Hotel Elephant Bay

Hotels
8 (1901 reviews)
Pinnawala, , Pinnawala , lk

listing image 1
Show all photos
Free
Children allowed

Facilities

Offsite parking discounted rates available
Non-smoking rooms
Air conditioning
Swimming pool
Restaurant
Family rooms
BBQ facilities
Luggage storage
Express check-in/check-out
Safety deposit box
See all facilities

Review Highlights

Pros:
Great location
Friendly staff
Beautiful views
Good amenities
Cons:
Cleanliness issues
Needs maintenance
Food quality variability

Categories

Cleanliness
6.39
Several mentions of poor cleanliness and odor problems in the rooms.
Service
9.36
Staff are described as friendly and helpful across multiple reviews.
Location
9.4
Location is positively highlighted, especially for elephant viewing.
Room Quality
6.85
Issues with room condition and maintenance reported by guests.
Amenities
8.38
Amenities like the pool and balcony are appreciated, but overall care of facilities is questioned.
Value for Money
7.84
Mixed feelings, with some reviews suggesting better quality for price could be expected.
Food and Beverage
7.39
Food received mixed reviews; some enjoyed it while others found it lacking.
Overall Experience
8.36
Mixed reviews, but general appreciation for the location and staff.
* This sentiment is summarized by AI based on user reviews.
Updated at: 2026-01-08 18:53

Property Description

Spectacular Views and Tranquil Surroundings
Hotel Elephant Bay in Pinnawala offers rooms with private balconies overlooking the Ma Oya River. The bright and airy rooms are equipped with modern amenities for a comfortable stay.

Leisure and Adventure Awaits
Guests can explore the tropical garden, relax on the sun terrace, or rent bicycles to tour the area. For the more adventurous, activities like hiking and fishing are readily available.

International Dining and Convenient Services
Indulge in a variety of international dishes at Ivory Inn Restaurant or opt for room service for a cozy night in. With easy access to the airport and nearby cities, Elephant Bay Hotel is the perfect base for your Sri Lankan adventure.

Ready to experience the charm of Hotel Elephant Bay? Book your stay now for an unforgettable getaway.

Check-in and check-out hours:
Check-out: 02:30 PM

Property Policies

  • Parking

    Free public parking is possible on site (reservation is not needed).

  • Internet

    WiFi is available in public areas and is free of charge.

  • Pets

    Pets are not allowed.

  • Children and extra bed policy

    Children of any age are allowed.
    Children up to and including 15 years old stay for US$15 per person per night when using an existing bed.
    You haven't added any extra beds.
    Any type of extra bed or child's cot/crib is upon request and needs to be confirmed by management.
    Supplements are not calculated automatically in the total costs and will have to be paid for separately during your stay.

Location

Guest Reviews

8
Based on 1901 reviews
Cleanliness: 6.39
Service: 9.36
Location: 9.4
Room Quality: 6.85
Amenities: 8.38
Value for Money: 7.84
Food and Beverage: 7.39
Overall Experience: 8.36
M
Mariia • couple • ru
9
2026-03-13 • via Nuitee
K
KAZUKO • solo_traveller • jp
8
象の水浴びを間近で見られて楽しい
Pros:

朝食から午前中ずっと、入れ替わり立ち代わりで象が水浴びに来ていました。間近でゆっくり観察したり写真を撮ったりできました。

Cons:

ホテルエリアの入り口に門番がいて、４時前は象の水浴びを見るチケット10ドル？を買わないとエリアに入れない。宿泊者は次の日にゆっくり見られるのだから買う必要はないのに。４時まで道路に立ってるか、カフェに入るかして待ってなければならない。
またエレベーターが無いので朝食や外出のたびに上り下りが大変。部屋に冷蔵庫やセーフティーボックスが無いのが不便。

2026-03-12 • via Nuitee
R
Rémi • family_with_children • fr
10
2026-03-12 • via Nuitee
R
Rashmika • couple • lk
10
Pros:

Beautiful view and delicious foods.

2026-03-12 • via Nuitee
M
Manuel • couple • de
7
Pros:

Lage und Frühstück top

Cons:

Dringend Renovierungsbedürftig und sehr hellhörig

2026-03-09 • via Nuitee
J
John • couple • gb
8
Lovely hotel but be prepared to be upset by the sight of chained elephants bathing.
Pros:

The room was very comfortable, restaurant and food was excellent and the staff were very friendly and helpful. The outside area by the pool was lovely. Overall this hotel is very good.

Cons:

One of the selling points for this hotel is the ability to observe elephants bathing in the river. I didn't realise that the elephants were brought down from the Elephant Orphanage and other tourist facilities and although many of the elephants were relatively free to enjoy the water, it was heartbreaking to see many of them shackled and chained to the rocks, causing obvious distress to them. One in particular was very distressed and spent the time trumpeting and thrashing about in the water while getting tangled up in its leg chain. I know this is not the fault of the hotel, but guests should be aware that what they will see could likely be upsetting.

