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Reviews of Ella Eco Lodge

2.5 out of 5
Ella Eco Lodge
Waterfall Road, Ella

Reviews

7.2

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 11 out of 37 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 11 out of 37 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 6 out of 37 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 7 out of 37 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 2 out of 37 reviews" "

8.0/10

Cleanliness

7.8/10

Staff & service

9.0/10

Amenities

7.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Katarzyna

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Small and cozy
It's a really nice place and service is really courteous. Anytime again.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2020

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019

10/10 Excellent

Karin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Feels like an amazing tree house
The eco lodge is so cool, it is a simple wooden building with an amazing balcony. You feel like you are in a tree house! We had some of our best sleeps there, super comfy bed, very dark and you can hear all the birds and crickets etc. Very cool! The lodge feels secluded (which we liked) but it is only a couple of minites walk uphill from Ella main street so you kind of get the best of both. If you're more of a luxury hotel person you may not like it, but if you want something different this is a great place to stay. I really recommend eating at the lodge, we had breakfast and dinner served on the balcony and all the food was delicious and it was so lovely having the view of the trees. The service was great too. The host can help you arrange activities and day trips. I recommend you make sure uou get all info you need up front. We found it a bit tricky to get the info once we had arrived because the host was not there and it turned out we had misunderstood some of the excursions we had booked. They were still good but not what we thought they were going to be.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2019

10/10 Excellent

Jodie, Central Coast NSW

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Abode in a tranquil, green rainforest surroundings
I absolutely loved staying @ Arana. Not far at all from the main street/intersection of Ella town,shops,restaurants,bus stop,train station etc. 5min walk down the hill then 4mins to the end of a driveway and down stairs into a beautiful, tranquil, green rainforest setting. Wonderfully hand built bungalow, tree house style rooms situated in the trees with awesome views of the valleys, mountain and green surroundings.Quiet and peaceful with options to practice yoga, meditate in a lovely hand built hut nestled in the trees, participate in cooking classes and enjoy a delicious breakfast included each morning. Very friendly and helpful staff, happy to chat about yoga, Sri Lankan life, offering assistance with arranging tuk tuks, car transports, train, bus information, sight seeing information and activities. Anna and Sanka, the owners, were extremely accommodating, friendly, knowledgable, kind people who have created a fantastic natural environment to stay, lovely gardens, staff and a blissful energy. Highly recommend. I'll be back guys;)
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2018

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful setting. Avoid it in the rainy season.
The setting in beautiful, and the location is excellent. However, the room was humid, damped and cold. The second night we found out that the rain enters the cabin and wets the bed. We couldn't reach the reception at night (it is a bit hard to reach in the dark). We did sleep as we could in a less humid part of the bed. The bed missed one of the sheets as well, so we had to sleep on top of the one provided (partially wet after the rain) and used the blanket as cover. It was a very unpleasant experience.

4/10 Poor

Fabien, Vancouver, Canada

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Overbooked Facility
When arriving at the location the facility was overbooked. The room we booked was not available as other people occupied it. The owner has not informed us about this but promised to do a full refund of the booking when we called him at the location to explain our misencontment. The booking was not refunded and the full cost was debited. Fortunately for us there was another room (totally different from posting) that was available and where we could stay. For a hotel provider, this is totally unacceptable, you don't overbook a place as it could put you, as a traveller, in a lot of unnecessary trouble specially in a country where English is not the main language. The follow up service in regards to this issue did not meet the expectation set by owner. Would not recommend booking.

4/10 Poor

Kamer

Disliked: Staff & service
Hotel in shambles! Want refund
I was really looking forward to staying here however from the second we got here I knew there'd be issues. When we first arrived there was no sign of a reception, we were greeted by two kids (I say kids because they couldn't have been older than 12) who proceeded to show us to our rooms. When we got in we noticed there were no curtains over the windows so we had to hand towels to have any privacy. The internet never worked the whole time we were there and the mosquito net smelled of animal urine! The next day we tried to talk to someone for help-no one spoke English when I asked where he owner was, they replied "in Colombo" basically there was no one actually running this place except for some kids who definitely tried their best but this place needed an adult in charge! I'm so unhappy with my stay and want compensation for this dreadful experience. Do not stay!

