Hotel in zona Sri Bodhirukkarama Temple, Dambulla

As someone who has visited quite a few places abroad and locally, I have never visited the hotel that was so well thought out from construction and where the owners put a lot of love and care into the creation of the property. That is tremendously let down by the distasteful lack of service and cost cutting by the management company, which in this case is Thilanka. Starting off with the welcome, the security attendant was not bothered and just directed us to another place. No welcome towels or ease of check in. As a local group we were treated as some sort of unwanted vagabonds. Upon check in, out of 6 rooms, 5 were checked in and a single was not. The front office manager Hasintha was rude and just said hotel policy is 2 pm check in. He did not offer any apology, any reason and he didn't make any effort to correct the situation. When we went to the rooms there was no linen, no bath mats, no amenities. We informed the reception and they reverted that the linen was in the laundry so therefore there aren't any towels! We made it a point to inform the GM and to try and rectify the situation. He did get the housekeeping to provide the linen. Along with a few amenities and this was appreciated. However this was followed up with even shoddier service from the hotel staff. The lunch was a cheap cost cutting approach of just a sri lankan lunch, with barely any meats. The same can be said for the breakfast, which was mediocre. The place is very overstaffed, but nobody is actually doing anything or making an actual effort. The management don't seem to be concerned. The 24 hour reception seemed to be closed at 10 30 pm. We were yelling for a staff member and a dishevelled individual came out, we requested for some water and he just informed they had run out of water! We were obviously irate so we started making a fuss, at which point he called the housekeeping department and we suddenly got water. The next day when we asked for toothpaste or a dental kit they informed they don't provide those. However for the foreigners they are provided with all the necessary amenities. I understand if they don't want to stock it, but if you call the reception and ask for a dental kit, it is completely unprofessional to refuse and just state that they don't issue them. The good things are about the property is the maintenance and the landscaping. However the service and food is what really destroys the reputation Its dissapointing because the property looks like it was a great property that is ruined by bad management. Cheap ideas like cutting off the air conditioning in the restaurant and just switching on the fans and opening the windows in the scorching weather is just short term gains, and affecting the future of the property. The construction and fittings have been done with care. However the property staff needs to have a major change in their approach to customer service.

🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹 (English below) Abbiamo avuto il piacere di soggiornare in questa struttura nei primi due giorni del nostro viaggio e posso solo dire che sia stato un inizio col botto! La struttura suggestiva ed elegante ti proietta subito in uno scenario srilankese immerso nella laguna (nostra fortuna essere andati nel periodo successivo alle piogge e quindi aver potuto godere della vegetazione e delle acque nella loro pienezza). Il personale è gentile, presente e preparato. La cucina varia con opzioni prevalentemente locali a sostegno di un marketing autoctono (così ho voluto valutarlo io perlomeno). Le camere enormi ti fanno rilassare e sentire il clima di vacanza. È stato un soggiorno piacevolissimo che consiglio e spero prima o poi di ripetere! 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧 We had the pleasure of staying for the first two nights of our trip and I can only say that was the best start! The suggestive and elegant structure immediately projects you into a Sri Lankan scenario immersed in the lagoon (lucky to visited in the period after the rains and therefore to have been able to enjoy the vegetation and waters in their fullness). The staff is kind, focus ed and prepared. The cuisine varies with mainly local options in support of indigenous marketing (at least that's how I wanted to evaluate it). The huge rooms make you relax and feel the holiday mood. It was such a pleasant stay that I strongly recommend and hope to repeat asap!

Nessuno conosce queste rovine - bar a Budapest? L'atmosfera di questo posto è simile a loro, ma in un ambiente tropicale in Sri Lanka. Qui tutto è possibile. Se vuoi bere un cocktail mentre sei in piscina, anche tardi di notte, se vuoi scegliere una curry leggera o un caldo - come - un inferno, una cosa è certa: il personale farà tutto per voi! Sono pronti a chattare in qualsiasi momento, un amichevole, giovane - un posto a cuore!

I have been to this hotel several times and always I am very happy come back. Room is very good, silence and clean. Food is delicious and everybody can choose what likes. All service super, specially Ishani is the best and very kind. She works well and patiently answer to all my question and help me with all I need. Thank you for all. And I must mark about the boy Sampath, he works in kitchen as helper,but he is very kind and always with smile. I will come back again Hanka

We stayed at Amaara Forest for 3 nights at the start of a 7 night tour! The hospitality was fabulous, so attentive and welcoming! Shout out to Freddie and Mr Samanta! We felt we had a really personal service. The food is superb, so tasty and the staff couldn’t have done any more to accommodate every request and personal choice. The rooms are spacious and everything you need is catered for. Lots of wildlife as well! Loved the monkeys! We would definitely recommend Amaara Forest and hope to return one day!!