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Reviews of Thilanka Hotel

4 out of 5
Thilanka Hotel
#. 03, Sangamitta Mawatha, Kandy

Reviews

8.0

Very good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 30 out of 83 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 32 out of 83 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 11 out of 83 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 6 out of 83 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 4 out of 83 reviews" "

8.4/10

Cleanliness

8.2/10

Staff & service

7.0/10

Amenities

7.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.8/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

J

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

8/10 Good

Lorrie

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Porama

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The staff and the lobby manager provided excellent service and it almost felt like home to us.. Thank you and would definitely stay next time I visit Kandy
Stayed 6 nights in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

David

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
It was great
It was great!
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2020

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Staff & service
Poor staff attitude and service Good view and swimming pool though
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2020

8/10 Good

Trevor

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great but....
This is a premier hotel. The room was generous and comfortable. The issues that distracted from our stay was the overpriced breakfast and dinner buffet. Overpriced in the sense that for the price charged the offering lacked a wow factor. There were some minor plumbing issues that weren't serious but indicative of a lack of attention to detail. The currency exchange rate offered was the worst that we encountered anywhere in Sri Lanka. Not something of which to be proud.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2020

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
First of all, sharp practice. The photo of the swimming pool and some others that you have no your website for the Thilanka is NOT the Thilanka Hotel in Kandy. It is of some other hotel which is clearly on the coast. This hotel is described as a 4 star. This is clearly false from the moment you walk into ther cramped shabby building and are met by clearly untrained staff. It is at best a very weak 3 star hotel. The general condition of the place is shabby - dirty, badly painted, not maintained, liberally filled with insects and a swarm of mosquitoes at night. The food was appalling - cheap bread left out overnight, sweetened and watered down juices and coffee the like of which i haven't tasted in over 30 years. Staff were clueless, poorly trained and lacked the kind of essential English skills needed in this industry (and which we found in every other of the 7 hotels we stayed in in Sri Lankla during our stay). our room - the 'suite'!! A large leftover space at the end of the corridor with not a right-angle in the place. Curtains which didn't open; windows to a microscopic balcony whch had not been cleaned in a very long time; mosquitoes everywhere (and our driver's room had bed bugs meaning he had to sleep in the car! Three nights at this hotel cost more than a genuine 5 star hotel in Colombo - the Cinnamon Grand. All in all a rip-off. Despite complaining to the reception staff, nothing was done either because they could be bothered, didn't know what to do, or just forgot.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2020

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
WiFi Connection very bad
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2020

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service
I requested a quiet room months in advance but was given a noisy one overlooking the pool and restaurant. I was told the hotel was full but they agreed to change rooms after asking to speak with the manager. I booked half board but the waiter was adamant I was on BB and waved his sheet at me stating this. Very rude and unprofessional but he later admitted he was wrong after I suggested he check with the manager. Veg and non veg options were in the same heated trays and food items were not all labelled to indicate what was veg. Horrendous experience with onward transport arranged through hotel. It was expensive but I was promised a new comfortable car with large boot. I complained to the transport owner after getting an old rusty dented vehicle which didn’t fit our bags. He was very rude and said look elsewhere! Ended up with a 13 year old van which was stopped by other drivers on route as the buffer was falling off and then stopped working near the destination as ‘ it struggles with hill climbs’ so we had to stop and let the car rest and drive slowly . The driver was however excellent and professional in dealing with the poorly maintained vehicle. I would recommend booking a vehicle privately and checking the condition the day before. I asked to speak with the general manager a few times during the stay but was told he was not available. Poor customer service and apathetic management
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2020
Response from chaminda rathnayake on 13 Jan 2020
Dear Ms.Deepal A.Patel. Thank you for your review. I’m sorry to hear you had such a frustrating experience. You arrived Thilanka Hotel Kandy around 11am on 10th of January 2020.As soon as you come to the hotel we have welcome you and taken to a one of the rooms on 2nd floor which is little bit near the swimming pool. As soon as you enter the room you said that you don’t like the room because of the noise. Sorry, but we couldn’t control that noise which came from the guest who was in the pool. Same time we offered a room change and we have done the changes and you said that you were very happy with the room. The Comments made by you about the incident happened in the Restaurant are noted. Your feedback is already been shared with the team to have them closely investigated and necessary action will be taken for the betterment of future guests. On your departure day (11th of January 2020).Our hotel vehicles were not available and that’s why we have outsource the all the guest’s hires to our recognized transport company. They have sent us first “Honda Vezel and second Toyota KDH van. We are truly sorry for the inconvenience occurred in transport and we will immediately fix what you have highlighted. We once again apologize for the inconvenience caused to you. I hope that I can convince you to change your mind about another visit to our property It would be such a pleasure to personally welcome you. Thank you. Best regards, Front Office Manager.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Great breakfast, good location. Building a bit of a slap job but rooms are huge and have all you need
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Nice hotel but found the corridors echoed making it a bit noisy. Friendly staff. Could do with a gym though
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2019

