Boulder Garden

This hotel is extremely unique. The secluded setting is amazing (right in the rainforest with monkeys and a mongoose as regular visitors) it is built into the boulder laden side of a mountain. The crowning glory is the huge dome boulder which covers the restaurant area, but it does need just a little more investment/tlc to make it excellent. The rooms are well equipped yet basic, but the thing that makes the whole place so appealing is the friendly, can't do enough for you, fun to be around, onsite manager called Edward. The food is amazing, the attention detail too, and we were made to feel very special.

As we stepped up the grand entrance stairs sandwiched between mighty boulders, we realized that we were entering something unique. Nature at its very best . Many metres above us the tree canopy sparkled in the sunlight. Birds were singing and monkeys were swinging from tree to tree in search of food. But down at ground level we were completely in awe at the size of the boulders rubbing shoulders with one another. The centrepiece must be the huge boulder towering above the restaurant. Maybe 100 metres long, 40 metres across and 30 metres tall. Beside it lay the pool surrounded by dense vegetation and entombed by trees and lianas reaching into the sky. Then the heavens opened creating a surreal and magical atmosphere as the leaves glimmered in the returning sunlight. Simply true paradise. We were welcomed by 18 year veteran GM Anand, who together with his team immediately recognised us from our last visit 4 years ago and promptly allocated us to the same room as on our last visit. To demonstrate his personal caring he decorated our dining table with an artistic welcome display made out of seeds from a Fishtail Palm. We enjoyed a sumptuous Sri Lankan curry feast under the giant boulder with every table and cranny in the rockface lit by candles, a magical sight. Anand also created a special breakfast menue including buffalo curd and crepes filled with jaggery and coconut. Yet another winning meal. This personal attention to detail helps to balance out the many shortcomings of the guestroom experience, which hardly meets a 4 star rating. But all that is about to change, as the new owners plan to invest heavily to upgrade the property to a luxury level. Boulder Garden will then be a ' must ' place to stay and experience.

What a fabulous place. All the rooms are built in and around the boulders and you step right out of your door and into the rain forest. It is well off the beaten track, wonderfully relaxing and at one with nature. We stayed here for two nights and visited Sinharaja Rainforest one morning. We didn’t see as much wildlife there as at other places in Sri Lanka but I guess that’s probably the luck of the draw The open air restaurant is wonderful and we sat and watched beautiful birds and monkeys in the tress directly next to us We were offered a seven course meal which we thought maybe way too much and overwhelming but was actually great and left us feeling comfortably full and was very reasonably priced and delicious Rooms are spacious, well set out and provided everything we needed A special mention for Edward who looked after us extremely well and tended our every need. Thank you so much for an excellent few days and delicious coconut pancakes.

One of the most beautiful eco hotel in Sri Lanka, where nature is still raw and untouched. Our stay here was an unforgettable experience and we really enjoyed the natural beauty filled with extraordinary giant boulders and caves that surrounds this hotel. Love the concept! Rooms on the top floor offers better views of the surrounding area and provide a more scenic experience. However, the ground floor rooms are not recommended for rainy days as they get easily wet due to heavy rain. All the staff were very friendly and helpful. Ms. Chandimala was a very nice lady who didn’t think twice about providing whatever we needed to be comfortable. Mr. Aravinda and Mr. Rohana were always trying to do their best and made our visit a wonderful one by helping us throughout the hotel stay. We loved our stay at Hotel Boulder Garden and we would highly recommend this hotel to anyone who would like to escape to the true nature from their busy life. Dr. Thanusha & Family

From the moment we arrived at Boulder Garden we just couldn’t stop smiling. It’s a hidden gem in Sri Lanka. It’s built beautifully into nature with a giant Boulder as the roof of the open air restaurant. The rooms are more basic than others that we have stayed in whilst in Sri Lanka but it was our favourite hotel for so many reasons. The host and all of the staff were so friendly. The food was amazing, delicious rice and curry the first night and a 7 course menu the second night. You can sit and watch the monkeys playing for hours in the trees above you. Swimming in a rainforest pool in the middle of a rain storm was also amazing. The food was such good value for money as well. Would not hesitate to recommend this place, you won’t have stayed at anywhere quite like it.