Excellent design hotel, amazing experience”

Excellent location. Next to Habarana, ideal for visiting the cultural triangle. Views on the Sigiriya Rock from everywhere: restaurant, reception and pool. The swimming pool is huge, amazing, excellent for relaxing after a day of visits. Service is good for the area standards, in restaurant and bar. In the reception, against some previous reviews, the service I received was top notch, especially from the manager. Food is variated, but with some room for improvement; you have a lot of things but: - Breakfast - there is only one type of juice per day. No yoghurts. - Dinner - local food could be tastier. Rooms: are Excellent, both tents and "normal" ones. I preferred normal, tents are too dark and you hear noises from other tents. Tents are in the backyard of the hotel, among bushes and trees, without views and a lot of them relatively next to each other. You have to cross the motor lobby and "climb" to the lobby to access all services of the hotel (restaurant, pool, spa). Normal rooms are much better located, next to all services, facing rice fields. Spa: a bit disappointing. Massage is good, but installations, atmosphere, are below average. Globally: excellent product. Take normal rooms, enjoy the pool and views!)

Relaxing and sightseeing around Sigiriya”

Great time. I definitely recommend this place and would go back with pleasure. A car or a driver is a must have if you feel like visiting the area (we had our own car, free parking and valet service). Living and working in Sri Lanka, we also needed some quiet time so we split our 4 days between relaxing/SPA time and sightseeing around Sigiriya/Dambulla. The Aliya Resort & SPA provided a really good compromise in terms of quietness, distances to the different places to visit and quality service.

Great hotel, beautiful sight”

I only stayed one night, but it was a rewarding experience. The hotel is beautiful, and the view to the infinite pool and Sigiriya Rock, makes it unique. The decoration reflects the name of the Hotel, Aliya, elephant in sinhala: sarongs used by male staff, Paintings, sculptures, lamps, etc. all beautifully created! The pool is beautiful at night, representing a sky full of stars. The food is fantastic, however, some of the dishes were not warm enough. I wanted to have a massage session in the spa, but it was fully booked, the two times I tried, could it be that there is not enough staff there? This is a place I can definitely recommend. 😀

Exceptional”

Our stay at Aliya was fantastic. The service was impeccable and the food amazing, we will surely miss relaxing by the pool with the view of lions rock in the background. A special mention also needs to be made about the tent, it was so much fun to stay in and actually awesome, glamping at its finest! All facilities were top class so thanks again Aliya. Finally a huge thanks to the Manager there for helping us out with a driver/ train back to Colombo. The only thing I can comment is that in this area everything is few and far between so we were a little restricted to the hotel (we didnt have driver), and the prices for food and drinks were a little expensive. But to be honest the food (especially the buffet) quality made it worth it in the end! We will remember our stay at Aliya for years to come, Thankyou! Darc & CJ

Perfect”

After spending a night at another "highy rated" guesthouse in the area, I decided to move out early, paid more and booked Aliya. The difference was like heaven and earth. In hindsight, I should have booked the whole two nights at Aliya. Yes, it was more expensive but you are getting value for every single penny you spend here. A huge hotel with nice big villas. I really wanted to spend longer there. Would definitely recommend this place to anyone staying in the Sigiriya area!

Beyond excellence ”

ONE OF OUR BEST STAYS FILLED WITH SURPRISES. We are well travelled, but Aliya has surprised us FIRST will a generous free upgrade from deluxe room to deluxe Suite - overjoyed with our private pool and four-poster bed with jacuzzi. SECOND we booked the Sri Lanka restaurant, which made in very traditional way (firewood and clay pot only), set in a semi-outdoor environment, and the lady chef and waiter were so very friendly and enthusiast of their place, THIRD the spa is set at a very very relaxing ambience, private room and peaceful. FOURTH even the in room sandwich breakfast we ordered was flawless. Every arrangement at Aliya was seamless and we had a very very happy stay there. Thank you so much!

