Hotel Elephant Park "Grand Royal Pinnalanda"

Very short version ... nearly perfect , ok starting with the negatives ... terrible coffee with breakfast , that's it , every other thing perfect , seriously a fantastic 3 days , elephant watching from the balcony was amazing , food great , staff go above and beyond. For the coffee addict head up the road away from the river turn left walk 30 metres and there is an amazing cafe with great coffee.

For locality this hotel is fab ..its right over the river ...however....it needs a revamp ..on arrival we found out tgat the road is blocked from 8.30am till 4pm ...for us to get to the hotel we were exoected to buy tickets for the elephant orphanage at 15 dollars each + ...we were not intending to vusit the orphanage during our stay just to watch them bathing in the river ...we had to waste a day because we did not think it fare to charge us when we were booked into the hotel ...if you have mobility probs this hotel is all stairs ...the rooms are dated and we had a broken balcony doir which was not fixed before we left ...food was ok we were half board but for veggies there is only 2 items on the menu ...it takes a long time to get food and drink the staff are lovely but not very organised the do not tend to you immediately somebody was cleaning ouside our room at 6.45am ..mozzies are rife here by the river

Excellent place to view the elephants. Rooms basic.staff very friendly and helpful especially Andrew, the transport manager who went above and beyond to ensure we had a great stay.. I would have liked the menu to have been more varied. We stayed for 5 nights and only ate dinner on 2 of them. Entertainment in the evening was terrible. Otherwise a great choice for seeing the elephants. We would of stayed just one night

I had an exceptional stay at this hotel! The staff, especially Andrew, went above and beyond to make us feel welcome. From exploring a traditional wedding to bathing with elephants, the experiences offered were unforgettable. The breakfast variety was impressive, the WiFi reliable, and the rooms were spotless.

We stayed for one night as a family of 4 at the Grand Royal Hotel. We booked 2 rooms facing with balcony facing the river which gave us a brilliant view of the elephants bathing in the river. Hotel staff are friendly and welcoming. Rooms are a well kept and clean however, a little hit and miss with some things not working- TV receiver was not working in one room, remote control was missing from the other room. The housekeeping staff work very hard to keep the rooms clean and front of house is very helpful and friendly. Cons: You have to buy a ticket to the elephant park orphanage to check into your room as the hotel is located near the river where the elephants bathe. This is cleverly timed so that when you check in you will not be told that you have missed the feeding time at the orphanage and the tickets are only valid on the day of purchase. Therefore, if you do want to visit the orphanage the next day, you will have to purchase another ticket. As it is, the hotel gives you access to view the elephant bathing in the river. The hotel has very little control over this as the hotel is not affiliated with the elephant orphanage, which is government run. Perhaps asking for the alternative access route to the hotel may be worth investigating! Some elephant feeding happens here at the river, beware of receiving fruit to feed the elephants from kind strangers as they will then hold you ransom demanding money for the fruit after. My children were upset by the way the elephants were treated. Tourists were climbing on the elephants while they were bathing in the river and there some of them were chained- we were told this was for safety. Having viewed these beautiful creatures in the wild it was quite underwhelming and cruel to see them in this environment. If you would like the unique experience of waking up to elephants in the river from the comfort of your hotel and being close up then this is for you. There is nothing to do in Pinnawala after 4pm. Otherwise you would be better off doing a safari and watching elephants in the wild.

It's a stunning view of the elephants and the rooms are nice but the facilities could be slightly better for the price ! If your not bothered about them it's a great way to view the elephants and just want a bed and a shower that works the rooms are what stopped me from giving 5/5. I would have if the rooms were slightly better

Great location for viewing the elephants - totally amazing actually. Nice, clean basic property. Staff super friendly and nothing is too much trouble. Would definitely recommend a stay here, food was great as well.

Family holiday and big birthday celebration. A real treat to be able to see the elephants bathing and having breakfast at the same time as you get to enjoy your breakfast. Not forgetting the amazing scenery, bats at sunset filling the sky was a surprise. The most friendly and welcoming people you could ever wish to meet. Most importantly Andrew the tour coordinator who took us on the city tour and allowed us to see the main sites but also a glimpse of village life, local foods and culture. This we can't thank him enough for, it made our stay even better we will definitely be back!

Rooms and bathrooms are new and comfortable but the rest of the hotel is pretty ugly, looks like an example of north-korean concrete architecture. Dinner was pretty scary, you sit in this dark place (walls are painted black) with a light pointed in your face. Breakfast also nothing special. We had to clean the pool by ourselves and pool itself is located just below the street level and next to it, so passers-by the just stop and stare at you. If you want to see elephants I recommend a nice safri, it is much better and the poor animals are left free,