The Cool Nest Yala Hotel

Happy and friendly owner ,and a very organised work team who organised my room quickly for my arrival, comfortable bed great sleep and a good shower,breakfast was great to start my next travels few mins walk into town also to the shops

Everything was great .

they let us check in very early and already the room arranged and smell good. soon the lunch was arrived too fantastic food. for the round trip we started frm our check out almost covered 5 cities all south part. such a cool guy he was. safely dropped us in our destiny

Everything was well organized and the vehicle was comfy. We totally recommend this safari. made our safari experience truly special. nice home stay feel.

we chose this after reading many reviews and exactly as they said. welcomed us warmly and explained several safari options. We chose Yala Zone 05 the next morning, which was peaceful, uncrowded, and beautiful. We saw deer, birds, crocodiles, buffaloes, and even signs of a leopard. he did the best for our time.

had fantastic vacation at cool nest. clean room and served with welcome drinks. We were really happy and rested till evening. owner took us somewhere in the city to purchase our basic essentials. worth the help thank u so much for everything.

Food is exceptionally good. Breakfast and dinner is amazing. We were looked after very well during the jungle adventure. Easy access to all parts of sri lanka. their transportation service worth the millions.

quiet environment. clean rooms. good treatment towards travellers. the half day safari for us with a breakfast in a private place in the park which was great! even gave me a free drop to station. thanks fr all that.

The environment was really natural and cool. The room space and the beds are really comfortable. provided with a strong connection wifi. one of the best yala safari. took care everything. amazing jungle. they have taken the all safety measures. so safe.

Sudu e Anu offrono vari pacchetti per i safari allo Yala national park spiegando bene tutte le diverse possibilità. Sudu ci ha anche accompagnato gratuitamente a fare un giro del lago al tramonto per poi lasciarci in un bellissimo posto a cena, dove abbiamo mangiato il miglior kottu di tutto il nostro viaggio in Sri Lanka. Con Sudu siamo anche rimasti in contatto e ci ha aiutati a trovare i driver per i successivi spostamenti.

Le camere lasciano un tantino a desiderare, tuttavia per il prezzo pagato non ci si può aspettare troppo. È tipico delle strutture che offrono escursioni puntare tutto su queste ultime e tralasciare un pochino la struttura ricettiva. Noi non ne eravamo stupiti, ci è capitato in altri posti della stessa tipologia in giro per il mondo, mi spiace leggere cattive recensioni da parte di chi magari è il primo viaggio “all’avventura” che fa. Ad ogni modo consigliamo il safari con loro

Pulito Guida Anu super professionale! super consigliata! .

Al nostro arrivo assenza di una reception. Assenza di prese funzionanti in camera. I prezzi per i tour safari (richiesti prima via messaggio) sono cambiati sia per le zone che per il traffico di turisti.. in teoria ti spingono a fare quello che conviene a loro. il Boss si è presentato solo per ritirare i soldi e proporci un taxi al doppio del prezzo di quanto vale li.

The bed was comfy. Breakfast was good.

The bathroom wasn’t clean.

Amazing property which was clean. The hosts went above and beyond to help us during our stay. Would definitely come back and stay here again

La casa estaba limpia, era cómoda y muy confortable. El personal fue muy atento en todo momento y nos ayudó a organizar el safari y otros servicios, lo que hizo que nuestra estancia fuera mucho más cómoda. Una experiencia muy agradable.

Nada

friendly host and hostess, everything available. Beautiful surroundings.

i just came here for particularly for safari achieved it . they got good ratings too for it

Close to bus station and restaurants, the room was big and comfortable, shower was good, the owner was very friendly and helpful and he helped me book my safari trip!

what a nice adventure at yala national park. we had breakfast at the jungle. the hotel arranged the pickup and also the drop. thanks mr.

good service compared to other hotels at that city. foods arranged at the time and i didn't much interested about the safari. overall its a good stay.

all in good recommended.

Simple and comfortable place. helpful host. Great view. i must recommend their safari services which is divided into 3 category and i did the full day safari with 2 meals and more snacks. enjoyed that day.

People are very friendly. Supper breakfast. Great AC and fan.

Nothing.