2026-03-08 • via Nuitee
R
rich • couple • gb
9
Pros:

Viewpoints for the elephants. Ambience of the hotel.
The fly past at dawn and disco of the thousands of fruitbats, just amazing. Staff were fantastic

Cons:

Bathroom was basic and in need of modernisation.
Pool was a little dangerous to get out of.

2026-03-08 • via Nuitee
B
Bulat • family_with_children • ru
10
2026-03-08 • via Nuitee
A
Arkadiusz • family_with_children • pl
9
Udany pobyt
Pros:

Sympatyczny personel, dobre śniadanie

Cons:

Hotel wymaga remontu

2026-03-05 • via Nuitee
O
Otto • solo_traveller • de
8
2026-03-05 • via Nuitee
J
Johann • solo_traveller • de
2
Pros:

Das einzig gute am Hotel war die Lage mit direkten Blick auf denn Fluss

Cons:

Elefanten wurden denn ganzen Tag für Touristen ein Ketten angebunden.
Wir hatten 2 Zimmer, beide waren quasi nicht gereinigt bei Ankunft. Bad war schimmel befahlen. Bettdecken und Kissen waren schmutzig.

2026-03-04 • via Nuitee
K
Kestutis • couple • lt
10
2026-03-04 • via Nuitee
A
Angela • extended_group • no
10
Good food, amazing experience, attentive staff.
Pros:

Amazing experience watching the elephants from the pool, the restaurant and the balcony of our room. What a great day!! Really nice food.

Cons:

Needs a bit of paint and TLC, but a wonderful place to stay.

2026-03-03 • via Nuitee
A
Angela • couple • no
10
2026-03-03 • via Nuitee
D
Dmitrii • couple • ru
10
Pros:

Приятный отель с хорошими завтраками. Номерной фонд немного уставший, но персонал старается. Шикарный вид на горную реку, куда приводят с утра слонов и,которых можно покормить не выходят за пределы отеля.

Cons:

Не относится к отелю, но очень огорчило,что слонов приковывают цепями и они ограничены в движении.

2026-03-02 • via Nuitee
J
Jamie • extended_group • us
5
Pros:

The pool and the view of the elephants is of course why to stay here. Our favorite thing of our stay was around sunset watching thousands of bats flying out to the jungle! The buffet was decent. Out of our two rooms, one room was good. The other sounded like there was an animal in the ceiling so they moved us to another room. The staff helped us move. One had a fridge, the other didn't. One had outlets that worked with adapters, the other didn't. The room they moved us to was a major upgrade with a huge wrap around balcony and big windows, however there were insects even with making sure the doors were closed. It also was strange to walk through an event space to get to that room.

Cons:

The hotel needs improvements. It has the potential to be a nice hotel! It was our most expensive night of the trip and didn't seem worth the price. The elephants are only there certain times such as 10-noon. The nearby elephant orphanage brings the elephants to the river. The orphanage elephants were free to roam, but they did have tourists in the water bathing them, and handlers with sticks. Before the orphanage elephants arrived, there were a few larger elephants by the nearby hotel that were chained up in the river. We did not like seeing them chained up at all. Also one of the hotel towels they gave me at the pool had big rips and holes in it.

2026-03-02 • via Nuitee
D
Dmitrii • couple • ru
9
Pros:

Хорошее расположение. Хороший завтрак,с шикарным видом на реку и слонов. Кормить слонов можно не выходя из отеля и не платить дополнительно за вход в парк.

2026-03-02 • via Nuitee
D
Dima • extended_group • by
7
Pros:

Норм

2026-03-02 • via Nuitee
K
Keya • couple • gb
5
Pros:

We stayed here for 2 nights and the staff were very friendly and the food at the hotel was nice. The view to see the elephants bathing is outstanding - the best part of the hotel. The bathing times are 10am and 2pm & last for a few hours so there’s plenty of time to watch the elephants. The orphanage is ~5mins walk from the hotel but you have to pay extra to bathe the elephants. Personally we didn’t go to the orphanage as the elephant bathing site is much more natural for the elephants and you can see them playing and rolling around freely.

Cons:

Unfortunately the rooms were full of bugs, would recommend taking bug spray & keeping windows shut. The water was coming out brown out of the taps & they don’t give constant complimentary water so I’d recommend stocking up from local shops. The check in is at 4pm due to the elephant bathing times - do not go before then as the roads leading up to the hotel are closed for vehicles and you’ll have to leave your luggage in a local shop. Most shops shut early due to lack of tourism after 4pm. There are a few restaurants nearby but not as much as other areas. There’s also a zoo nearby which isn’t too pricey.

I’d only recommend this hotel for a short stay as apart from the elephants there’s not much to do. Elephants bathing site could be done as a day trip.

2026-03-01 • via Nuitee
A
Agnieszka • couple • de
10
2026-03-01 • via Nuitee