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice setting, have stayed in better
Setting was lovely , in the trees but it was raining and the tin roof was very loud. The owner lives away in Colombo so it took a while to check in and was a little disorganised - would have been better for local owner. There is also no reception so have to wander about before you find anyone for help. Bed was king size and comfy and bathroom good with nice balcony. Have stayed in better for value for money.

10/10 Excellent

Janine

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Worth the steep (seriously steep) walk up
Loved the Eco Lodge. Had a troupe of Monkeys playing in trees so could sit and enjoy watching. Better than seeing it on t.v.. Room was lovely and clean. Comfortable bed. Breakfast a little pricey and average but on the upside it reduces number of times you walk the seriously steep hill. I believe they offered cookery class with owners mum. Didn't do it but regret it now as I long for a good veg curry and a roti or two.

8/10 Good

Sarah

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Treehouse
The Eco Lodge is terrific if you've come to Ella for the scenery and hiking (and why else would you come to Ella?) the rooms are log cabin style, with a large balcony looking into the treetops with mountains beyond. Wildlife spotting is easy - birds, bats, fireflies and monkeys all live in the trees - and you will get monkeys visiting for breakfast scraps. Beds were rustic but comfortable, bathroom clean and spacious. Energy saving lights in the bedroom, not placed near the bed meant the room was rather dim. However, having that treetop view from the balcony made up for any issues. Location: Waterfall Road is steep and narrow, and the Lodge is accessed via rocky steps and a wooden bridge - ideal for hikers, but not for anyone unstable on their feet. If you do hike to Ella Rock, turn left on Waterfall Road to access the railway line path rather than going into town and starting from the station. Ella Town is a short walk away, and has a good selection of cafes / bars to spend an evening in. Overall, a memorable experience in a beautiful setting and I wish we'd stayed a little longer.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Highly recommended!
Amazing stay in the middle of the trees. Great to see the monkeys coming as we were having breakfast on the very big balcony! Very conveniently located: close to the centre of Ella, Little Adam's Peak, Ella Rock and the tea plantations; however you're in the middle of the forest. When we go back to Ella, we'll definitely stay there again. The owner Sampath is extremely friendly and helpful and the room is very good value for money.

6/10 Okay

Lisa

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The hotel was very nice, and quite secluded. Rooms are done in the valley and in separate little bungalows. Te monkeys had just come through and broken the wifi box, but the neighboring hotel let us borrow. Staff had some difficulty understanding English, but were very kind.

4/10 Poor

Nancy, Tucson, Arizona

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Gorgeous hill town in primitive location, little t
No electricity for two days-no TV in English-news, no internet nothing to do w candlelight

4/10 Poor

Christine, Singapore

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very basic and unreliable
It's quite basic especially the showers. Suspect blankets were not clean as they seemed dusty. In addition, they initially turned us away when we arrived, though we paid in advance. All the other hotels nearby were booked. This was unexpected given they had sent me a confirmation email weeks ahead. After discussing with them they finally gave us the room. The only highlight was that you can see fireflies from the bed.

8/10 Good

Vanessa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
This hotel currently only had one room and it was great... Luke bend in a log cabin! No frills but just the getting of being away from ask was superb. You can walk into town for food and not far from the train station! However, if you arw taking a car there is no where for the car to go, you need to walk dien from the main mountain road... which isn't far bit may throw off the driver and you! They are building more rooms!
Response from Sampath on 27 Feb 2016
Hi Vanessa, Appreciate your wonderful comments/review. Looking forward to host you again.

8/10 Good

Liam, Southampton

Liked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely place to stay in Ella
The location is amazing for anyone who loves nature, the sounds of the jungle are ever present when staying here. The balcony is a great place to sit in the evenings and watch the fireflies. The rooms are clean and comfortable and the location is very good (although it can be hard to find).
Response from Sampath on 27 Feb 2016
Hi Liam, Many thanks for your wonderful comments/review. Looking forward to hosting you again.

10/10 Excellent

Tom

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Die einfach eingerichtete, jedoch moderne Holzhütte war mitten am Hang in der Natur. Wir konnten jeden Tag den Balkon genießen und Affen, Pfauen, Eichhörnchen und Vögel in freier Wildbahn beobachten. Zudem war der Service von Ashien herausragend. Ein sehr netter und aufmerksamer Allrounder als Servicekraft. Die Lage ist abseits der lauten trubeligen inneren Ortslage, trotzdem ist diese wie auch der Bahnhof schnell zu Fuß erreichbar.