It was a great safari experience with anu. did everything to make us happy, also gave us a most suitable room in his hotel.

Labai paslaugus personalas, labai gera komunikacija, o ypač labai paslaugus ir nuoširdus vadybininkas, kuris mus vežė į Yalos nacionalinį parką. Didelis Ačiū Jam ir jo kolegai. Rekomenduojame vykti į Yalą iš šio viešbučio.

expert in arranging safaris

まず、ここのオーナーに対して、心からお礼を言わなければなりません。 残念なことに、私が申し込んだサファリツアーは実は悪徳業者によるもので、当日の朝になっても迎えのクルマが来ず、既に前金として払っていた5000ルピーを持ち逃げされるという被害に会いました。 たまたま、その朝、こちらのホテルを介してツアーに申し込んだ別の客の対応のためホテルの外に出てきたオーナーが私を見つけ、何時に迎えに来る約束なのか、などを聞いてくださいました。 しかし待ち合わせ時間を大きく過ぎても業者が現れないことが分かり、もはや詐欺であったことが分かると、ツアー開始時刻直前であるにも関わらず、ツアードライバーをしているというご自分の友人にまだ当日の空きがあるかを確認してくれただけでなく、わざわざ集合場所までご自分のクルマで連れて行ってくださったお陰で、なんとかツアーに参加することができました。 本当にお礼の言いようがないくらい、感謝の気持ちでいっぱいです。 どうもありがとうございました。

Locatie en het vriendelijke personeel. De neef vd eigenaar verzorgt een prima safari.

Slecht bed op onze kamer, erg dun matras. Het toilet en douche moet echt opgeknapt worden. Deur gaat bv niet op slot.

The host is really friendly and recommended some places we could check out in Tissa which we really liked. He gave us packed breakfast for the safari and let us keep our backpacks at the hotel until 13:00 which was really nice. The location is close to the city centre and the shared rooms are great

The bathroom has 3 different types of locks but none of them work. We found many small ants in the room close to the balcony. The place could be wonderful but needs a bit of a restorantion in my opinion

The location is just a few minutes away from shopping, historic landmarks, and restaurants. On our last day they were even kind enough to prepare us box breakfast as we had to leave early into to jungle for safari. with the host; it was affordable and a lot of fun. We had breakfast inside the park,

Anu was a great host, breakfast was good, and even made me a packed breakfast when I had to catch an early bus. The safari he booked for me was amazing, seeing all Yala has to offer, including 3 Leopards.

Shared bathroom, unable to lock. Although I was the only person staying in the rooms with shared kitchen and bathroom

Our host Anu and the staff were super friendly and helpful. A hot shower and air conditioning was most appreciated. Staff were kind enough to allow us to leave our bags in the room & then shower and change on our return from a safari.

Very helpful caretaker at the property. Best view in tissamaharama. Peaceful stay. anyone considering a safari to yala national park, I recommend this hotel for comfortable jeep service to a safari.

Fantastic family hotel. They helped organize our safari, took us to see the baby elephants feed and prepared the most fabulous evening meal. This was better than staying in a five star hotel. Highly recommended for your stay and for your safari needs.

A reggeli finom volt bőséges. A személyzet is segítőkész. Az apartman stílusú szobát kaptunk 2 nagy különálló szobával de a konyhában nem volt semmi a hűtőn kívül. Se teaforraló tea vagy kávé bent az apartmanban. Ha kértünk kint a recepción természetesen kaptunk. Összességében a vezető a tulaj a család nagyon kedves volt segítőkész

cool nest yala . Wonderful location with full of natural surrounding. Environment is soothing and calm. This place is healing your soul. We only ordered breakfast and it was rotti with dhal and lunu miris. We ordered tempered potato dish and it was one of the best dishes iv had. next day we drove to national park for the safari which was arrange by hotel. The Safari was great, we saw a lot of animals. The host is very professional and serious.

Exceptional! This little gem is perfect for a one night stop over with family. Excellent and friendly service (very accommodating to all requests incl. strong tea and coffee - thank you). Easy access to all southern tourist attraction place from here. specially yala safari park and more Thank u Mr. anu

Amazing stay in tissamaharama. Clean, comfy rooms, Icey cold AC, , nice breakfast and and smiling staff who were happy to help with anything we needed. close to many restaurant options and main attraction sites around. organizing the safari to yala national park. they supplied a small snack and water during the safari, then on return we were supplied with an awesome breakfast, no shortage of great food. All in all, highly recommended, everything you need for your time in yala.

