Kalundewa Retreat

The staff were incredibly kind and abundantly helpful throughout our stay — warm, attentive, and genuinely welcoming, which made a significant difference. The food was exceptional — Michelin‑star quality. Significant, however, is the retreat’s confused identity — marketed as eco‑luxury, but in reality far closer to an eco‑lodge, with a few luxury touches and many rough edges. The property is over 20 years old, and this shows in both maintenance and overall finish. These issues have clearly been raised by previous guests, yet meaningful corrections do not appear to have been made, instead leaving frontline staff to manage potentially difficult conversations (especially about different beverage options). This feels less like oversight and more like a conscious failure to address known problems and to potentially deceive guests. On a human level, this is unfair to staff, who work tirelessly to make stays special. Management appeared chaotic, with little evidence of clear systems or processes. As guests, we were confused on what options were available to us during our stay. Overall: a serene setting with wonderful staff and exceptional dining, but ultimately overpriced for the level of polish, organisation, and transparency. Without significant correction to the business model and management approach, the current trajectory feels ill‑fated — which would be a real tragedy, at the very least for the staff who work so hard and genuinely care about guests.

The food was not satisfactory, the amenities are not in good condition, and the room shows considerable signs of wear and tear.

Unfortunately the room was full of mould. The place was very run down and there was mice. Amongst other issues. The staff were so kind and attentive and were very apologetic when we had to ask for our room cleaned. The food did not match the property at all, it was so tasty and amazing

Everything was in excellent condition

Kalundewa retreat is a beautiful boutique hotel experience in a serene and relaxed setting. The rooms are large and spacious and the food is excellent. The staff went out of their way to attend to our every need. The service we received was exceptional. I would highly recommend staying at this hotel.

Wow. Luxurious property with the friendliest staff. The food was everything was picked from their farm. So fresh, generous portions, and organic! Our stay was simply amazing. We stayed in both the Floating Villa, and then the Bankee Chalet. Highly reccomend. Everyone in that visits Sri Lanka should come here.

We had a very particular Nil room. You have to reach the and leave the room with a boat. To get out from the room you need to contact the reception with wifi which was not available all the time .This made a challenging stay and also very particular.You are in the nature .As all is widows it might be a little bit hot in day time. Altogether very particular stay with a very attentive staff .

Beautiful peaceful property in the middle of nature room with plunge pool was spectacular! Take a bike ride around the rice fields and see so many beautiful birds. I will come back and stay longer next time!

The place is serene and simply stunning. If you want to have a relaxing holiday, not doing much but hanging out by the swimming pool, cycling around rice fields, enjoying locally produced organic vegetable meals away from crowds of tourists and being attended to by friendly staff - here is your spot. It is in the midst of the nature so if you have limited tolerance to wild life, maybe reconsider, but I consider such place in this world today as a hidden gem. It was a perfect get away for us and would love to come back again.

Very bad smell in the bath area. Upper floor guest made huge noise and spoiled our stay. Since the upper floor is timber, it's better if you avoid this combination. It was nice place

You are surrounded by nature, birds, animals, everywhere you look. The staff is very friendly, funny, and the service is excellent. The property is lush and gorgeous. Its a magical place! But, the facilities are close to 10 years old, and being that close to nature has its «downsides», if you are not REALLY into it. Even so, we loved our time there. Tip: order the local dishes on the menu;)

My wife and I had an amazing stay at this retreat in an animal conservation area. We saw a huge variety of animals including birds, peacocks and monkeys! The room was very nice and a mosquito net was provided. All of the staff were very friendly and caring and I would definitely recommend a stay here!

The property is gorgeous, with mountain views across rice paddies. The staff is extremely sweet and will take you on nature walks throughout the property to spot birds and take a boat ride over the lake!

Beautiful location. Immersed in wildlife on this conservation site. Lovely staff with a very knowledgeable resident naturalist who took us on a bike tour of the local area- very knowledgeable about local biodiversity and sustainability. We were upgraded to a chalet which was very comfortable. We saw so much wildlife from the hornbills roosting near our chalet to monitor lizards, monkeys and sea eagles! The facilities borrow the landscape rather than dominate and its not the sort of place for free cocktails and extensive buffet dining either. The local food choices such as curry and rice are delicious - the more western dishes are fine but i woukd stick to sri lankan dishes which they are keen to cook. The chef cooked us an off menu dish of fish he had got from the market which was lovely! If you love nature and simple luxury you'll love Kalendewa.

Incredible ground, but a strange hotel. Trying to be boutique but distinctly average. Food was below par - especially considering the cost. Pretty sure it was pre processed out of a packet (in cubes) but described as fresh. Yuk. The room also felt dated even though it tried to seem modern. The massive grounds (with various unique animals) was a plus, but the fact that almost nobody else seemed to be at the hotel made it feel lonely - and weird. A shame really.