Traveling to Sri Lanka? Find Polonnaruwa District hotels

The Lake Hotel was a really nice place to stay to visit the ancient city of Polonnaruwa. The ruins and main street is a 15 minute walk away along the road by the lake (or a short tuk tuk ride). The hotel is out of the way and in a quiet location. There was a nice pool at the hotel, though we didn't have chance to use it on our stay. We had friends highly recommend the ruins at Polonnaruwa, but recommend not to stay in the area as there wasn't many nice places to stay. I think this could be true for pollonaruwa town centre, as it wasn't much to behold! I think this lakeside location provides an excellent alternative within easy reach of the attraction and in a quiet relaxing area - we didn't feel like we missed out on anything staying a few minutes away from the centre, as polonnaruwa modern town didn't seem to be all that great.

Polonnaruwa is just far enough away and is on such a scale that one should actually stay in the area to take in the glories of Polonnaruwa as opposed to day tripping it. Sudu Araliya was recommended to me by a friend so I took her advice and booked there. To my pleasant surprize it is very proximate to the ruins (literally a 5 minute drive if that) and seems to be relatively new construction. The staff are very welcoming and given how hot it is in this area a blissfully cool lobby. Check in is quick and easy and the rooms are adequate. Can’t say what theme the rooms are decorated with - but it all functions well. Most of rooms are lakefront and if you are lucky you may see an elephant swim by. I did the monkey test a left a glass of water on the balcony and went down to dinner. Sure enough it was knocked over when I got back so don’t leave any shades or lighters on the balcony or they will disappear. Also, do not leave the balcony door open - this is tropical area and subsequently

The staff was very kind, courteous, and professional. They were very well dressed. The service and the food was excellent. It is a very convenient location for visiting the Polonnaruwa archaeological sites. The rooms were beautiful. The Lake House would be considered a 5 star hotel in the United States. I rate it at 10 for all services. The current rating of 8.4 is too low. My wife and I had a fantastic time and would surely return if planning a vacation in this part of the world. Polonnaruwa is a safe place to visit.

Convenient for the sights of Polonnaruwa, but down a narrow bumpy 1km unpaved road. Scenic location in pleasant gardens with excellent pool (very clean). Open air dining area with thatched roof and concrete/ wooden outdoor furniture in garden. Excellent drinks. Rooms basic, but very clean, modern bathroom with screened off shower, very clean. Very friendly staff. Rooms that look onto the pool and lake beyond are best. Good breakfast, (fresh fruit, fresh juice, toast, jam, Sri Lankan breakfast if you wish). Our 1 dinner here was disappointing. Excellent value for money given the location and standard of accommodation.

On the day we were visit to spend our meaningful holidays. We were welcomed warmly with the the staff. The staffs are great and very friendlier with a big smile on their face. Room was very clean with a teapot and a fridge. Fridge was very reasonable price. Variety of breakfast was amazing. Last minutes my goodness i had a Carlsberg missed on my bag to treat the service boy nevertheless credit card. They are willing to help your any request. Awesome service and we will recommend this hotel to everyone.. Memorable things: Response of Service person. Smile of Receptionist..

Very nice hotel with a great location. It is on the main road but since the rooms are some meters away in a nice garden we did not hear much from the traffic. The old city is very near. We asked for some bikes and they organized them for us. The bikes were not the best ones but were ok for one day in the old city. The rooms were very clean and felt very comfortable there. Perfect choice for people looking for a mid-range hotel.

The hospitality at Living Inn is some of the best we have encountered. Ever. This is an absolutely stunning location: you feel as though you've escaped into the jungle. The food is unbelievable - be sure to have the hoppers at breakfast! The location was perfect for our bike tour around the ancient city, and the loaner bikes from the guesthouse were an added bonus! We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and wouldn't hesitate to return.

There are three rooms in this sweet little quiet courtyard. I had a new bathroom, and a nicely appointed and a spacious bedroom. The couple is also in the process of building a new suite with a kitchen. They are located a very easy stroll from the bus stop and a short walk from the lake. They offer to rent bikes for FAR less than your tuk tuk driver will charge you. Their son is very sweet and is working on a coin collection so bring a penny or something small from whatever country you originate! Breakfast was plentiful and good. I would stay there again but, next time, I would splurge for the extra $5.00 and take the air conditioned room!

My partner and I were suffering from a tummy bug and the staff looked after us so well. We couldnt stomach anything spicy or oily and she accommodated for that! She also tried really hard to get us a good deal with transport and has agreements with the local guys to give good prices so that she will continue to give them business. Clay Hut is also 5 min walk from the main site of Polonnaruwa and this was ideal as we re-entered with our tickets in the evening during the special annual Budddhist festival, Posom Poya. We got the train from Colombo - the train arrives in a neighbouring town, Kedu-something (!), dont pay more than 350 LKR for a tuktuk to get to Clay Hut from the train station. It's like 4km away.