10/10 Excellent

Darren

Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2019

4/10 Poor

Ben, Sydney

Travelled with group
Disliked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Water dripping from ceiling, water heater intermittent, drainage problems in the bathroom, lots of mosquitoes in the bedroom. Staff are nice but seemed sleepy and inattentive. When checking out, guy at reception really couldn’t care less if I dropped dead in front of him. Unpleasant. Wouldn’t stay here or at any Thilanka hotels again.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Good value for money. Food was excellent. Clean room.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019
Response from Management on 8 Oct 2019
Thank you for enjoying your stay with us and we are delighted to hear that you had a great experience with our Hotel. Yes indeed, we are providing best facilities with great foods to our beloved visitors. It is great to see some familiar faces once again please do visit us.

6/10 Okay

Sena, Adelaide,Australia

Business traveller
Location is quite convenient. Cleanliness is satisfactory. Room airconditioner is very noisy.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2019
Response from Management on 11 Sept 2019
Firstly, Let me Thank you for staying at Hotel Thilanka! It is indeed a pleasure having you staying with us.. Moreover, your interest shown towards the Hotel by spending your valuable time to give us a feedback is very much appreciated! Apologize for initiate problem. Hope to see you and your family ;Friends here at Thilanka again! Your feedback is indeed very important to us in order for continuous growth. Thank you once again for your comments.

10/10 Excellent

Indika

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2019
Response from Management on 11 Sept 2019
Hope to see you and your family ;Friends here at Thilanka again! Your feedback is indeed very important to us in order for continuous growth. Thank you once again for your comments

8/10 Good

Heidi

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A good stay :)
SO welcoming and a VERY early check -in with huge smiles. Great variety at breakfast and an AMAZING view. Close to lake, town and sights - walking distance.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019
Response from Management on 15 Jul 2019
First of all, let us thank you for choosing Hotel thilanka and delight to hear that you had a memorable experience with your loved once. It was our visitor’s satisfaction that matters most of all. We are continuously making an effort to ensure your stay at our hotel extra special. We will warmly welcome you again. Please do visit us again.

10/10 Excellent

Michael

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019
Response from Management on 11 Jul 2019
It was an honor to have you with us on your recent stay at Hotel Thilanka and We are delight to hear that your expectations match with our service

10/10 Excellent

Michael

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stay in Style in Kandy
Beautiful outdoor pool area and garden Very good food (half board) with excellent variety of local and western cuisine Comfortable room with balcony and view of the forest
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019
Response from Management on 11 Jul 2019
It was an honor to have you with us on your recent stay at Hotel Thilanka and We are delight to hear that your expectations match with our service

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
It’s a great location and the room is big. We’re happy 😊😊
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2019
Response from Management on 6 Jul 2019
First of all, let us thank you for choosing Hotel thilanka and delight to hear that you had a memorable experience.

8/10 Good

Daniel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Would go back
Nice place; good staff; breakfast was a bit disappointing, also no fotness center. Great views, hotel is a bit dated and worn in some places but overall nice.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2019
Response from Management on 24 Jun 2019
First of all, let us thank you for choosing Hotel thilanka. Apologize again for initial problem and We are delight to hear that your expectations match with our service. We are committed to serving you better. We will warmly welcome you again. Please do visit us again

10/10 Excellent

Andrew

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Golf trip
We all had a great time!
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2019
Response from Management on 24 Jun 2019
First of all, let us thank you for choosing Hotel thilanka. We are delight to hear that your expectations match with our service. We are committed to serving you better. We will warmly welcome you again. Please do visit us again

10/10 Excellent

v, Melbourne

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great service, close to city. One good place to stay .
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2019
Response from Management on 12 Jun 2019
Thank you for enjoying your stay with us and we are delighted to hear that you had a great experience with our Hotel

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Nice place. Good location. Nice breakfast. Good pool
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019
Response from Sales Team on 18 Apr 2019
Thank you very much to your feed back looking forward to see you again

8/10 Good

Leeanne

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2019
Response from Mrs Sushila Balasubramaniam (Manager) on 21 Mar 2019
Dear Mr Leeanne, Thanks for taking your valuable time to give us a positive feedback. Hope you enjoyed your stay. All the best & kind regards,

6/10 Okay

Jane

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2019

8/10 Good

E

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice hotel, friendly staff. The buffet breakfast and dinner was good.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2018
Response from Thilanka Hotel on 4 Jan 2019
Dear Guest, Thank you for staying at Thilanka Hotel Kandy, making us the preferred choice in Kandy. We hope you enjoyed the stay with us and thank you for highlighting the breakfast and dinner at our hotel. Hoping to see you once again. Sushila (Manager)