Awesome place to stay for family. We had a good time. Good food and great service. highly recommends

Goede ligging, perfecte gastheer die goed Engels spreekt, professionele en hartelijke ontvangst, comfortabel, hulp bij het zoeken naar plaats om te eten en bij de safari

Amazing place, tons to do and see around the area, great hosts. We went on the safari and had a brilliant day in yala national park. our driver. He was very careful around the elephants and very knowledgeable.

For what you pay, its amazing.. if you are a group of people this would be optimal choice as its a house with living area and kitchen. it gives off a nice vibe, they bring the ingredients for breakfast and you sort of make yourself at home. all rounders at tours & safaris.

liked everything from start to end. room, food and service. If you need a pick up or drop contact the hotel, they will arrange one for you as well.

beautifully appointed inside and lovely gardens outside. The staff was professional, friendly. It’s peaceful, service is perfect. you can arrange safari from them. we were about to leave urgently so we left. anyway thanks

The service from the host was outstanding he helped us with everything we needed. Highly recommended, such a good person.

The room was clean but our bathroom was probably forgotten to be cleaned I guess, there were still traces from previous guests.

Cozy comfortable rooms. Well maintained wash rooms. Safari can be arranged from the hotel.... nice service, driver was really nice and informing. enjoyed the ride a lot!

Anu, el encargado, fue muy atento con nosotros. Nos ayudó para contratar un safari y con todo lo relacionado con atracciones turísticas.

Las instalaciones están bien, aunque una renovación no estaría mal.

Unforgettable journey Great place and great Host anu He helped to arrange safari tour it was nice Even he took us to Arugambey with a car it was really nice I forgot my drone in his car and i realized it after 2 days on the way back to Colombo he bring my drone i was really happy Highly recommended

We really enjoyed our night in cool nest Hotel, the rooms were so comfortable, Nothing was too much trouble, he organized a transfer from yala to Udawalawe. that was very nice.

Super accueil de l'équipe sur place qui nous ont fait nous sentir comme à la maison. Très serviable, ils nous ont proposé de préparer le déjeuner à emporter avant notre journée safari. Les chambres étaient très bien et propres. Rien à redire ! Nous aurions aimé y séjourner plus longuement

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I do not recommend this hotel. The door of the shared bathroom was broken, the air conditioning in the room was very old and extremely noisy, the windows had no mosquito nets, so staying inside felt like being in the middle of the jungle. Breakfast? I didn’t see any and nobody propose to me neither. The worst part was the check-out, I had informed the manager in advance that I needed to leave at 6:00 a.m. to catch a bus to Ella. Two employees even came to collect the payment beforehand, so everyone was aware. However, in the morning all the doors were locked, nobody answered my calls, and I was trapped inside. In the end, I had to climb over the wall, risking injury, just to get out on time. A very disappointing experience.

Be careful when booking a safari through the hotel. I arranged a safari via the hotel, and during the trip the guide tried to scam me. In the end everything worked out, but I didn’t find it right that the hotel works with such guides. Apart from that, there is nothing wrong with the hotel: it’s a very nice place to stay and the rooms have air conditioning.

Super friendly host, arranged everything we needed, car. and a great safari at yala park. enjoyed it. safely drop us where we wanted.

Tres bon sejour, Noys avons fait le safari aux meilleur prix grace a note hote. Je recommande vivement .

Chambre spacieuse et très propre. Petit déjeuner exceptionnel et très complet. Anu et son collègue qui vous accueillent sont extrêmement gentils, serviables, et intéressants. Anu a pris le temps de nous expliquer beaucoup de choses sur le safari. Je recommande cet endroit les yeux fermés !!

The host was incredibly friendly, helpful and attentive - he arranged a safari for us, gave us great recommendations for the rest of our trip making our adventure more memorable. The breakfast was delicious and filling - a perfect way to start the day. Highly recommend this.

