The Notary's House

6 bed 'proper' Boutique Hotel excellent service and food, breakfast and dinner. Nice pool. Its a little bit remote but perfect for our first 2 nights in SL. The guided walk to the nearby Buddhist temple and cycle ride are both highly recommended and free, tips are appreciated but not mandatory.

Exceptionally attentive staff Beautiful location and extremely comfortable and spacious The best food we had in Sri Lanka We stayed 2 nights at the end of our trip The photos do not do this place justice

Nothing Could not fault it

Very attentive staff, beautiful location right next to the lake and great food. Unfortunately we were suffering from severe jet lag and we only had one night here so we couldn’t enjoy it as much as we’d have liked. Would have stayed longer if we had more time!

We waren er maar 1 nacht, de laatste nacht voor ons vertrek naar huis, maar eigenlijk veel te kort. Het is een hele fijne plek met toegewijd personeel, allemaal even zorgzaam. Nemen alle tijd om je te verwennen. Kuma nam tijd om al onze vragen te beantwoorden, heeft de groente/fruittuin laten zien en zelfs curryleaves voor me gedroogd! Heerlijk gegeten. En wat een mooie sfeer in hotel en kamer. Komen graag terug maar dan zeker aan het begin van onze reis. Dank, dank!

Niets viel tegen, het was heerlijk.

Arriving here after a long days drive was magical. The grounds are beautiful and the staff provide a truly personalised experience. A quiet haven. We often felt as if we had the whole place to ourselves. Oh, and the food….wow! No menus - more like telling your personal chef what you are in the mood for. Fresh fruits in the morning are all grown in the grounds.

It is quintessentially Sri Lankan colonial style. The decor is well curated and the rooms are large.

No menu for food and suprise pricing at checkout.

This is a wonderful hotel with very attentive staff. Will be recommending to anyone coming to Sri Lanka.

Nothing that we didn’t like.

The way they made us feel welcome, explained everything, the stunning surroundings and the wonderful room!

Everything was perfect! Really!

Sensible location for those going north raise beautiful lake

Appalling food and the facilities lack investment.

Loved everything. So beautiful and staff soooo kind and helpful

Nothing!

A beautiful, calm, lovely property in beautiful surroundings. The staff were very helpful and friendly. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all great.

Nothing.

Wonderful location, very quiet, beautiful views, great pool, large rooms & lovely communal areas. High quality food, exceptional staff & outstanding service. Nice to have free walking & cycling tours provided by the staff.

Everything!! Location, food, staff, service!

Nothing

Lovely and helpful staff, free bike tour around the lake and jungle, spacious spotless rooms. Food was also excellent. Great place to stay after a long flight.

Nothing.

the staff were exceptional and so accomodating. They took very good care of us and if it wasn't for the staff, then this hotel would not be outstanding. The rooms were lovely and big, there was a relaxing feel to the property. Unfortunately we didn't get to enjoy the pool or the surroundings as much as it rained the entire time we were there. The staff arranged for a lovely tuk tuk ride around the lake which was lovely. The food was excellent and the staff so polite and accomodating. Really welldone to the staff.

It appears on booking.com that the rooms have a TV - they do not! so just to make you aware of this. Perhaps it was due to the rain but the water and electricity in our rooms kept cutting off. One morning I woke up to turn the tap on and no water came out. My showers were completely cold the entire stay at this property - again I don't know if this was due to the rain but we were without electricity for 3 hours in the morning - could possibly be longer. The staff did not seem to respond to this well. There was a lack of clarity about the prices of dinner at the hotel, we would order the food and not know the prices or a menu until after. This was misleading.

An exceptional place to stay in beautiful surroundings. A huge thank you to Dushan for his service. The breakfast and dinner were superb!

Nothing

A beautiful building. High ceilings, grand space but rest assured that it is an understated grandeur, set on the banks of a lake. Lovely flowers and birds. A tranquil place. Great Sri Lanka food. We didn’t try the western food, so cannot comment. Nice pool. It was about 45-50 mins from Colombo airport but a world away from the bustle of a city. English sockets was helpful. Good Wi-Fi connection. The kitchen garden is worth a tour.

I cannot think of anything.

The staff were excellent, the food was terrific and the grounds exceeded my expectation. The room was very large and majestic. I felt like a queen!

Moth ball smell on the swimming pool towels.

