Eagle Safari Cottage

It started off really nice the staff were lovely and the room was really big, the food was yum a little pricey. The pool was nice also, pretty close to the main town.

Unfortunately, at the end of our trip the staff harassed us and the other travellers that we arranged a lift with - about using their taxi service, when we told them we didn’t need the lift. They blocked the entrance of their drive way and harassed our driver as well. They made us feel pretty unsafe which was a shame because the stay was going really well. The bathroom wasn’t fully clean. They also had an altercation whilst we were there with a mum and her children.

Incredibly low price, which most likely only covers the electricity cost for the aircon, but not the room, staff, breakfast and pool. Nice surrounding with palm trees, banana trees and rice paddy.

I find it important to warn other travelers. I short: the place should not be bookable on booking.com! The place is not safe for travellers. The owner does a very fishy business and tries to intimidate his staff, us as tourists and other operators. Our picking up driver told us it were a "dangerous place". Other travelers made very bad experiences at the same time as us. - Our booking was marked as no-show on the day of our arrival without us knowing. Same for at least another couple. Causing extra cancelation fees. - on day of our departure the staff and owner tried to force us the take drivers to ella which they said they had booked for us and would now need to get paid by us (12.000rp per car). We however just informed ourselves about the conditions the day before and said we would write in WhatsApp if we wanted the offer. Same for another couple. When the driver we organized ourselves showed up they tried to scare him off - the place is not on googlemaps anymore, they claim this was due to "unfair reviews" there. - the staff is forbidden by the owner to communicate via booking. They directly ask for your WhatsApp number. - when informed by me that 2 very prominent pictures in booking do not belong to the place, causing false hopes in travelers, the staff wrote in WhatsApp that unfortunately they could not change this. After the owner had showed up, That message got deleted in WhatsApp. Screenshot is attached below. - on our second day a lady arrived with her two kids at 7:30 p.m. in the dark. She had booked for 4 nights (at 5$ per night). A staff member said there was no room and left. When we wanted to help we found no one at the reception building ( all dark, no response to knocking). When i opened a window i saw the receptionist hiding behind it. I asked her to come out. It came out, that as the lady did not intend on booking a safari with them ( the only way for this place to earn money) they had wished to cancel the booking.

The guesthouse had a pool which was very nice (but quite shallow and warm), especially at night with the stars, it was also surrounded by trees and palms, which was lovely. It is not the pool in the first photo on the listing - not sure where this is!!! The room had a bathroom with no window looking directly into trees which was nice. The safari was fine, but was quite expensive ($50 each) and the hotel clearly make a lot of money on selling safari packages which is why the price is so low on booking.com. You can get the same safari for $25 if you go to the entrance of the park and book directly.

The price was very low to book, which I believe was to draw you in, but as soon as a booking is made they are pushing for you to buy a safari package. This is the first thing that they do when you arrive also, it all felt very pushy and not very welcoming and they were not friendly or helpful. We did not have a guide for the safari to explain things about the animals, the driver would just stop and point at an animal and say its name, but that was all. We had a room that was not pictured on the listing, which was very basic, an all cement room with no windows (just a window door so not secure to leave open) or fan but did have AC. It smelt sweaty, and we could not get the smell out and the bed also smelt. There was a lot of construction happening outside the room for new rooms so the ground was very muddy and so were our shoes, especially with the rain. You could not leave the room without getting dirty. Also the mats for wiping your feet inside the room were not clean and covered in mud. The towels were very thin and old. The breakfast was very simple and not filling, and you have this after safari at about 11am. Some plain bread is offered on the safari. For Sri Lankan standards this place is not great, though some of the other rooms looked nicer than what we got (ours was not pictured in the listing). It is also very far out of town and far from the junction - not correct location on the listing. The listing took us to another hotel and we had to get a tuk tuk for 10 minutes to arrive at the right place. Then when we left they cancelled our booking even though we stayed, we had to contact booking.com to be allowed to leave an honest review. We think they did this as we stayed in one of the less nice rooms that are not listed. This was cheeky and dishonest, so they don’t get bad reviews.

It's a really good place to stay . The owner was very friendly and the room was very clean. They give us bicycles free of charge . They picked us up from ella by their car and we booked our safari tour from them. It was amazing . We saw all the animals in the park and we went on a full day tour. They arranged for our breakfast and lunch with the safari. After the safari day they dropped us for the hiriketiya. All the service and prices were the best. highly recommended .

Unique location amid rice paddies. Short walk to the river and some restaurants. Had a nice dip in the pool.