10/10 Excellent

Sharon

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great hotel!
Was a great hotel, clean rooms and very friendly staff.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2018
Response from Thilanka hotel team on 7 Sept 2018
Dear Sharon, Thank you for choosing Thilanka Hotel – Kandy for your stay and for sharing your positive experience with other guests. We are glad to hear that you had a good stay at our property and that our team met your expectations. We look forward to your next stay with us and wish you a safe journey back home. All the best & kind regards,

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Such a great place to rest after our long train journey from Ella. Wish we had more time here.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2018
Response from Thilanka Hotel Team on 7 Sept 2018
Dear Guest, Thank you for choosing Thilanka Hotel – Kandy for your stay and for sharing your positive experience with other guests. We are glad to hear that you had a good stay at our property and that our team met your expectations. We look forward to your next stay with us and wish you a safe journey back home. All the best & kind regards,

4/10 Poor

Adia

Liked: Cleanliness
Extra charge for everything. Checkin time supposed to be at 12, we stayed in the lobby for half an hour to wait they clean the room. Not satisfied with the facility except the reception girl, she is nice and very helpful.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2018

6/10 Okay

Carl Anthony

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Building work kind of ruined the hotel but it is lovely
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2018
Response from Sushila (Manager) on 27 Jun 2018
Dear Carl Anthony, Thank you for choosing Thilanka Hotel Kandy for your stay and for making us your preferred choice in the region. We appreciate you for taking time to leave us a review. We hope your stay was comfortable. We would like to welcome you again to our hotel. All the very best and warm regards, Sushila (Manager)

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Jun 2018
Response from Sushila on 21 Jun 2018
Dear Guest, thank you for choosing Thilanka hotel for your stay and for sharing your positive experience with other guests. We are glad to hear that you had a good stay at our property and that our team met your expectations. We look forward to your next stay with us and wish you a safe journey back home. All the best & kind regards, Mrs Sushila Balasubramaniam (Manager)

8/10 Good

Ann

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Kandy
A quick couple of nights in Kandy. Unfortunately a lot of construction around and very noisy.
Stayed 1 night in May 2018
Response from Sushila on 21 Jun 2018
Dear Ann, Thank you for choosing Thilanka Hotels – Kandy for your stay and for sharing your experience with other guests. We are committed to offering every one of our guests an exceptional stay and we apologize that we did not do so for your visit, we apologize for any inconvenience caused. We are always looking for ways we can improve and we will take your feedback into account We look forward to your next stay with us. All the best & kind regards, Mrs Sushila Balasubramaniam (Manager)

10/10 Excellent

Brynja Dögg

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in May 2018
Response from Sushila on 21 Jun 2018
Dear guest , thank you for choosing Thilanka Hotel - Kandy for your stay and for sharing your positive experience with other guests. We are glad to hear that you had a good stay at our property and that our team met your expectations. We look forward to your next stay with us and wish you a safe journey back home. All the best & kind regards, Mrs Sushila Balasubramaniam (Manager)

8/10 Good

Gail

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
One night stay
Comfortable hotel, nice pool, good breakfast. Only small criticism is concierge was no help when we asked him to book the train for us. We had to pay a tuk tuk to station and back in horrific traffic

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very good location overlooking the lake
Great comfort and very courteous staff. Only area where it lacked is that during dinner time - which is till 2200 hrs, even before that time, staff were queuing up and taking food even before the guests could. In fact emptying some dishes as well. This was something not very professional for the management.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2018

8/10 Good

Tina, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice hotel remote from m city centre
We arrived to find our requested - 2 beds and bathtub - deluxe with balcony room was not available so were upgraded to a suite. This was lovely and we dined in the restaurant only on the first night and had room service subsequently. Thus was excellent and delivered timeously. Recommended so long as you don't need access to the city centre at night as it is high in a hill overlooking the beautiful lake. Staff very courteous.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2018
Response from Manager on 12 Mar 2018
Dear Tina, Thank you for choosing Thilanka Hotel for your stay and for making us your preferred choice in the region. We are glad to hear that your stay was above your expectations and for special mentions about the view and staff in our hotel. We look forward to welcome you again to our hotel. We wish you all the best for your future and a safe journey back home. Regards, Sushila (Manager)

8/10 Good

Valentin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
It was O.K

8/10 Good

Kate

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great Views and Location
The hotel was great. Although slightly pricey for Sri Lanka, it was quite a bargain compared to the US rates I am used to. The room was nice with great amenities, though the bathroom felt a bit dated and musty.The view from our balcony was perfection and we were able to walk from the hotel into town. We didn't get to use the pool because of weather, but it looks great. The buffet breakfast was delicious, but be forewarned that if the hotel is crowded, lined can form up for food. I'd recommend skipping the hotel dinners in favor of local restaurants.
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2017
Response from Anura on 14 Dec 2017
Dear Kate, thank you for staying with us at Thilanka Hotel Kandy and for taking a moment to share your positive experience with other travelers. We are glad to hear that you felt well looked after and that your expectations were met. It makes us proud to know that you enjoyed our buffet breakfast and thanks for highlighting our location and the pool. Should your plans bring you back to Kandy, it would be our pleasure to welcome you again to Thilanka Hotel Kandy. Have a safe journey back home & Merry Christmas. Best regards, Sushila (Manager)

