The Elephant Stables

Unique lovely old property. Staff were wonderful and extremely attentive. We loved the location but it is not that central to everything so some people might find this a negative factor. Breakfast was amazing!!

Another excellent luxury hideaway on our 2 week trip in Sri Lanka. Brilliant location overlooking Kandy city, terrific staff and great food. Thoroughly recommend this hotel.

This was my second visit to The Elephant Stables - and it was amazing! This beautiful and inviting small boutique hotel is incredibly hospitable. The hotel is designed to make you feel at home and pampered. Everyone there works together to ensure that you have an absolutely amazing time. Our group explored Kandy during the morning and returned in the afternoon for a much-needed swim. Nihal, the delightful barman, brought us refreshing cocktails poolside to help us cool down. While we were there, we had the most amazing breakfasts and dinners made by Indika, the master chef, and his team. All 6 of us agreed - the meals we had here were hands down, the best meals we had in Sri Lanka!

This is a beautifully secluded hotel, high in the hills overlooking Kandy. The team were very friendly and the food was amazing. The room was well-stocked with tea and coffee making facilities. The Manager was not the most customer-focussed of chaps, but his team was just delightful. The bathroom smelt slightly damp.

Superb hotel located in the hills above Kandy. Very peaceful setting with both outdoor and indoor dining with a varied menu which you have to order in advance . Our room was fantastic and had everything that was needed. The hotel staff, in particular the catering team, could not do enough for us and surpassed themselves when offering a selection of their curries - was enough to feed several people rather than just one person! Beautiful infinity pool with the added bonus of 2 friendly tortoises wandering about! Would thoroughly recommend this as a place to stay.

This was an amazing hotel in the hills of Kandy. The location is very quiet, with a beautiful and refreshing pool, and wonderful gardens. Our family took the tented suite and another room, but the tented suite could have easily accomodated all four of us. The rooms are beautifully furnished with top quality toiletries and linens. Usual things like air conditioning, in room coffee, safe, USB charging ports were all available. They were able to arrange us tours as well, which was a great help.

The food at the restaurant was fantastic, and the chefs could not do enough to help. They have a relatively small hotel so they ask that you order in advance, but it was the best food we had in Kandy, so I'd recommend eating there over any other restaurant we tried. They even made us a takeaway breakfast for the day we had an early start, and it was absolutely delicious.

As it is on a hilltop and a little bit outside the center, you will need to get a taxi or tuktuk everywhere, but they will help you arrange that if you need.

The overall service was absolutely superb. One of my children left a few things in the room when we checked out and they were immediately in contact and working with us on how to get them back.

Beautiful spot with amazing views. The staff are incredible, food is delicious, hotel is spotlessly clean! The garden and pool are an added bonus.

We had a fabulous one night stay here that could not be faulted. The staff and location were superb and the food was fantastic. We had dinner in the garden which was delicious and our breakfast was the best we had in Sri Lanka!! We spent the evening watching the sunset and the bats fly through the trees

Location in the hill above busy Kandy, secluded and peaceful. The staff were friendly and attentive . Special mention to the wonderful chef who took our meal order daily to shop for fresh produce, and then delivered excellent dishes probably the best we had in ShriLanka.

There had been a mix up with our booking and the room we expected/had booked wasn't available. Mistakes happen and it's all part of life - the way someone deals with the error shows the quality of the customer service. We could not have been looked after better and the mistake was sorted quickly and with a friendly air. We did end up in the Royal Tent and it was a wonderful and very different experience to the one we were expecting.

The chef was amazing and so friendly - it was a pleasure to eat there - even though by this time I was ready for something really plain and simple. The chicken burger with all the side accompaniments was tasty and very fresh and filling.

Breakfast was a tasty and filling delight too. Lovely and fresh - marvellous

The stay was only one night, but I would gladly have spent longer there and enjoyed the wonderful hospitality longer if we had been able to do so.