Everything from check-in to check-out was flawless. The staff was very helpful, especially Duzhan (sorry for spelling), but everyone was great. The property is set in a large, spacious house and tastefully decorated. There is a lovely pool which we didn't have time to use, but it was amazing. The breakfast was perfect. We had a choice between a Sri Lankan or Western breakfast, and as we've had enough curry for a while, opted for the Western option. We could have had eggs, but chose yogurt, coffee, toast, etc and it came with local jam and a fruit plate. All of it served in a lovely setting overlooking the grounds. For dinner, we enjoyed a traditional Sri Lankan rice dish set in a banana leaf which was scrumptious! Honestly, this is a place not to miss if you come to Sri Lanka. Thanks to the entire team!

Absolutely nothing.

A great place for R&R at the beginning of a trip to recover from an overnight flight (or prior to a return flight). We again spent a couple of nights which was the perfect amount. The rooms are all picturesque, large and comfortable with air-con and overhead fans, whichever category you choose. Actually, the lower category rooms have better views of the lake! The pool is lovely. Good to have some bikes this time.

Being picky, the previous chef has left and the food this time was not as memorable or delicious as 3 years ago when it was beautifully presented and some of the best we had over a month’s trip.

The location is fantastic right next to the lake. Th flora and fauna are fascinating especially the birds in the morning. Breakfast was good with western and Sri Lankan choices. We ate there in the evenings and the food including the curry and rive were ecellent. The staff are a credit to the property and escorted us on a bike tour of the local area. We thoroughly enjoyed our two nights here decompressing after long haul flights. We would definitely recommend and return

Nothing

Beautiful location, perfect place to relax into the beginning or end of a holiday. Exceptionally friendly and helpful staff, food was excellent. Really recommend

Weirdly our room wasn't cleaned during the day and had to ask for more water but really this was a minor detail.

Excellent place to relax and feel the real sri lankan atmosphere. Beautiful building/house. Beautiful and peaceful garden with a seren natural lake. A beautiful bhuddist temple near. Above all, the persons in charge of the place and all the people in general. One of the best places, ever.

Nothing

This property is very charming, very clean and beautifully presented. The staff were absolutely wonderful and bent over backwards to look after us and host us. We really enjoyed dining outside overlooking the garden and being charmed by the wild life. The rooms were big and generous as were the ensuites.

The food was a bit disappointing.

The hospitality here is top-notch. Sadly we didn’t had time to stay longer. Would definitely come back!

Beautiful location and property, the room was beautiful and clean. We also had a dinner and breakfast which were very good. Wonderful service too. Perfect way to start our honeymoon

Perfect setting and location for our needs

Nothing

Ein traumhaftes, kleines Boutique-Hotel mit dem freundlichsten und aufmerksamsten Personal aller Zeiten. Wer die Ruhe und excellentes Essen genießen will, ist hier genau richtig. Wir würden definitiv wieder buchen!

Da gibt es nichts zu beanstanden!

Supervriendelijk personeel. Prachtig hotel in koloniale sfeer met zicht op het achterliggend meer. Zeer ruime en mooie kamer, badkamer en terras. Zalig genoten van het zwembad en de lunch. Een top uitgebreid lokaal ontbijt. Ideaal om tot rust te komen na een lange vlucht en onze vakantie te starten.

The staff were excellent. The location was very good. The room was large and clean The food was good and tasty. The service was excellent. The guided bike ride was very enjoyable.

There was no daily house keeping.

Tutto

Niente

Absolutely beautiful!! Historical house within a stunning peaceful environment - modern facilities & staff that couldn’t more wonderful. The food was outstanding too, mainly from their own garden.

It was perfect - nothing to dislike!

Cudowne miejsce na relaks 🤍

My family and I stayed for 2 nights on arrival in Sri Lanka after a night flight. It was the perfect place to relax. The house is very peaceful and beautiful. The staff is very attentive, friendly and caring. The food was amazing. Feels more like a guest house than a hotel. Highly recommend it.

What a fantastic place to stay for the first night of our holiday. It's a little oasis of calm with fantastic (huge) rooms that were better in person than on the website. The pool is lovely with so much wildlife, the food is great and the service is perfect. We stayed in an interconnecting family room - highly recommended.

Nothing, it was perfect.

Lovely hotel. Staff were very courteous and helpful. Excellent Sri Lankan style food, cold beers, and beautiful grounds and lovely swimming pool. Rooms were spacious, clean and had AC and a fan. Thoroughly recommend it.