6/10 Okay

Supriya

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Not good value for money.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2017
Response from Anura on 14 Dec 2017
Dear Supriya, thank you for choosing Thilanka Hotel Kandy for your stay and for making us your preferred choice in the area. We hope you had a good experience at our property and that your expectations were met. It makes us sad to hear that you feel that we are not offering good value for money. It would help us a lot if you could let us a bit more in details what we could improve in future. We look forward to your next stay with us and wish you and your family Merry Christmas. Best regards, Sushila (Manager)

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent hotel
Good location. Nice pool area. Great staff. Overall highly recommended
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2017
Response from Sushila (Manager) on 17 Nov 2017
Dear guest, thank you for staying with us at Thilanka Hotel Kandy and for making us your preferred choice in the region. We are glad to hear that you enjoyed your stay at our property and thank you for highlighting our location & pool. If there is anything we could do differently in future, please do let us know. We look forward to your next stay with us and wish you a safe journey back home. All the best & kind regards.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Needs renovation
For the price we paid, it is not worth.. Rooms were big, but with ants rolling around the bed everywhere and Bathroom conditions were so bad!
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2017
Response from Manager on 12 Mar 2018
Dear Guest, Thank you for choosing Thilanka Hotel for your stay in Kandy and for making your preferred choice in the region. We hope our team met your expectations. We will forward your feedback to the management and they will look into it immediately. We would like to welcome you again to our property and we strive to give you a better impression next time. All the very best for your future and have a safe journey back home. Regards, Sushila (Manager)

8/10 Good

Jen, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice hotel in Kandy
Nice hotel in Kandy with good views if you have a room in higher floors. The pool was refreshing also. We spent 2 weeks in Sri Lanka and Kandy was our least favorite tour stop. It's the 2nd largest city in Sri Lanka but there wasn't much to do there other than watch a tourist trap fire show and see the Buddha's Tooth Temple. But the temple was full of hundreds of people all cramming to see a tooth which we never did. The cave temples were nice and there's friendly monkeys everywhere. Best thing about Kandy was this hotel. Rooms are big, have all the necessities: AC, hot shower, clean fluffy towels, comfy beds, good smelling toiletries and fast wifi. The service was great and the buffets were delicious with lots of varieties at a very good price. Only bad thing was the bus loads of tourist being dropped off for the dinner buffet. So get there early to get a table and food before the big tourist groups eats it all. Better yet, skip Kandy and go to the other towns with beautiful landscapes and mountains and peace and quiet.
Response from Prageeth on 30 Jan 2017
Thank you for the comment and please come again to stay with us

4/10 Poor

guy, israel

Disliked: Cleanliness, room comfort
From the beginning we were sad we got this hotel
When we check in they said we do not have any Invitation Although we paid more than two months in advance. When it has been worked out we got a room right above the dining room - the noise was unbearable. First time in my life I had to sleep with earplugs. Then came another surprise - every morning at 5 AM Monkeys run on the roofs of the balcony that maid of Light metal, unbearable noise and wake-up inevitable. Apart from those, it was a rich bouffat but not very tasty. the crew was very kind as anywhere in Sri Lanka.

6/10 Okay

Ian

Average hotel
Average stay in an average hotel.

8/10 Good

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good location
Greeted warmly by staff who provided us with a drink. Very smooth and easy check in. Rooms and bathrooms were very clean. Fantastic views from the poolside bar. Can't fault any of the staff and the lobby manager, Marcus, was extremely helpful and we would like to thank him. Thilanka was a perfect base being approximately 10 minutes walk to the Square.
Response from Prageeth on 30 Jan 2017
We are really thank full to you for given a good comment about our hotel and will hope you will see again in our hotel. Thank you

6/10 Okay

Karthik, Mumbai

Liked: Cleanliness
Good basic hotel
Free wife only at the reception. Veg foodies will have extremely limited options. Rooms have a beautiful view of the lake. Rooms are clean.
Response from General Manager on 30 Jan 2017
Thank you for the comment and please come again to stay with us.

8/10 Good

Mohammad Zabidul

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice large rooms and good views
Spent a night at the hotel. Rooms are large and well maintained. The hotel grounds are a little crowded and but that is to be expected. Breakfast buffet was wonderful. Overall a good experience.
Response from General Manager on 30 Jan 2017
Thank you for the comment and please come again to stay with us.