rapide a pied. Bonne adresse en somme.

Exceptionnel dans l’ensemble : chambre, équipement, accueil,ambiance familiale, en retrait de la ville mais rapidement joignable à pied par un raccourci

Lovely locale on side of hill with great view, up a quiet side road. Breakfasts tasty and substantial. Friendly comfort in small family guesthouse. Very spacious bedroom with large private balcony. Access to library and loungeroom appreciated. Host arranged a tuktuk driver who would be fair in pricing.

Only a minor matter- little or none light in stairwell and corridor made getting key into keyhole for my room difficult and also meant care had to be taken going up or down the stairs.

Very peaceful location away from road. Good breakfast too! Friendly family, gave good advice on travelling to my next destination and arranged multiple tuk tuk pick ups throughout the stay.

Can be quite loud down the hallway and in other rooms.

Es un alojamiento correcto. Los dueños son amables y nos ayudaron en todo lo que le pedimos: cómo colocar los enchufes al no tener adaptadores, nos dieron más mantas porque hacía frío y papel higiénico. Tiene unas vistas bonitas. Camas cómodas.

Aunque los mejores alojamientos están alejados del caos del centro, este me pareció muy a desmano. He estado alojada en otro sitio en Haputale que me resultó más cómodo. Nunca nos informaron de que disponían de servicio de cenas. Encontrándose tan retirado debería de ser algo más visible. Les solicitamos presupuesto para un transfer y era realmente desorbitado. Conseguimos uno con muy buen precio por otro lado. Hay mucho ruido en los pasillos. Las puertas son tan antiguas que suenan demasiado. El baño tiene una rendija a este pasillo. Muchos huéspedes se levantan a las 5 para visitar Lipton y te despiertan los ruidos. No es un lugar para descansar. El desayuno está bien pero es demasiado ajustado. Pan blanco, fruta, zumo de bote, yogur de sabor, una omelete, té o café. Nos hubiera gustado algo más de mimo como un roti o pancake y no pan blanco. Y un yogur natural. En fin, que estuvo correcto pero no me sentí cómoda ni con la tradicional hospitalidad del país.

Lokalizacja poza centrum miejscowości, na wzgórzu. Prosty pokój, dobry na jedną noc. Dobre śniadania, choć monotonne.

Trudny dojazd, bardzo stromą, wąską dróżką. Wilgoć, do pokoju nikt nie zajrzał przez cztery doby Brak wymiany ręczników, o papier toaletowy trzeba było się upominać, wyrzucanie śmieci we własnym zakresie. Właściciel obecny tylko pierwszej nocy, potem kontakt tylko przez starszą panią. Na szczęście cena za nocleg nie była wygórowana.

Très belle guest house, l'aménagement ou plutôt la décoration du rez-de-chaussée est absolument superbe. Un endroit agréable pour lire ou se reposer au calme. La chambre est assez grande et très propre, il y a un placard penderie et 2 fauteuils dans la chambre. Un balcon avec 2 fauteuils. Chambre bien équipée. Le dîner du soir est excellent, un festival de saveurs, c'est meilleur qu'au restaurant et le prix est très correct pour la qualité du repas. Je pense qu'il est préférable de prévenir pour le repas du soir. Très bon petit-déjeuner et très copieux. Les propriétaires sont agréables. Un endroit super que je recommande très vivement. Juste en face de la guest house, possibilité de louer un scooter à la journée ou de commander un tuk tuk.

La petite route étroite qui grimpe depuis la route principale, des épingles à cheveux très raides. Il faut juste être prudent en scooter 7,5cm

De gerenoveerde kamer is prijs kwaliteit goed. Uitstekend ontbijt. Het hotel ligt op een steile ligging. Tuk tuk naar het stadje is zo geregeld.

Een waterkoker en tassen zou handig zijn.

Première guest house à Haputale, tenue de génération en génération. Elle a été rafraîchie, les chambres supérieures sont magnifiques. On apprécie le calme. Le personnel est adorable, le petit déjeuner très bon.

Débit de la douche

Super sweet old school hotel in Haputale. If you like some lynch vibes and want to get reminded about a time that doesn’t exist anymore. I absolutely loved it there. And the family who runs the place is extremely sweet and helpful. Highly recommended.