Fabulous property with very attentive staff and second to none service. Delicious food, and wonderful room and in fact the whole hotel was stunning.

Nothing

Stunning grounds and interiors- beautifully designed with gorgeous antiques

Nothing!

The right place to land in Sri Lanka:in a colonial building in a pastoral atmosphere and very kind and pleasant and attentive team

Everything was perfect and answer ours expectable

Very tranquil setting. Property was very impressive with lots of space to relax. Lovely swimming pool to cool down in. Service and food was also excellent. A great final stop before our flight home.

N/A

Such a beautiful and tranquil location. Wished we had stayed longer. The staff are excellent. So friendly

Everything, the location, the architecture and most importantly the staff! The staff are very friendly, attentive, they go beyond and above to make sure that you are happy and feeling relaxing :)

Charged more than Expedia gave us when we booked the place That was unacceptable but I paid a s the staff at that place had nothing to do with it I do not think the company that runs the place is genuine in the price they gave me I feel I was overcharged by the local company that runs the property

The staff were very attentive and looked after all of our needs. The property is very quiet and peaceful offering a good chance to unwind.

We were very happy with our time at the property.

Beautiful setting and wonderful staff!

Nothing

Friendly, clean, beautiful

Absolute suburb place and staff

Awesome place for families and children

Amazing location, beautiful design and wonderful staff, very good food, a kot of beautiful birds around, own garden. I loved everything.

Nothing

The staff are exceptional, the food was delish and the actual properly are just wonderful! We had an excellent time!

Nothing really, if I had to find something perhaps the lighting in the evening was quite bright but that is only a very pedantic comment, we absolutely loved it all!

This was a haven of tranquility after our long flight out from the UK. From the moment we arrived we felt relaxed. The staff were very friendly and attentive. We had a delicious rice and curry dinner in the evening and a tour of their garden the next morning where much of the food we had eaten was grown. I highly recommend Notary’s House for a place to relax and recharge before or after a long flight. It was the perfect introduction to Sri Lanka for our family.

Nothing. Some people may find the location a bit remote but that didn’t matter at all to us.

A beautiful old colonial house. Small, immaculately kept - obvious pride.

Nothing

We chose to stay here for a few days after we landed at midnight from NZ . Beautiful property. Very comfortable, everything clean and staff exceptionally helpful & friendly. The property is a wonderful historic house that has been maintained to a high standard. The pool is amazing and overlooks the beautiful lake. The food is really good and the property gardens are on an impressively beautiful lake.The staff , chef, manager were all incredible and made us feel so welcome. They gave us a tour of the property’s coconut grove and gardens with cuisine menu sourced from fruit and veges grown on site, as well as guided complementary visit to local temple , weavers and a bike ride around the lake.

Nothing- it was exceptional

Large, comfortable room, spacious communal areas, beautiful view from the garden area, lovely swimming pool, extremely friendly staff. Was a good location for the final night of our trip and was only a 45 minute drive to the airport early in the morning.

Lovely place, nice rooms, fantastic staff, great food and a wonderful pool. Very convenient first or last night in Sri Lanka as 30km from the airport Staff really went to town for my wife's birthday

We stayed at The Notary’s House after flying into Colombo, so we were just there for one night. It was about 45 minutes drive from the airport, but was useful for us as this was then going in that direction for our next stop. The property is in a quiet rural location; we enjoyed sitting by the lake with a beer and watching the sunset. The staff were friendly. The dinner was great - Sri Lankan curry. Our room was large with a good shower. Breakfast location was very nice overlooking the lake and watching the birds in the morning.

Beautiful location, Dining area,Pool and room.

Could have been some chilled white wine with Dinner. Apart from that it was lovely

Spotless, comfortable, lovely pool, fab food. Ideal stop off before flying

Mosquitos!

Beautiful, clean, welcoming and so relaxing. Great first night in Sri Lanka!

The room was large, clean and cool. The pool setting is incredible (the plastic chairs have been replaced with wooden). Staff were very accommodating — we were travelling with a small child, they helped to arrange a cot for her and allowed us to check out late to accommodate for a late flight.

Everything! Beautiful, big grounds. Superb swimming pool. Delicious food Excellent staff - best we experienced in Sri Lanka. Very tasteful décor throughout the hotel. The whole place was spotless. Wish we could have stayed longer here.

There was nothing we didn't like.

Staff were fantastic so was the food

Aircon wasn’t working properly. Not a vast amount to do.

Beautiful estate with great food and friendly staff.