Thank you to Nihal and all the team for a wonderful stay. You are the spirit of Sri Lanka and we applaud you

Love jill and john

We really enjoyed staying at the Elephant Stables, perched on a hillside looking over Kandy. The view from our room in the mornings with the mists rising and the sun coming up was magical! On both mornings we stayed we decided to have breakfast on the balcony of our room to make the most of this view. Although not extensive, the grounds were pleasant.
The breakfasts were excellent - providing both Sri Lankan and western style options. We only ate one evening meal there but that was delicious.
Our room was comfortable and quiet.
The staff were very welcoming and made us feel at home. We would happily stay there again if we ever return to Kandy.

Would highly recommend.
Great location - not too far from the old town you can go out for dinner, but elevated enough you have nice views on the terrace.
It is small enough to be intimate, the staff is soooooo kind and flexible.
The tent (for a family of 4) was a very positive surprise, massive height, character furniture, beautiful bathroom
We only had breakfast there but it wa delicious.
Special mention to Indika who was very helpful!

What a beautiful place makes you feel you have stepped back in time. The staff are so welcoming they couldn’t do enough for you. The chef prepared us some delicious evening meals and the breakfast presented beautifully. There’s a lovely pool with amazing views and although the dining room was very inviting we ate all our meals outside. The bedrooms were very spacious, clean and comfortable. All the staff were very helpful we thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would not hesitate to recommend Elephant Stables

What can I say about this place...one of the best hotels i have ever stayed in. The building is beautiful, amazing views and brilliant tranquil location. The food was the best we ate in Sri Lanka during our 5 week trip. I am a chef and this cooking was world class!
What really makes the Elephant Stables so special is the staff. They are the kindest and most attentive people. Nothing was too much! They honestly made us feel so at home and like family during our stay. Every single one of them were outstanding however Nihal deserves a special mention - he really is one of the top hotel managers in the World and cares incredibly about his guests, staff and hotel. He is the soul of the place! We left The Elephant Stables considering him a good friend - We will be back!

We stayed in the David Lean bungalow for two nights and, given all our planned activities, never made it to the main hotel base. The bungalow was great - beautiful views down the valley from an elegant veranda, spacious rooms, a fascinating history, and the use of beautiful public rooms. Bandara (the butler and provider of meals) was a delight: always available with good advice and interesting snippets of historical note, but disappearing quietly when not required (PG Wodehouse would have been impressed). There was lots to do in Kandy. We really enjoyed our stay here!

The property is beautiful. We really enjoyed spending time watching the birds and hanging out by the pool.
Banda and Madu are wonderful hosts, and helped us out with delayed luggage.
Breakfast was wonderful and we recommend having dinner at least once during your stay too!
Truly, everything was perfect. We hope to return someday. :)

We spent three nights at this small hotel which is situated in a delightful location with views over Kandy and great sunsets. With only seven rooms the staff provide a highly personal service - friendly and attentive. Our room was spacious and comfortable - vey quiet at night except for the sound of crickets! We stayed in five different hotels during our Sri Lanka visit - and Elephant Stables provided the freshest and best cooked food and most generous portions. The choice of menu is small and preordering is necessary.

A sanctuary away from Kandy city with amazing views, interesting history, and delicious food, however without a doubt the highlight of our stay was the amazing hospitality provided by Bandara, Madhusanka and everyone at the bungalow.

This is a little gem in Kandy. Beautiful house and grounds. The room with balcony we had was amazing. Everyone is extremely helpful and kind. The food is first class. Some of the best we’ve had in Sri Lanka. Highly recommend!

A prefect haven above Kandy. The staff welcomed us like returning friends, with cool drinks while we checked in.
We were in Pepper room, beautiful room with a four poster and large balcony. Big walk in shower. Plenty of bottles of water
We stayed for 2 nights and ate our evening meals there. The first night we had the Sri Lankan curry, so much food. We would have been ok with one meal between both of us. It was a bit spicy for me, despite asking for a very mild meal, but that’s me! The chef brought me a big bowl of curd which helped. The meals are a bit expensive, but prepared just for you and are gorgeous. You chose you dinner after breakfast, and choose breakfast after dinner. So you know it’s freshly done.
The views from the pool area are stunning. It’s so peaceful, so unnecessary background music, just birds singing.
There’s tortoises in the garden, just roaming around, monkeys do come down so windows need to be shut.
Just loveless it. Could have stayed way longer