The area for improvement is cleanliness- the rooms could have been tidier. With a bit more attention to this the house would be absolutely great.

A wonderful place to visit - full of great views, birds and a lovely garden hotel. prepared our all travel arrangements in a single call. thanks

Nice place with very good employers - always around to help, serve coffee or tea. Is not straight on main road but very close to center so not very busy at night.

Wow! We enjoyed a breathtaking morning safari trip at yala! Firstly, we contacted RANDU through WhatsApp after reading such wonderful reviews. Nothing was too much trouble, he organized a transfer from Ella to his place, overnight

Excellent service and staff are very good. Stay was good. they also give the transport around the country and safari service at yala for a reasonable price.

Hospitality was great, parking very convenient, location central. Good room with balcony Good breakfast Highly recommend for stays in Yala

Nothing

Staff very good

Cleaning is not good and the washroom light is not working

The Home stay was great! The room was nice and clean and the staff very nice. dinner cooked by them is very tasty with very big portions.

liked the host, super friendly. The food was OK. They keep the shared facilities very clean and the beds were comfortable. Hot water was a plus and the WiFi worked well.

L’accueil, la chambre, le petit dej, la prise en charge du safari, proche d’un restaurant super bon !

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Great place...Nice People working there And great service. His efforts and information are valuable. Thank you very much!

one of the best accomodations around the tissamaharama. quick drive from the main road . clean and peaceful place. arranged a car transfer to our next destination. helpful.

absolutely amazing! This place has the most comfortable beds, the most comfortable pillows, amazing coffee and excellent wifi. It has amazing antiques and Great family.

place was well furnished/equipped, clean and very comfortable. . We had a smoothie bowl and avocado toast, which we really enjoyed.

Greatly located hotel, right in the centre of busy town of tissamaharama, if u like to feel local vibe. Very friendly staff, always there to help. Food was amazing. recommended

Anu and co were lovely and were very helpful in organising a safari tour in Yala with a great guide. Nice rooms and good aircon too!

A lovely accommodation close to the center of this small town. The room was clean, and the air conditioning worked perfectly. The owner speaks English very well, organized a safari for us, and gave great advice on walks in the area. He also prepared a takeaway breakfast for our safari. Highly recommended.

Anu the host is a wonderful person. The safari we booked online was canceled in the morning and helped us more than we would ever expect from a host. I can highly recommend to book the tour in the hotel and not on fake park websites. (Yes yalasrilanka.lk is run by a private person)

The owner is incredibly friendly and helpful, always going out of his way to assist guests. He personally dropped us off at the bus station and provided detailed, accurate information about the area. The hotel is in a convenient location, and the atmosphere is quiet and peaceful—ideal for relaxing after a day of exploring.

Unfortunately, the owner couldn’t organize a safari tour, which was the main reason we chose this hotel based on previous reviews. The rooms are a bit old, and we noticed some cockroaches, though this seems to be common in Sri Lanka. Be cautious when booking, as some rooms have shared bathrooms, which might not suit everyone.

Nice house for the five of us. We had plenty of room and could use the whole house. We booked the Yala safari with them and had a great experience as our host travelled with us and acted as a guide. We were offered a cooking class for free when we opted for the rice and curry diner.

Millions of mosquitoes in the yard unfortunately made the use impossible. But that is of course not the fault of the hosts.

It was a pleasure to stay in this hotel for a safari tour. The owner was very helpful. Gave me information what to see in Tissa. He was extremely kind and honest. Not only did he prepare breakfast at 4 a.m., before jeep picked me up, he also let me store my big bag during safari in my hotel room for entire day! He also informed me that I paid much higher price for half day safari on TripAdvisor, so when I complained, they gave me not half day, but full day for free. Furthermore, he arranged a cheap transport for me after safari to Hiriketiya. The room was clean with AC. I am very happy and can't recommend this a accommodation and owner more.

One of the best properties we stayed at during our trip to Sri Lanka. The value for money is amazing, and the host family were incredible. Anu and his family took great care of us and made sure we were comfortable. Their kid was very cute and so friendly with our group that it made our stay even better. The rooms were nice and had A/C and hot water (not always a given in Sri Lanka), it wasn’t amazing but it was comfortable and exactly what we needed and was great value. Anu organised a safari for us where we luckily saw a leopard and multiple bears, which are not always common! I would highly recommend this place for those wanting to come to a Yala Safari- the hospitality was the best we experienced in the country, and the rooms were comfortable and breakfast was delicious.