Qualité hoteliere pour un prix contenu. Balcon avec vue Bon petit dejeuner

Beautiful room, comfortable bed, nice breakfast, lovely people

I had to ask for more sheets and blankets. The towels were very old

La chambre très belle, spacieuse, confortable et propre. Petit dej copieux et peu cher. Hôte très gentil et serviable

La douche avec très peu de pression

This place is great value of money! The place is clean, breakfast is very generous, nice view and rooms have a balcony. Distance to town is short and you can reach the train station by foot. Honestly a very nice stay, and the owner Mr. Sam is very helpful honest and discreet.

We liked everything ☺️ we would like to suggest adding a bedsheet on the bed and a kettle to make tea.

La terraza, con muy buenas vistas

Very Clean and calm place thanks

Excellent rapport qualité prix sur Haputale avec des chambres propres et confortables et un hôte sympathique qui n’essaye pas de vous vendre de façon insistante des excursions.

Un peu excentré mais comme le centre du village n’est pas ce qu’il y a le plus séduisant dans la région ce n’est pas gênant.

Un endroit très propre avec des espaces communs chaleureux. La chambre est très grande et le lit très confortable. Eau chaude dans une belle douche à l'italienne. La vue du balcon est très apaisante sur les hauteurs d'Haputale. A 10mn à pied de la ville en utilisant le raccourci. L'accueil était très chaleureux et nous recommande Ajith (+94 76 809 1247) pour vos escapades en tuktuk ou en vanne : un homme qui aime sa région et vous fera partager ses connaissances. Il vous donnera des plans B pour vous éviter des déceptions sur vos randos s'il y a trop de brume. Grâce à lui vous verrez des paysages fabuleux et ce, de manière économique.

Le petit déjeuner

Lovely view, hosts and location

The bed mattress was simply a piece of foam. I was really disappointed by this becayse all the reviews give a good rating for mattress / comfy beds but not all rooms have the same mattress. Be warned if you want a good sleep. Also no fan.

Great, very quiet location. Fantastic value for money. Newly renovated room with a large, comfy bed. Balcony with a lovely green outlook, in- and outdoor chairs. Very clean, neat linen. There is a shortcut via a set of stairs that leads to the main road above, from where you can join the locals to walk on the rail road tracks into town (15Min walk in total). The top of the stairs is also a great spot to watch the sunset over the valleys. Good free brekkie, served in the common room. A lovely couple runs this 8 room place - thank you for a very relaxing stay

Very good value for money. The host was responsive when we needed it. Nice view. Quiet location. We were able to eat easily in the area.

We stayed here for a few days during our motorcycle trip through the hill country, and honestly, it felt like a hidden gem. From the outside, it doesn’t look like much, but once you step in the room, it’s a true “backpacker’s posh” – everything is thoughtfully designed, with every little detail fit for western traveler – a rare find in Asia, if you know what I mean. Our room was spacious and clean, with plenty of hooks and storage for gear. The bathroom was excellent, with a separate shower space and even proper shampoo and shower gel. The balcony was a standout too, offering breathtaking views that we couldn’t get enough of. The location is great – peaceful, sheltered from the wind, and away from city noise, yet just a short walk up the shortcut stairs to hilltop - the stairs are on the left side of the Southern View Holiday Resort if you come down. The garden is lovely, full of flowers and cozy plants, and the large lobby downstairs is perfect for meeting fellow travelers or just relaxing with a book. It really has the spirit of a mountain hiking lodge. Breakfast was a feast: fried eggs, toast, jam, fresh fruits, yogurt, rotis, and really good coffee. I couldn’t even finish it all and ended up packing some for our hike. The owners are wonderful – friendly, helpful, and genuinely thoughtful. Overall, a wonderful stay – big thanks for creating such a welcoming spot!

Just a heads-up, the last stretch of road has some tricky turns if you come by car, but it’s nothing to really worry about.

Everything perfect

Locations

Hot water is not enough host

Habitación amplia, limpia, con vistas inmejorables. 100% recomendable.

Todo perfecto

Location, very authentic, the hosts were very welcoming, great breakfast

Amazing views across the tea country once you arrive to private location up winding drive. Close to town for exploring shops, restaurants and train. Super hostess provided healthy breakfast. Excellent value, balconey seating and spacious room. Fully recommended.

