Elephant Rest Udawalawa

Hotels
8.9 (96 reviews)
431 Ananda Gama, Hulankapolla, Sevanagala , Udawalawe , lk

Free
Children allowed
Pets allowed

Facilities

Offsite parking discounted rates available
Guest education on local ecosystems and culture
Non-smoking rooms
Air conditioning
Restaurant
Room service
Terrace
Family rooms
Pets allowed
BBQ facilities
See all facilities

Review Highlights

Pros:
Friendly staff
Great food
Clean pool
Close to national park

Categories

Cleanliness
9
The pool was clean.
Service
9.47
Staff were friendly and went out of their way to help us.
Location
9.01
Perfect location for safari, very close to the national park entrance.
Room Quality
8.65
Standard quality for this hotel tier.
Amenities
8.49
Standard quality for this hotel tier.
Value for Money
8.74
Standard quality for this hotel tier.
Food and Beverage
9
Food was great.
Overall Experience
8.87
Overall positive experience with organized safaris and good services.
* This sentiment is summarized by AI based on user reviews.
Updated at: 2025-12-22 11:36

Property Description

Outdoor Swimming Pool & Garden Terrace: Enjoy a refreshing dip in the outdoor swimming pool or relax in the garden terrace.

Comfortable Rooms with Modern Amenities: Experience air-conditioned rooms with pool views, flat-screen TVs, and private bathrooms for a comfortable stay.

Dining Options & Culinary Delights: Indulge in Chinese, Indian, and Asian cuisine at the on-site restaurant offering buffet and continental breakfast options.

Experience a blend of comfort and convenience at Elephant Rest Udawalawa. Book now for a memorable stay!

Check-in and check-out hours:
Check-out: 12:00 PM

Property Policies

  • Parking

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

  • Internet

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

  • Pets

    Pets are allowed. No extra charges.

  • Children and extra bed policy

    Children of any age are allowed.
    People no matter the age stay for free when using an available extra bed.
    You haven't added any cots.
    Any type of extra bed or child's cot/crib is upon request and needs to be confirmed by management.

Location

Guest Reviews

8.9
Based on 96 reviews
Cleanliness: 9
Service: 9.47
Location: 9.01
Room Quality: 8.65
Amenities: 8.49
Value for Money: 8.74
Food and Beverage: 9
Overall Experience: 8.87
K
Kai couple de
9
Zufrieden
Pros:

Die Lage zum Nationalpark war sehr gut. Es wurde Abends extra für uns gekocht, das war so lecker.

Cons:

War eigentlich alles ok, Wasserdruck in der Dusche hätte besser sein können.

2026-03-14 via Nuitee
V
Vojtech Pihrt couple cz
8
2026-03-14 via Nuitee
J
Juliane couple de
9
Perfekter Aufenthalt für Safari
Pros:

Das Hotel befindet sich in der Nähe des Eingangs zum Udawalawe Nationalpark. Wir haben die Safari über das Hotel gebucht und es hat alles gut geklappt. Wir hatten eine Privatsafari für 6h und das können wir auf jeden Fall empfehlen. Da die Safari bereits um 6 Uhr beginnt, haben wir ein Lunchpaket für unterwegs bekommen. Hier könnte man bei der Verpflegung etwas kreativer werden. Da wir aber die einzigen zu dem Zeitpunkt in dem Hotel waren und nur ein Mitarbeiter anwesend war (aufgrund eines Feiertags?), würden wir das nicht negativ anmerken. Allen in allem war es ein schöner Aufenthalt- wir waren nur eine Nacht da.

Cons:

Lunchpaket mit etwas mehr Auswahl oder noch etwas Gemüse

2026-03-13 via Nuitee
I
Ilka couple de
8
Wir haben ruhig geschlafen. Die Unterkunft ist sehr nah am Nationalpark gelegen. Wer sich du Elefanten und Tiere im Park
Pros:

Es gemütlich, sehr einladend eingerichtet.
Für uns ist es ok keine Klimaanlage zu haben, der Ventilator war ausreichend.

Cons:

Es war alles ok, wir waren nur eine Nacht dort, daher fehlt etwas der Vergleich.

