Ella Jungle Resort

We arrived at 10pm and there was a closed cafe we didn’t even know where this report is , had to call and they told me wait for 20 minutes to pick you up then we had to go on a safari jeep ride for 20 minutes before getting to a cable car to get to the reception . The rooms were very spacious but horrible condition in the bathroom , no water pressure and also no hot water for the shower so we skipped shower altogether for the 2 days . You are stuck in this jungle with nothing much to do and if you decide to get out the cable car and 29 minute ride is there . So not a pleasant stay unless you are looking for a tenting experience but paying for a hotel !

We made a booking in 2020 and paid a Rs 21600 advance. But then the hotel closed possibly due to Covid and renovations and they were closed for a long time. After they opened, we tried to contact them in all ways possible (telephone call, SMS, email, WhatsApp) to get a refund (as it was not our fault that the hotel couldn't honor the booking), and this went on for months. They would say they would check and get back but never did. Obviously, as we don't go to Ella that often, we just left it at that and waited to hear from them. We did send an occasional reminder though. Now, as we got a chance to go to Ella, we asked if they could let us use that advance. I got very blunt and rude replies saying that as the managing company has changed they can't do anything. Didn't even try to contact the previous company to see the possibility of getting our money back. Didn't even try to see this issue from the customer's perspective. Are customers responsible for management company changes? Don't they inherit the accounts from the previous company? Aren't they bound to honor bookings made by the previous people? Shouldn't they at least try to see from the customer's side and have the decency to send courteous replies? This was the last rude reply I got on WhatsApp "It's our responsibility to pay you which you made payment to another company 2020? You have to solve the issue at the same time. We are sorry and we can not do anything with your payment. Pls don't text us regarding this anymore". The company name seems to be Ravana Valley Pvt Ltd. Be very weary of properties managed by them. Be very careful when booking this hotel.

I arrived at Ella Jungle Resort on the 2nd of January 2025 the way most modern people do: tethered to my phone, armored in city-bred skepticism, and nursing a carefully curated collection of TripAdvisor doubts. The exhaustion of 2024 sat heavy on my shoulders, while my WhatsApp pinged like tiny arrows of obligation against my consciousness. "Are you free for a quick call?" they chirped, each message a small paper cut to my already fraying nerves. Then came the room mix-up. Oh, how gloriously I rose to that occasion! Like a seasoned performer, I unleashed the full symphony of urban indignation – complete with huffs, puffs, and the kind of entitled demands that make me cringe in retrospect. The staff's response? Pure grace. They met my disproportionate city rage with such gentle competence and genuine accountability that I felt my carefully constructed wall of irritation crumble into something resembling shame. But here's the thing about Ella Jungle Resort – it doesn't judge. Instead, this hidden mountain valley simply wraps itself around you like a warm embrace from an old friend who knows exactly what you need. The cold mountain streams don't just cleanse; they perform a kind of spiritual cryotherapy, freezing those petty thoughts mid-formation until they shatter and float away with the current. Let's be clear: if you're looking for the kind of place where thread counts matter more than authentic experience, this might not be your cup of Ceylon tea. For real – you're in the middle of the jungle, so yes, you'll have the occasional uninvited six-legged guest. But the rooms come with all the essentials: AC (though we never used it – the mountain air kept things perfectly cool, even requiring a blanket at night), fans, and reliable hot water. It's that sweet spot between wild and comfortable. If you are particular and need things to be just so, or you are in a mood, you may find a few things wanting - the upside is that all these things are on management's must-do-better list, and they seem genuinely determined. The magic here isn't in the amenities (though they're perfectly adequate) – every room overlooks the river that circles this 150-acre property. You dine under the stars around a campfire at night, and as peacocks dance in the old paddy field, and the cool mountain air blows in, you find yourself breathing more deeply and more gloriously than you have in months...possibly even years. It's in the way the land calls you and in the knowing smiles of the staff who've seen countless others like you slowly unfurl from their urban chrysalis, in the profound silence that fills the spaces between your thoughts. And then there's the adventure. Here I am, a permanently anxious and constantly raging 46-year-old whose last meaningful relationship with fitness ended somewhere between Chemical Brothers and last orders at The Electric Ballroom circa 2004, soaring through the jungle canopy on a zipline. The old me would have crafted a dozen excuses, but