Great little hotel close to Tissa station. The host was very friendly and gave us some great recommendations. He also woke up at 4:30am to make sure all was well with our Safari tour.

Beds were quite short and room quite warm

The host was great, super helpful and attentive. We went the night before our visit to the Yala National Park. He helped us organised a tour and made breakfasts for us on the day. He also gave us binoculars and spoke to us about what to expect at the Park - he was very knowledgable. The tour guide was also good but I would recommend considering other options too if you want.

We stayed for two nights and really enjoyed ourselves - the staff was very friendly and helpful! They were great with our baby and so nice to our 9 year old as well, playing both badminton and dart with him. We booked a Safari with the hotel, which was amazing! We did not see any leopards, but water buffalos, crocodiles, monkeys and elephants!!

The localisation is quite good, and coffee at check-in,but that's all.

They charge extra for remote control to a/c. No breakfast eventho it was supposed to be included. You can hear any noise made by your neighbor (heard people vomit during the night)

Friendly and helpful staff Clean room Nice interior Close to city centre and bus station Delicious breakfast Air condition and fan

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Great staff really nice friendly people who helped me with my travel plans buses. Great location. Spacious bedroom with comfortable bed and balcony. Good air conditioning with fan as well. Beautiful relaxing garden. Had great two days staying there. Would recommend.

Everything was good

Hotel and staff: The hotel was really nice and the staff were super helpful and assisted us with booking our safari for the following day. We had tea at the hotel on the evening and it was amazing, the portion sizes are HUGE. They make you feel very welcome. Safari: The safari overall was a success as we managed to see elephants, a leopard and crocodiles and more.

Safari: If you are lucky enough to see animals at the start of the tour I did feel like the guide switched off a bit and stopped looking for animals. He was sat on his phone playing on a game for parts of the safari (see photo).My partner and I seemed to be the ones spotting animals and we had to ask them to stop, rather than them spotting them and showing them to us. Often when we asked them to stop we had already passed the animals. We were told there would be water included, this meant we didn’t have any water for the full day in the heat which was not ideal - once we told the staff back at the hotel about this he was very apologetic. We were also told that the service charge was included but at the end of the tour the guide asked us to tip which made us feel slightly uncomfortable as we felt we had already tipped in the price.

The staff of the hotel was really nice. They gave us some tips to do/see and it were really nice places. The rooms are as on the pictures

There were a lott of mosquitoes. This is a problem in the whole city. But be aware when you come to this area.

Wifi working decently. Had fridge. Accommodation was able to assist with tour to Yala.

Confusing side entrance, which requires pressing a doorbell is not consistently answered.

We only stayed one night and appreciated both the 2-bedroom apartment and especially the very attentive host. He organised a last minute safari to Yala for us and personally accompanied us. We were grateful for that as he was able to point out many birds and other animals, knew all the names and many interesting facts. Also, the packed breakfast was nice.

We had a great stay at Cool Nest Yala. Anu, the host, went above and beyond to make sure we had everything we needed, and more. When we arrived, he showed us around the apartment and gave us a detailed explanation of where everything was. The included breakfast was one of the best we had in Sri Lanka, and the dhal was THE best in our whole 2.5 week stay. The apartment had two comfortable bedrooms with great beds and AC. The living space was comfortable and we spent an entire rainy day lounging inside with ease. The mosquitos stayed out of the bedrooms but we had nets just in case. We appreciated the extras, like drinking water, coffee and tea ingredients, and toiletries. We got to spend time with his adorable daughter! Anu gave our kids a keepsake to take home and we will always remember this stay!

The wifi was affected by the heavy rainfall and went out periodically. We arranged a safari with Anu's brother, Sudu, however the morning of the safari our plans were changed without notifying us. We ended up having a great safari with another guide, but were put off by the lack of communication and clarity about what actually happened. In the end, we had a good talk with Sudu who was keen to right the situation and would recommend using Cool Nest to arrange your safaris in Yala NP.