2026-03-12 via Nuitee
H
Helen couple gb
7
Good value basic hotel with swinning pool
Pros:

Small group of ground floor rooms. Nicely decorated and airconditioned.
Outsoor seating area and swimming pool.
Restaurant on site. Helpful staff organised good value safari at short nitice and tuk tuk to Elephant Transit Home. Very good value.

Cons:

Restaurant menu was basic. Not everything on it available. No coat hangers in wardrobe or kettle in room but we were able to request a pot of ceylon tea by the pool.

2026-03-01 via Nuitee
G
Gerrit couple nl
7
Prima locatie en top lounge en zwembadk
Pros:

De kamer en natuurlijk het zwembad. Verder de ligging dichtbij het park.

Cons:

De beperkte keus voor een diner.

2026-02-25 via Nuitee
J
Johanna solo_traveller se
9
Pros:

The host is very supportive in all needed. Very nice food. Close to Udawalawe safari, but also possible to get to the Lunugwehera national park with a Tuk tuk.

2026-02-22 via Nuitee
L
Leah couple gb
9
Just what we needed
Pros:

Perfect for a one night stay, hosts very accommodating. Welcome drink on arrival. They organised safari at short notice (2 hrs after we arrived). Delicious meal cooked from scratch in the evening. You can see work ongoing to improve this property further but was not an issue 😊

Cons:

Nothing really, all good

2026-02-14 via Nuitee
S
Susan couple ca
8
Pros:

The family running Elephant Rest were so kind and helpful! They made us a delicious dinner the night we arrived. Breakfast was tasty! On the morning of our Safari we left at 5:45 am, so they provided us with a take out breakfast :) It was the perfect location for our Safari and it was just we needed. A nice pool, outdoor sitting areas and a comfortable bed.

2026-02-09 via Nuitee
B
Blet couple fr
8
2025-09-17 via Nuitee
H
Hannah family_with_children gb
9
Pros:

Staff were friendly and went out of their way to help us. Food was great. Pool was clean. The safari they organised was good

2025-08-28 via Nuitee
V
Veronica couple it
9
2025-08-21 via Nuitee
S
Solveig couple dk
10
2025-08-13 via Nuitee
S
Stefan family_with_children de
8
Friendly people, perfect location for safari.
Pros:

Nice and friendly hotel with perfect location to national park. Organised safari for us. Perfect.

Cons:

Nothing

2025-08-11 via Nuitee
R
Roberto couple it
9
Semplice e incantevole
Pros:

Semplice ma ben curato, in mezzo alla natura, 2 min dal parco, piscina perfetta, staff gentilissimo

2025-07-31 via Nuitee
C
Carolin family_with_children de
10
Lovely hotel close to entrance to national park
Pros:

The hotel is very close to the national park entrance. We enjoyed the atmosphere and the good food. The hotel owner helped us to arrange a safari tour and another tour to the elephant transit home. In the afternoon we enjoyed the big pool. We would definitely stay there again.

2025-07-21 via Nuitee
S
Shabbir young couple ae
10
Exceptional
2025-07-09 via Nuitee
E
Eva family with young children dk
7
Good
Pros:

Friendly family who runs the place. Big spacious rooms and nice outdoor space. Super close to Udawalawe park. The manager arranged safari for us which was very good.

Cons:

The first day we ordered lunch, fries and fried rice. It took them nearly 1,5 hours before we got it. Keep that in mind when you order food. Even the day we were going on safari, we had agreed breakfast at 6 and pickup at 6:30. Driver was there 6:15 which was nice. Problem was that our breakfast was still not ready until 6:20.
Biggest problem was actually the pool that had not been balanced correctly. There was so much chlorine in it that you could both taste it and see it. One of our kids god several bad rash and we were all itching. The last full day we were there, we didn’t go in the pool because of that. Staff was very friendly and seemed they wanted to do their best. If the pool was fixed then we would stay there again.

2025-06-17 via Nuitee
H
Harry
10
Amazing
Pros:

Amazing location, great service, delicious food

2025-05-20 via Nuitee
E
Elizabeth young couple nz
5
Ideal for an easy one night stay for safari.
Pros:

We booked this accommodation for easy access to the safari, which it was. But it is some distance to anywhere else.

Cons:

It was a quick stop off, ok for one night but I wouldn’t stay longer.

2025-04-22 via Nuitee