Host is such a wonderful, kind, helpful and pleasant man! He took care about our takeaway breakfast on safari, organized everything in the best possible way! Besides location between 2 River is beautiful. Great spot for people interested in birding, you can see a lot of species around! you can enjoy sunsets and beautiful view!

Excellent value for money . Helpful owner

if you are staying in udawalawe this is the place to be! so cool! loved it

Reception and welcome were exceptional. The manager Angela is an excellent professional always willing to attend to any customer problems. The breakfasts are plentiful, varied and with fresh products. They manage the safaris directly, which is very convenient. The cleaning service is good and efficient. The pool is very good with exceptional river side.

Best place I had in Sri Lanka.wonderful rooms.i highly recommend this place for the rooms.we had a safari with owner.we saw leopard we do share safari with owner.he had good price for the safari.owner saw us all the animals.

Very clean room and bathroom. Owner is very kind and friendly. They help to arrange the Safari tour for us it was amazing. Very delicios food and everything was grate here.highly recomended.

Accommodation was really great. Rooms were in separated cottages which was nice. Pool was nice and so was the staff. Outdoor washroom was also pretty cool. We went to safari which was organized by the host.

A location was a bit far but that didn’t bother us.

It’s a nice but simple place with a big pool, perfect for relaxing after a safari. The staff were very friendly and made our stay even more enjoyable.

The hosts were wonderful, helpful and sweet. The meals were nice. All in all good value for money.

The shower and toilet and sink are outside which is normally nice but if it rains it’s pretty uncomfortable. In addition there are ALOT of bugs everywhere outside in the restrooms and because it’s connected to the room they can easily get inside.

It's was greeted upon arrival by the kind and professional staff. The location felt like the middle of nature, yet still close to Udawalawe. The room and bathroom was stunning, with all facilities there. I did a morning safari arranged by the hotel, would definitely recommend!

The owner was amazing, he helped us with everything we needed and made us feel very comfortable. Also breakfast and dinner was so tasty, would definitely recommend!

We had rented 3 standard tent rooms and stayed here for 2 nights. In general, we were very satisfied with the stay. The staff acted friendly and welcoming.

Sanjeewa provided exceptional hospitality despite this last-minute booking (literally 10 minutes before my arrival)! He was attentive and present, and having him as a guide for my morning safari in the park was wonderful! The room was very spacious, perfect for a family, and the breakfast prepared by his mother was delicious. I highly recommend and will gladly return for another stay!

Nice room and breakfast. Room and bathroom big and comfortable. Safari organized by hotel owner very good price.

Excellent food buffet, had lots to offer from traditional sri lanka to western dishes and everything was delicious. the ground are lovely.

Great location. Fantastic Sri Lankan breakfast included in price. Tea and kettle provided in room. Friendly family run hotel. Host was very friendly and helpful on arrival. Awesome outdoor shower! Very helpful owner and staff, helped us arrange transportation. The place has only 3 houses - great for kids.

Nothing.

The property has large comfortable rooms, a lively large pool, lovely staff and serve’s delicious food.

Nothing.

We had a great stay here and our hosts were excellent at making our stay as comfy as possible. The location is quiet and the garden has a “jungle” feel” . Our room had two large beds and a drying rack, mirror, and case rack. There were two good fans in the room and the large bathroom had a warm shower, although during the day there are regular power cuts so be prepared for a cold shower now and again! Everywhere was very clean and the mosquito nets were good to have as a back up to our mozzy spray.

Beautiful location, amazing Room equipped with all you need, great pool. Nice restaurant. Safari organized by the hotel. Only a very thin bed sheet provided. Could definitely use a small blanket too though.

Nothing.

Best place to stay at Udawalawe. Our house owner arrange safari tour price very good price also taxi. Dinner and breakfast was excellent.

One of our favourite stays in Sri Lanka so far! The breakfasts were great we got fruit, pancakes & half a loaf of bread with Dahl every morning :) The hosts went above and beyond always. They gave us a kettle in the room and cutlery so we could eat our own food. We booked a safari through them and it was so easy and a highlight of the trip. Perfect location there’s not much in the area but we were a 3 minute walk from the local supermarket and any other shops. It’s also tucked away on a side street so really peaceful. The pool and subbeds were great for us as we relaxed there all day!

Excellent and reasonably priced food. Excellent service from staff. Booked our safari through them which was great and competitively priced.

This place very good price for everything.

Excellent.

Beautiful, spacious, clean and quiet place with very, very helpful and always smiling owner. We really loved his professional attitude, he had everything well organized! We loved the food - during this stay, we had both breakfast and dinner included in the price. Rooms are exactly as on pictures, Fantastic Jungle view from rooms! Amazing to listen and watch nature and animals.