Gimanhala Hotel

Stayed here as part of a group tour of Sri Lanka, so the hotel was not an active choice on our part. The reception staff do a lovely job of welcoming you with a flower and bags were whisked to our room. Our room was on the first floor at the back of the hotel, reception side. Large room with dark furniture. Weird adjoining door but locked and there was someone from our group next door so ok! The room had tea and coffee making facilities. Bathroom was a compact shower room with a corner shower cubicle; there was hot water and towels. The hotel has a lovely colonial vibe, with large balconies forming the corridors in front of the rooms with chairs positioned on them. We were not in the hotel for long as we had an afternoon National park safari then an early morning start to climb Sigiriya (cannot comment on breakfast for this reason either). There is a courtyard car park and off this is coffee shop (service a local slow level). We also used the bar which is lovely and looks out onto what was a beautifully appointed pool. Across the road is a local mini-mart and near by is a Food City. I loved the building and the staff here, who really could not do enough for you, customer service was excellent. However for me there were two things that let the hotel down. The first was the wifi which only really worked close to the reception. The second was the noise from the road overnight which disturbed my sleep. My understanding from reading other reviews is that this isn't the same in all rooms, but this was our experience. That said we seemed to be well located for the sites we had come to see.

As an International Motivational Trainer, I had the privilege of delivering a two-day motivational training program at Gimanhala, Dambulla. The event was organized by another leading public sector organization, and I was truly honoured by the overwhelmingly positive feedback received from the participants. I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the entire hotel team at Gimanhala for their outstanding support throughout the program. A special thank you goes to Mr. Tharusha, the Operations Manager, who provided exceptional logistical support and ensured that everything ran smoothly for both myself and my team. I also wish to appreciate the General Manager and the rest of the staff, whose professionalism and commitment contributed significantly to the success of the training. Their dedication and service excellence made this program a memorable experience.

Delicious selection of food for lunch! Very kind and friendly staff and lovely seating area. I loved how many vegetables there were and the fish was so good! Desserts available also as well as tea and coffee. Like the look of the pool in the garden.