Nothing - more time to stay longer and explore region

For the affordable price the place is very good

Lovely family run guesthouse with spectacular views over Haputale. Fabulous breakfast amazing value for money.

Nothing at all!

Beautiful view from the rooms, flowers in the garden, nice clean room and bathroom. Delicious home cooked dinner and breakfast. Host ( Sam) also helped with sightseeing advice and arranged very reasonably priced tuk tuk to Lipton’s seat

It was a good stay. I had a great experience. Location was good, food was good, overall experience was better than some places.

Some facilities were overused and need a repair.

This was our 5th stay here. Everything was perfect and great value for the price. The previous shower issue has also been fixed. Plus, it has a very beautiful, mind-healing garden. The breakfast is also very good. It's become our default stay in Haputale. And Haputale itself is a nice, small town with cool weather, a calm environment, good food, and beautiful destinations nearby

I had a wonderful 2-night stay at this guest house. Honestly, it was worth much more than the price I paid. The room was clean and comfortable, and the service exceeded my expectations. The staff were incredibly friendly and helpful throughout my stay. I had an urgent last-minute booking, and the owner went out of their way to arrange a room for me the same day — which I truly appreciated. They also assisted with booking taxis and organizing my travel plans, making everything so much easier. Highly recommended for anyone looking for great value and warm hospitality!

comfortable rooms, wifi, hot shower, owner is very nice, amazing location and view from the balcony room

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Well run gueshouse, very kind family. Nice big room to space out and dry things, hot shower, breakfast good. Short distance to town centre. Perfect for Pekoe Trail hikers. We enjoyed our stay here.

Its location close to the end of stage 12 of the Pekoe Trail is an advantage. Add to that a nice room, an accommodating host and a reasonable price and you have a winning formula for discerning hikers.

the location is wonderful with a shortcut to walk into town. it's a lovely wee neighbourhood to explore on foot, very pretty, great views and lots of places for a drink or food up the steps on the road which is a ridge, also with fab views. the guesthouse is very comfortable, lovely garden and more views. we ate there twice and the food is very good. we did 4 trips altogether over the 4 days and loved every one, even with the 5am start on 2 days. the town is quite small so not at all hectic and the location is fabulous. we were told a few times that haputale is better than ella and i would say, now we are in ella, that is correct. the spectacular views and number of amazing trips you can make from haputale makes it an exceptional destination. thank you so much to amarasingh!!

nothing xx

We really enjoyed our stay there. The owner is really helpful and can set you up for touring the surrounding area. It's a little outside of downtown but ask about the shortcut and getting around becomes much easier. A stream flows by the property to send you to sleep and the porch view from the rooms is really something.

Restaurant choice in town is limited.

Beautiful accommodation in the mountains. Definitely most beautiful room we stayed in srilanka. It was very clen. Breakfast was also great.

everything

the mattress

Sam, the host, is helpful, informative and well respected in the area. Rooms are clean, beds comfortable, shower hot and there is a great view from the balcony. Breakfast is excellent and there is a nice area with books to hang out in downstairs. What more do you want?

Maybe a bit far from town - but what are your legs for?

Beautiful view, super close to town (there is a little shortcut to walk to the center) very friendly host who is happy to give advice and tasty breakfast :)

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Lovely quiet spot with nice sized rooms, well equipped with places for bags and to hang things, comfortable bed and nice balcony. Decent breakfast for good price and helpful local recommendations from the lovely host.

Short walk to get to restaurants and bus stops etc but that didn't bother us.

The owner was extremely helpful! He is very experienced and speaks very good English. A big THANK you for all of the tips you gave us sir! Great views from the balcony, spacious and comfortable room, rich breakfast. Everything one needs for a couple of days in Haputale, far from fuzzy Ella, but so close to the mountains and tea plantations.

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High up above the town, The Nest was an excellent break from our road trip around Sri Lanka. The large bed was comfortable with soft lighting on either side and hot water in the spacious bathroom. A small balcony overlooked a great view and it was pleasant sitting out there before walking into town to eat. ( Do get a tuk tuk back if it’s dark.) Our host was charming and he happily provided the breakfast we requested. Thank you Sam.

