The Kandy House

A charming hotel of understated beauty sitting comfortably within a luscious natural setting. My breath was taken away as I walked into a space which was at the same time welcoming and calming. Light flooding in from the garden..beautiful furniture designed by Geoffrey Bawa who also designed the alterations to this house and subtly turned it into an unforgettable place to stay and savour the moment.

Two nights here and we wished we were staying longer. The house and gardens are beautiful. Our room was large as was the bathroom and had its own private terrace where we chose to have breakfast and could have had dinner. The staff seemed to be always on hand for whatever we wanted and the food was excellent - particularly their 10 curry night.

Beautiful colonial house with original features. The staff was very friendly and helpful. However, we felt it was a little bit mean to charge for a cup of tea in the afternoon especially as our room (Ultra room) did not have any facilities for us to make one.

A wonderful experience. Very special. Lovely room. Also our butler was a delight. Food was wonderful as was the service. My wife said it was the best shower in the world and I thought it was the fastest Wifi in Sri Lanka. Brilliant. Lifetime memories.

We were here for only 1 night, it’s a 200 year old Manor House with 9 bedrooms and everyone was given a butler. The staff were clearly very proud to work there and were so lovely. We were in the Black Rajah room which was on the ground floor by an open air courtyard, it rained a lot the night we were there and we were woken up by how loud it was. Also due to the weather we weren’t able to enjoy the terrace or pool but it was such a lovely setting. The bathroom was quite small and the water from the shower went everywhere. The door to the room didn’t close without being locked with the key. Otherwise a wonderful experience.

When considering this property, you have to take into account it’s an old Manor House built in 1804 - if you like everything bright & shiny & new, this may not be the place for you. We stayed in the Black Rajah ultra room and yes, the very old, arched louvre doors may not fit like plastic double glazed doors but it’s not, as in a previous review, below the restaurant - the restaurant is further along the corridor on the same level, and is outside. One thing I will mention about Black Raja - there is a lovely open courtyard enroute to the restaurant with comfy seating, bang opposite the room- and we could clearly hear the torrential rain in the night through the opening. Our butler, Neemal, looked after us very well, always at the front door to open the car door with an umbrella (we had rain everyday), get us drinks, take our menu order & then serve at the table - lovely man. We only had dinner one night but thoroughly enjoyed it - choice of 2 starters, 3 mains & several desserts, all well cooked & tasty. Breakfast was plentiful. One thing I would mention is that wherever your room is, there are about 10 steps down to the lower floor for the restaurant, without a handrail - I’m not great at going downstairs but found I could put a steadying hand on the side - I know Neemal would have helped had I not been comfortable. One thing I would mention, again because of the rain, we couldn’t use our outdoor space, whereas some suites on the ground floor were under cover, with sun beds, so could be utilised regardless of the weather. We would definitely recommend a stay here - it’s quiet, with beautiful grounds & pool & a good proximity to Kandy.