Running and swimming getaway”

Drove 4 hours via rental car from Colombo on FriAm and spent Sat/Sun relaxing at Aliya Had planned on playing tourist around the Central Province, but got drawn into the magic of Aliya and spent most my time relaxing on the property Although I did drive east 1.5 hr to see the coast on Sat afternoon and explored the animal preserve One of the highlights was early SatAm jog on trails then through the farm area east of resort, then returning on main road, wildlife and sunrise were nice and just what the doctor ordered Then spent a couple hrs visiting other tourists at the pool and swimming laps, which was the magnetic attraction that drew me in the first place The staff was fantastic and food quality, price, and presentation memorable Thank you

Beautiful resort in perfect location ”

We loved every bit of Aliya. The view of Sigiriya was amazing, the pool was exceptionally located. Staff and service was great! Food was very good with a wide variety of cuisine at buffet. Didn’t try the other restaurants as they didn’t look very popular. Rooms were luxurious with all necessities. Used the laundry service and the spa too. No faults. Definitely recommend staying here!

Excellent stay”

Our stay in Aliya Resort was truly enjoyable. The room was spacious and comfortable. Beautiful swimming pool with the sigiriya rock view is just what you need after a long walk from Sigiriya. Highly recommended to everyone!

Aaaaamaaaazing”

Our stay at aliya resort overall was stunning! As mentioned fell inlove with the location and the beautiful pool. However there are a few comments they can work on. Such as during breakfast i did need to get up multiple times to ask for coffee and tea servettes etc. staff could work on being more attentive as they seem to stay in groups and chat. Also i went to the spa for a facial and g

Aliya Resort a place to visit”

We went to Aliya Resort for a days stay to have cool peaceful day. We certainly got that. The Hotel is a place where you find very thing you need on more ecological way. A lot of Passion Fruit vines growing all over the property. They do serve Passion Fruits deserts and Drinks too, straight from the vines. Food is good, surprisingly and very affordable too. Next trip I will make my stay at least a couple days to enjoy the hotel and its environment. We as a family thought it was a nice trip and very pleasing Hotel too. It is really worth a visit.

Wow!”

We began our stay here with an incredible welcome, the Aliya is within a very peaceful location and this is reflected within the resort also. The vast majority of staff were friendly and happy to help in anyway possible. The room was incredible, very spacious and decorated to a high standard, we've never experienced a bathroom like it! The infinity pool was incredible, a tempting place to lounge. Unfortunately the Aliya let itself down with the food, whilst breakfast was quite acceptable, the evening buffet was very lacking in choice/quality for vegetarian guests. Following the outstanding welcome we received at the Aliya we were somewhat surprised by the poor customer service on our departure. Despite this we would recommend the Aliya to other travellers purely on the location, quality of room and staff during our stay.

Mixed experience for my 50th birthday at a fabulous hotel”

We stayed 2 nights at the Aliya to celebrate my 50th birthday. We had 2 luxury tents which I regret staying in as they were next to the main road and the entrance road and the noice of the traffic kept us awake all night. The tents give you a jungle-like feeling if you want a unique experience. However, the first night I took a bath and when I drained the tub, the entire bathroom flooded. They sent 3 plumbers immediately to repair the leak, but this left us without the possibility to enjoy the tent for the entire evening. The tv and AC remote were both broken as well. As the tents are not really closed (bugs can come in through the slats in the windows, etc) this is not an ideal place to stay if you are bug-phobic. We also had frogs in our toilet. The service was excellent and when my son vomited all over at 3H00 they sent someone immediately to clean up. I was very impressed bu their reactivity. All their food is grown on their grounds. The main buffet restaurant I found not great and over-priced. The Sri Lankan restaurant was fabulous but pricey, with excellent service. It was unfortunate that I wrote the hotel 3 times and had Agoda send and call them messages as well the 3 weeks prior to my arrival concerning dinner plans for my 50th birthday but never had any reply. When I mentioned this to the manager he said he had replied to them saying he would arrange a dinner at the Sri Lankan restaurant with cake and wine offered. When the bill came, the wine was not offered. They tried their best to make up for the room issue, but unfortunately they offered us to change to a room at 23H00 the night we were departing which meant we had to pack our bags late at night. This should have been proposed to us in the morning, not as an afterthought. The hotel is beautiful and well-placed. However, it was a very disappointing place to have spent my 50th birthday as I encountered one hassle after another. I think if we had stayed in the rooms, we may have had