Breakfast was good and room furnishing was modern although bare (no beverage packet, no kettle). Weak shower head stream We noticed the owner treated other guests of other demographics differently, raising concerns about bias, and which explains why our review differs from the existing ones.

Our experience at the guesthouse was soured upon arrival due to the owner. We were disappointed by how we were treated as we believe this is not representative of the Sri Lankan hospitality. It is certainly the most memorable stay of 5 other places we stayed on this trip, but not for the right reasons. We believe that this could be a great place to stay and the comments below are feedback to the owner, instead of deterrence to future guests. 1. Due to the place being located on a steep hill, our driver (whom we trusted as he had been with us for most of our journey) told us that the hotel owner, whom he communicated with beforehand, advised guests and baggage to be taken up via a tuk tuk. The fact that we arrived on a misty, windy night made the tuk tuk seem like a safer idea too (as it's open and smaller). We went along with the suggestion. However upon arrival, the owner insinuated that our driver refused to drive up to the 'hotel' and asked us to pay for the tuk tuk (our driver had told us that additional payment was not needed). We later also found out that the 'hotel' has its own tuktuk and did not offer us a ride (though it did take our baggage up). 2. The owner insisted that we had booked 3 rooms, when we only had 2 rooms booked and even showed him our booking. Without checking first, he continued insisting on his point. We had to show him on his Booking.com app that we were correct 3. The room's amenities were bare and it was difficult to get drinking water as there was no kettle. We had to ask the owner to obtain drinking water, and this was subjected to the owner's bedtime. 4. Within an hour of our arrival, the owner told us to keep our volume down because the rooms had false walls. We were left puzzled at why we were told this when we had just arrived, and why the owner had not taken steps to rectify this soundproofing issue.

We noticed the owner treated other guests of other demographics differently, raising concerns about bias, and which explains why our review differs from the existing ones.

Our stay at this guesthouse was disappointing due to the owner's attitude, which did not reflect Sri Lankan hospitality. While the place has potential, our experience was memorable for the wrong reasons. Below is our feedback for the owner rather than a deterrent for future guests. 1. The guesthouse is on a steep hill, and our trusted driver arranged for a tuk-tuk, per the owner's suggestion. Upon arrival, the owner claimed our driver refused to drive up and insisted we pay for the tuk-tuk, despite our driver stating otherwise. We later learned the guesthouse had its own tuk-tuk but only transported our luggage. 2. The owner wrongly insisted we had booked three rooms instead of two, even after showing our confirmation. We had to prove our booking on his own app before he acknowledged the mistake. 3. The room lacked basic amenities, including a kettle, making it difficult to get drinking water, which was only available at the owner's convenience. 4. Within an hour of arrival, we were told to keep our voices down due to thin walls—an issue the owner had not addressed. 5. The front door is locked at 9:30 PM, a safety concern not disclosed upfront. We only learned of this when we requested access to the porch for night photography. 6. The owner initially agreed to take us down the hill by tuk-tuk upon departure but later allowed only one guest to ride with the luggage, offering no explanation. The guesthouse’s tuk-tuk driver later passed by in an empty vehicle without offering us a ride. We also noticed the owner treated other guests of other demographics more favorably, raising concerns about bias.

The spacious room, the view, the very helpful and friendly owner...and a good breakfast.

Very nice, clean and spacy. Exceptionally good shower.

It is quite for away from “village center” but Tuktuk for 300 LKR can solve it.

We loved staying here and were sad to leave. Lovely large comfortable rooms - and the most coat hangers we’ve seen in a month of being in Sri Lanka😂 (we were so happy to be able to hang things up!) Sounds daft but it’s the little things

The owner gave the room to walk-in guests even though I had a confirmed booking on Booking.com. He called while I was hiking in the jungle, and it was a difficult situation since we had nowhere to go after the hike. Luckily, we managed to find another place to stay.

Great place. Very friendly, helpful and excellent English speaking owner. Comfortable beds, large modern rooms, pleasant view from the balcony. I will definitely go back there.

Absolutely amazing bargain for the price, the rooms are more hotel than homestay level. Large and clean with a really comfy bed. It’s a little walk from town but they have a tuk tuk driver who’s a good guy and will ferry you around for fair prices. Also arranged a 5am pickup for Lipton’s Seat which was great. There’s zero nightlife in town anyway except for a bar/restuarant that closes at 9 and a fairly iffy pub filled with local characters/drunks so not much need to be out late anyway, the joy of Haputale is hiking around the tea plantations.