10/10 Excellent

Cornelis

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2018

10/10 Excellent

Camilla

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfekt!
Helt perfekt lille hytte i skoven ved Ella. Perfekt placering, perfekt service, perfekt hytte. Det var meget autentisk og hyggeligt og Sambath var den bedste vært med personlig servering af morgenmad hver dag, tips til området og i det hele taget god stemning. Hytten ligger helt perfekt lige ned til den mest hippe gade i Ella. Klart anbefalelsesværdigt.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2018

8/10 Good

Johnny

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Speciel oplevelse i træhytte
Spændende hotel med 3 træhytter med altan ud mod skovområde med aber og hjorte. Der kan blive lidt køligt om natten/morgenen, men dynen var tilpas tyk. Der er en del larm om natten, især hvis dyr bevæger sig på blik-taget, men det er en del af oplevelsen. Ejeren (som ikke altid er der), taler flydende engelsk. Personen der passer hotellet taler lidt dårligt engelsk, og der var også lidt misforståelse med hvornår vi skulle have morgenmad første dag. Men han er super flink og gør alt hvad han kan på trods af manglende engelsk kundskaber. Og han laver en glimrende morgenmad.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2018

8/10 Good

Martin

Liked: Staff & service
Redelijk hotel.
Wij verder bij het treinstation opgehaald door de mensen van het hotel, helemaal top. De weg naar het hotel is echt super stijl. Ook de douche is de badkamer werkte heel slecht, lauw en een geel klein straaltje. Mensen zijn lief, maar wij zullen het verblijf niet aanraden...
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2018

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Leider nicht zu empfehlen
Die Anlage an sich ist wunderschön gelegen mitten im Grünen und doch nur 5 Minuten vom Ella Zentrum entfernt. Leider sind die Bungalow etwas in die Jahre gekommen und werden definitiv nicht gereinigt. Wir hatten Spinnweben mit toten Fliegen bei der Ankunft direkt am Lichtschalter im Bad die da schon länger hingen. Das Licht in Zimmer und Bad war viel zu dunkel. Abaolutes Nogo war aber dass die Bettwäsche total muffelig war und definitiv nicht gereinigt sondern lediglich ausgelüftet wird wenn neue Gäste kommen. In den drei Tagen wurde das Zimmer nicht geteinigt - nach frischem Toilettenpapier mussten wir fragen. Schade aber so kann ich die Anlage definitiv nicht weiterempfehlen. Wir sind einiges gewohnt und nicht anspruchsvoll aber das war selbst uns zu viel. Frühstück war aber sehr gut.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2017

6/10 Okay

Melanie B, ella

Disliked: Staff & service, room comfort
wenn man in der Natur schlafen möchte tiptop
Der Weg zur Eco Lodge ist eher schlecht beschildert, jedoch zu finden! Die Besitzerin spricht gut englisch, empfieng uns jedoch freundlich. Das Zimmer ist sehr einfach jedoch hat man dort was man braucht. Bei uns regnete es in allen drei Nächten in Strömen, an schlafen war deshalb aufgrund des Blechdaches kaum zu denken. Auch wegen der Tiere, welche eher laut sind in der Nacht, sollte man keine Schlafprobleme haben. Gegen die Mosqitos hat es ein Netz, was auch nötig ist! Das Frühstück wird auf den Balkon serviert und ist sehr herzlich (1'200Rupien pro Frühstück). Im grossen und ganzen waren wir jedoch zufrieden, trotz wenig schlaf.

4/10 Poor

Bart, Netherlands

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
This is not an eco lodge!
Don't be fooled by the name, this place has nothing to do with 'eco'. Sure, you sleep in nice huts on stilts, overlooking the jungle, but the amount of garbage surrounding the hut (much of which is dumped by the hotel staff) show the owners have little regard for nature. Prices are above-average of this type of accommodation in Sri Lanka, making it a poor value option.