Great way to start our trip”

Two things sold us on Aliya -- the pool, which is as pictured in the photos, and our beautifully done safari tent. The service was good, and the breakfast especially good. This is a great location from which to make the trip to Sigiriya rock and Polonnaruwa and then onto Dambulla.

Excellent location, wonderful pool, great rooms”

The hotel is great, modern, beautiful and enjoying excellent location. You view Sigiriya Rock and rice fields from everywhere: from the reception, from the pool, from the restaurant, from the rooms... The personnel were very friendly and efficient with us. We tried both rooms: tents are romantic but very dark, we preferred the "normal" ones, very spacious and bright. The spa was a bit disappointing, as the layout didn't match the prices. Wifi powerful in reception, restaurant and pool, but much less in some rooms.

High quality resort in the middle of nowhere”

amazing resort close to Sigiriya (view of rock from hotel pool). Very clean, modern, with amazing swimming pool. Very good taste with nice paintings and sculpture in rooms and hotel areas. Rooms are amazing. There is not much to do in area close to resort but there is of course Sigiriya and some ideas of one day trips in area. Breakfast was amazing but Chinese restaurant average. Do recommend the resort.

Great amenities ”

Stayed here for two nights in March in the deluxe tent. First impressions when you walk in are wow. Pool really is an amazing feature of the resort. (Although a little too warm) You couldn't fault the staff, attention to detail and extremely polite. The tents are unique, very clean and spacious. Although did get stuffy in the afternoon so best to go to the pool while it cools down as only a portable air conditioner. The location itself if you want to venture out for non resort food (as the buffet is $26 Aus dollars each) is very isolated and there are no restaurants in walking distance. The town of habarana has a few eatieries, just basic but does the trick. Overall beautiful resort, landscaped to perfection ( but don't go barefoot on the grass as there are biting ants!!) and great facilities. The gym is well equipped and probably the largest you'll get in Sri Lanka for a hotel.

Stunning resort”

The hotel was 100% occupied, but despite.that, the hotel staff was very accommodating. Special thanks to the food and beverage manager that went out of his way to organize a special valentines day dinner for our family, we really enjoyed our stay at the Aliya resort!

Stunning - a contemporary design mixed with the best of traditional Sri Lanka ”

The architecture and design of the hotel rooms, main building and whole site is well thought through and stunning in its layout. It combines the best of contemporary with the best of Sri Lanka, effortlessly managing to capture the two in one hotel. The main building is modern but it does not lose sight of the most important aspects. The Spa is a traditional Sri Lankan building, as is the Sri Lankan 5 course tasting menu, some accommodation features luxury wooden huts, fully air-conditioned in something unique and different. The best way to sum up this place is the view as you reach the reception area and overlooks the stunning pool with the clearest and most scenic view of Sigiriya Rock.

Gorgeous, well-designed hotel, comfortable room.”

We had a great time at Aliya. The views and accommodations were superb. There were lightning storms every night and the new year celebration was fun and a great cultural experience. The pool is relaxing and everyone is very friendly. Thamara, the excursion manager, assisted us with booking day trips and transportation to the airport. We stayed in the deluxe room, which was well appointed and very comfortable. Our flight was at 1 a.m. and I accidentally booked an extra night, but the hotel was willing to help us. You must try the Sri Lankan restaurant!