Shower was a bit lukewarm and Haputale can get a bit chilly at night! Rooms not a huge amount of sound protection but not the end of the world at all.

The food and the property exceeded my expectations in every way. The property itself was well-maintained, clean, and provided a comfortable and inviting atmosphere. I truly felt that I received excellent value for the money I spent, as both the amenities and services were top-notch. Overall, this property delivered an outstanding experience, and I would highly recommend it to anyone seeking a worthwhile stay.

There were some items in the washroom that have been broken.

Highly accurate place for stayting, one of the best we've been staying on Sri Lanka, clean and cosy house, beautiful garden, kind and helpfull owner.

Spacious, clean rooms and a very good breakfast. We enjoyed our stay at this location, and the hosts were extremely kind and welcoming.

Spaceful room, clean. Nice breakfast. Books and games in the big and nice common room. Lots of infos about the visits around. Very good english spoken.

Thin matress in the single beds, but he was friendly to give us an extra matress. If i gonna go back i would spend a couple dollars more and get the king bed room, much newer and with details more finished.. From the train station take the steps down, dont go the long road suggested by google, which is double longer!

Very nice host. And helpful.

Nice and quiet place. Everything we asked was organized perfectly.

Picturesque view, nice location, comfy and spacious rooms. The staff is good. Breakfast was delicious. Highly recommended...!

The most clean room in Sri Lanka so far! It really would compare to hotels in Europe so to say. Place has an amazing atmosphere, and the room is very spacious (and very clean!!!)

Nothing. We used this stay in between stages 12 and 13&14 of the Pekoe trail, and this was a very welcoming reward after stage 12!!

Super kind and heplful host, great breakfast, comfortable room with the only normal bathroom for western guys (there is a walk in shower with glass door!! So no water all around after the shower, small thing but makes a big difference that you realize immediatelly).

Nothing

Cozy, calm place with good customer' service.

Very quite place to stay and comfortable facilities are there.

This property is in a very quiet location, set high up so there's a bit of a view, and flowers in the garden. On arrival my room was upgraded to a very nice large one; bright and airy with floor length windows allowing in the morning sun. This was especially welcome with all the mist and rain I experienced over the 3 days. The bed was large and comfortable and the shower hot, with a bit of twiddling. I didn't see the cheaper rooms so I can't comment on how different they were, but I'd stay in this one again, even though it doesn't have a balcony.

For 2 of my 3 nights I was the only guest, and there appeared to be only me and one older lady rattling round in the big old building. This was fine, but did lend the whole place a rather eerie, desolate feel. If the lady had been a bit chattier, more welcoming it might have helped but coming back at 10pm after an evening with a friend in town and knocking on the door made me feel a bit like a naughty teenager. The hotel is quite a long walk from the town centre and eating places. There is a short cut (though it still entails a longish walk down the top road) but it's dark and slippery after rain, so I wouldn't be keen on doing it at night . There was very nice dhal curry for breakfast but you have to ask for it, otherwise get the bog standard fried eggs, white toast, synthetic jam. The first night there was another couple eating proper Sri Lanka breakfast complete with what looked from a distance like string hoppers, while I just got the white toast, but at least I got the dhal. It was a bit weird to come down to breakfast at the arranged time - even a couple of minutes early - to find everything, even the hot food, plonked down on the lonely table with nobody in sight. All in all a rather odd experience I probably wouldn't repeat, although I've no complaints as such.

They provided breakfast what we wished for and it had that home cooked taste, It had adequate portions. The rooms were clean and comfortable and the toilets were superb with adequate hot water on the shower.

It rained the whole time.

The lounge is full of quality books, details of nearby attractions, spacious and looked after by a doting elderly lady giving full meaning to a nest

The lady was so kind, we asked for a take away breakfast and we found sandwiches, bananas and yoghurt (at 5 a.m.).

Quite far from the city centre but it was our choice.

My 2nd visit to this place. Really clean, well maintained and the staff were super friendly and welcoming. Owner is taking personal care of the place and the rates are very reasonable.

Our room did not have a balcony, but it wasn't a big issue