10/10 Excellent

Filip

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
One of a kind experience
This was probably one of our most memorable sleepover in Sri Lanka, having the jungle right outside your bedroom window. This also means it can get noisy during the night from animals, so if you're a light sleeper make sure to bring some earplugs. Apart from that we really loved everything about this place; the proximity to bars/restaurants/cafés, waking distance to little Adams peak, hospitality of the owners and a great breakfast!

8/10 Good

Katharina

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Cool sleep in a wooden hut
Nice wooden hut not too far from the main road but away from the noice. Breakfast was great but the family who run the place speak very little English. Unfortunately there was no hot water in the shower. But overall it was great. Big room, nice balcony to relax on with view into the jungle. Clean.

10/10 Excellent

Agnes, HK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice experience for tree house
There is no insect in the tree house. It is really clean and impressive.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Yksi yö Ellassa
Nukuimme viidakon ääniä kuunnellen yhden yön tässä rauhallisessa, mutta lähellä ravintoloita sijaitsevassa guest housessa.

2/10 Terrible

Patrícia, Belo Horizonte

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
I payed and they told me it was full
i didnt stay there cause they told me they were full. it has been 21 days since that and they didnt refund me yet. Take care if you chose this place.

6/10 Okay

Teresa, Regensburg, Bayern

Liked: Staff & service
Mal was anderes
Wir haben uns bei der Buchung von den Fotos leiten lassen, die Nacht in Ella aber keinesfalls bereut. Es ist natürlich weniger komfortabel, aber für eine Nacht definitiv mal eine tolle Sache. Das Hotel ist einfach eingerichtet, bietet aber jeden Komfort und liegt auch nicht einsam im nirgendwo, sondern ist von weiteren Hotels umgeben. DAs Frühstück war sehr umfangreich und wurde auf unserem Balkon serviert.
Das Zimmer
Balkon mit Aussicht ins Grüne

6/10 Okay

michel, Ploemeur

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Séjour sympa,mais pas de draps sur le lit,pas de moustiquaire.service sympa

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing experience ! Sleeping in the jungle with sounds from monkeys, birds and other animals. In the morning we had breakfast on our private balcony and all the monkeys came in front of us and we could feed them. Wild and free monkeys not like in the zoo. But be prepared.. You will not the that much of sleep because of all the sounds and monkeys running around on the roof.

8/10 Good

Michael, helsinge

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
God morgenmad serveret på værelset da der ingen restaurant er på stedet. Store værelser , rent , skøn balkon. Stedet er ikke for gangbesværet grundet stejle trapper.

8/10 Good

Alex, Barcelona

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Gran elección en Ella
Nuestra estancia en Ella ha sido excelente. La verdad que en parte gracias al a Ella Eco Lodge. Estuvimos un total d 3 noches muy bien tratados. El dueño nos organizó 2 excursiones por Ella con un Tuk-Tuk y andando con un guia EXCELENTE, y a un excelente precio (Ella rock, Rawana waterfalls, little adam's peak, tea factory, nine arch bridge i templo budista). Además el último día, él mismo nos organizó una excursión al parque nacional de Yala con otro guia:Menake, con un gran servicio y tambien excelentes precios. La verdad estamos muy contentos de todo el trato dispensado por el hotel. La habitación es una cabaña de madera por dentro y goza de unas excelentes vistas. Cada mañana la dueña te trae el desayuno a la habitacion. Es un desayuno muy abundante. Cabe mencionar la amabilidad de los propietarios y el gran trato recibido. Está ubicado a solo 5 minutos a pie de la principal calle de Ella. Sin lugar a duda una buena decisión para una visita a Ella!
Response from Sampath on 27 Feb 2016
HI Alex, Many thanks for your wonderful review/comments. It was a pleasure to have hosted you for 3 nights & look forward to hosting you again and again.

4/10 Poor

CANDICE, Lagrave

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Le nom idéal serait plutôt abri de jardin aménagé
Chambre sans isolation (ni mur ni plafond), très humide car il pleuvait, moisissures sur les stores, drap housse moite, pas de drap sous la couverture, salle de bain pas pratique (la douche inonde tout autour), difficile de trouver le logement car l'adresse n'est pas la bonne, petit déjeuner local et copieux mais pas à notre goût, point de vue sur la jungle avec faune sauvage, travaux autour de la chambre pas très sympa (outils de bricolage cachés sous notre lit).