“Super friendly host. Had a great chat with him. Would come back anytime.”

“Unforgettable.”

Upali is a wonderful hos. He was so helpful and happy to go out of his way to make our stay special. The villa is in a beautiful spot in a lovely village outside Polonaruwa. The grounds are extensive, including a large pond which is perfect for experiencing the magic of a Sri Lankan sunrise, surrounded by bird song and the calls of monkeys. It's also convenient for visiting the ancient city and Upali has a stock of bikes to hire for the day. The Sri Lankan breakfast was great too. This was our fist foray outside Colombo and honestly it was one of the highlights of the whole holiday. Many thanks Upali - I hope we'll be back!

Bicycle rent, very nice location just behind ancient city and super kind and helpful host.

“Amazing”

Simpel but clean and really nice food and the night walk was AMAZING they were really sweet also

“Very Good Value for the Money We Paid!!”

The owner of the villa was very nice to prepare a light meal as we requested. He even gave us a night tour around the villa. We saw some wild animals and fireflies!! That was an amazing experience. Very good value for the price we paid!!

Great place to stay and about 5km cycle to the ancient city entrance along the canal. We were warmly welcomed and dinner was delicious. We also went on a night time walk around the area to try and spot wildlife which was super fun. We rented bicycles and the hosts were very accommodating in allowing us to leave our bags at the homestay until later in the day. Great experience, really nice hosts and good accommodation and great food.

“Ruins Villa”

The family went above and beyond for our stay though the weather was very challenging at time of the visit. Food was excellent, fresh and well prepared. We were took on a night tour and would recommend a head torch if you were planning to do the walk...Great value for money..

“A magical no frills homestay”

Sometimes, in a little hotel or homestay, you can get moments of magic. This is one of those places. There are no frills - just a very clean en-suite room, a fan, a comfortable bed and some lovely home cooking available. Sit quietly in the verandah for a few peaceful moments, and the jungle wildlife comes to you like a Kipling poem; langurs, deer, and giant squirrels all came past. There were a pair of birds taking turns to sleep in the bougainvillaea outside our window. It felt like the essence of Sri Lanka. Upali is a charming and understated host who will take you on a nighttime walk to see the animals like hornbills and porcupines. We loved it.

“A very relaxing stay!”

The host is super nice and caring about his guests. Dinners and breakfasts are all home-made by his wife, and delicious! Highly recommended. He helped us in getting a taxi to reach the property, and he offered a night tour around the house to see animals. The house is located near the Pollonaruwa archaeological site, which can be reached by bike - super nice ride along a river (also recommended!). Bike rental is available at the property. The house is very quiet and surrounded by vegetation (perfect for relaxing!)

“Upali is a superstar.”

Beautiful house in the forest, right behind the ancient city.

“Our favourite stay in Sri Lanka”

Upali is so kind and welcoming, the breakfasts and dinners were delicious and plentiful. The real highlight was the night walk that Upali took us on - we saw hornbills, mouse deer and fireflies. We hope to return one day

“Amazing!”

This place was amazing! Beautiful location, very comfy bed and such friendly hosts! I would recommend this place to everyone who wants to go to Polonnarawu. It’s very affordable and the location is right next to the ancient city. You can get a bicycle to get around. The food is amazing, the wife of the host is a truly amazing chef. Every night we would go for a little wild life walk, free of charge! He also helped me to arrange a safari tour, which was very affordable; I was by myself and I paid the entrance fee and I had a my own driver/guide and in total I did not spend more than €75,-!! I would recommend everyone going here!

“This is a difficult review to write but customer health cannot be compromised to save money.”

The family were very nice and spoke English very well. The wife of the landlord cooked dinner (which we paid for) that was absolutely delicious.

“Beautiful rural location, within easy reach of the ancient city by bike. Kind, friendly host family.”

Very pleasant stay, the family were kind and friendly. The rural location was lovely and although google shows the access roads into the ancient city, tourist must go via the ticket office by the lake only. For me that was a pleasant walk along the canal road. On the day I visited the ancient city I rented a bike from host, which was a great way to get around and meant I could also cycle to the second lake.

This is such a lovely place in an incredibly quiet and peaceful location, surrounded by nature. Yes, it is basic, but excellent value and Upali and his family make the stay very special. We went on two night walks and although we didn't see some of the rarer animals as it was the wrong time of year, we saw lots of deer, a couple of hornbills, a land crab and fireflies. Highly recommended.

We had a great stay at Ruins Villa, right by the ancient city so that’s great. We had a nice breakfast and dinner cooked by our hosts who were very friendly and accommodating.

Ruins villa is a great relaxing place. The host is really nice, the house is in the middle of nature and at the same time really close to the cultural site. You rent bikes to visit around. The food is really good.

“Great experience with a wonderful host and great value.”

Staying with your host Andrew is a wonderful experience. Although the rooms are basic and not airconditioned Andrew will make your stay memorable. His food is great and his generosity to his guests is humbling. He may take you for a night walk to explore the area.

We really liked this place a little oasis with lots of greenery and wild life. We went on a night walk with the owner which was great he also came and picked us up from the bus. A beautiful big terrace easy place to relax we hired bikes too and cycled round all the site. Definitely recommend

Our host Upali was was extremely interesting and hospitable. The house was in the middle of the jungle, but only 10 minutes by bike from the center.