During our 3 weeks stay in Sri Lanka the day in Polonnaruwa was probably our best. Thisal Guest House is perfectly located near the ruins as well as ATMs and some shops. You can rent bikes to discover the ruins. For dinner the very friendly and helpful family served us an enormous and delicious portion of rice and curry with estimated 15 different curries. We also did the safari with the son of our hosts which we can only recommend. Although it's not cheap you should really think about doing it. We saw a lot of elephants and compared to our safari in Yala NP this safari in Kaudulla NP was much more quiet and relaxing.

does a great job managing his guesthouse!When we will go back to Polonnaruwa we will defenitely stay at his guesthouse again.We enjoyed the best breakfast we had in Sri lanka,our simple but very clean room and the excellent wifi.But the best thing was our wonderful host,who always offered his help,rent us his bikes for free and arranged everything for us.Thanks again,you made us feel comfortable and we had a wonderful time at your place!

We stayed there for a single night after visiting archeological site. We were the only guests in three-bedroom villa. The building is brand new, very clean, with good spacious bathroom, well-equipped living room with TV, the kitchen was under construction. We had great dinner: rotti and avocado salad were delicious. Breakfast was very good and well served - one of the best during our journey (3 weeks). We also took the ayurvedic massage offered by the owner and it was interesting experience (note: massage center is 20 mins drive away from hotel)

The place is actually in the town next to Polonnaruwa, a 7-minute drive away. However, the hotel is on the bus line, so there are plenty of buses to take you to the city or the entrance of the ancient city. Also, I was able to catch the bus to my next destination in front of the hotel. Breakfast is great and filling; the wifi works well, and there was drinking water. The only downside is that the room is poorly ventilated, so it is extremely hot inside during the summer. Therefore, consider getting an air-conditioned room, even if you typically are fine with just a fan.

My friends and I stayed at Sanctuary Cove after a touring Dambulla, Sigiriya and Polonnaruwa all in one day. The location of the guesthouse was near the ruins. You can hire a tuktuk or a van for convenience. The rooms are very well-kept and have home-y vibes. We had a room with an AC and another one with fan only. Both were spacious enough and had their own toilet/shower area. Since Sri Lanka has a unique socket (not available in the usual universal adapter), we had to borrow from the owners. They were gracious enough to lend 3 adapters to us without any deposits. My friend also had to exchange some dollars and the nearest money changer is 1 km away. The son of the owner was even kind to take my friend to the money changer via his motorbike. We also saw their kindness when we asked our breakfast early as we had to go to Wilpattu the next morning. They served our breakfast at 5:30 am as scheduled. :) I highly recommend anyone staying in Polonnaruwa to stay at their place. Worth every buck.

Binara home stay was great. Definitely book the Double Room with balcony, because it was lovely! Very nice ambiance in the room, clean, with nice green view. Binara is very helpful, we rented bikes from him to explore Polonnaruwa and when we missed dinner one of the nights he made up for it with the most AMAZING breakfast the next morning. As for food in the area, there is not much, so definitely eat at Jaga Foods which is located 7km from the Homestay, Binara can call and arrange a tuktuk with the restaurant to and from for a much reduced price than the local Tuktuk drivers as it is the restaurant's private service. Food is insanely affordable and you will be shocked at how many different dishes he brings you for a set price. Definitely a must!

We had a great stay at Canal Park. It is not too far from Polonnaruwa town and site. You could walk it but we usually walked down the small road and onto the main road where we picked up a tuk tuk (100-150LKR one way). Chandika helped us to arrange a safari tour to see the elephants which was amazing. The food at the hotel was good and the home Sri Lankan cooking especially was really nice and lots of it! The hotel itself was clean and lovely spacious rooms. I would definitely recommend this hotel.

It was a great joy to stay at Hotel Royal Nest. The staffs are super attentive. Before we arrived, we sent a request for two single beds in one room as the two guys in our travel group wanted to have separate beds. This request was responded quickly by email from the hotel, and they did got a room with two single beds. The yard is beautiful. Breakfast nice. Staff extremely helpful and responsive. But the temporary manager for the Christmas time (the owner/manager went for a holiday) did not seem to understand the hotel that well, but still try to accommodate our needs. Location is ok. Costs 100 rupees for tuktuk to get to the city center for food.

If you are traveling to central Sri Lanka, Polonnaruwa is the most convenient place to stay (since Anuradhapura does not have many hotels). And within Polonnaruwa, Siyanco is really good value for money. They were very responsible right from the beginning. They sent us a car to pick us up from the airport. They also helped us plan our tours once there. The room was large and clean, the staff were prompt and polite. The breakfast menu had a very good spread and a combination of Western and Sri Lankan food. I went with my parents, and this place turned out to be very friendly for families and elderly people. It even has a nice swimming pool to dip into! Overall, we were very impressed by the hotel and the service.