Rainforest Eco Lodge

‘Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.’

– Lao Tzu

Once the quarantine period was over, we went for a beautiful tour. This time, we thought of going for a family trip. After all, you should spend some quality time with them as well. A group of 11 people including two kids headed to Rainforest Eco Lodge in Deniyaya.

With high expectations, the DuoEscapes couple went to the property. 

What we expected:

  • A beautiful and luxurious property amidst the rainforest.
  • Exceptional service
  • Optimum comfort
  • Lip-smacking food

Was it a good experience? Were we enthralled by the service and food?

We will tell you more about it in this article. Let’s begin with the Rainforest Eco Lodge review.

The Real Challenge – Reaching Rainforest Eco Lodge

Rainforest eco lodge, duoescapes
Road to Rainforest Eco Lodge

Reaching the property is a highly challenging task. However, you will get true feeling of the nature once you enter the forest area. On the way, we also witnessed the Patna Deniyaya (Burus Gala), which is one of the famous attractions of tourists.

Burus Gala, Sliding rock, Patna, Duo escapes
Patna Burus Gala (Sliding rock)

Since the road was narrow, we were conscious (and frightened) to drive on the road. Well, of course, we had elders and kids in the group, so the overriding thought was to keep them safe. We won’t deny that throughout the journey, we enjoyed the view (However, we later got to know that the hotel provides shuttle service also).

‘Difficult roads often lead to beautiful places.’

Speaking of the journey, let’s tell you more about the stellar location.

Being Close To Nature

Have you heard about the famous Sinharaja Rainforest? The property borders the fringe of the same rainforest. In other words, the property location is beautiful. The sky has never been clearer and the surroundings cannot be greener than this! We were happy with the location because we were extremely close to nature.

It takes 4.5 to 5 hours to reach the property from Colombo City!

Moving on, let’s skim through the details about the rooms, food, and check-in process.

Note – We went for the full-board option as we got an exciting offer!

Pleasant Arrival, Decent Rooms

The entrance of the hotel is gorgeous. We headed to the lobby and were happy with the welcome drinks.

Gorgeous Entrance, Duo escapes
Gorgeous Entrance of the hotel

The staff informed that it will take a couple of minutes to get the rooms ready.

We got 4 rooms – room number 7 to 10.

The rooms had an astonishing architecture. The interesting thing to note is that the architect has used containers to build the chalets. Do you know that the private deck is made up of rejected railway sleepers? It is possible that they are trying to live up to their ‘eco lodge’ reputation.  

Interior of the room

Almost all of these container chalets have a view of another chalet on the opposite side. We could see the interiors of the other villas, once the curtains are open. Maybe this is not as good for those who want privacy!

Villa, Rainforest Eco lodge, Duo Escapes
View from the room

Nonetheless, it is surrounded by lush greenery.

We were expecting a little more comfort and better furnishings. The wooden floor and bathroom doors, were damaged. Bummer!

Perhaps they need to work on renovating the property.

Those who booked the triple occupancy room did not get an extra mattress. There was a sofa which was turned into a single bed using two cushions. Really? We were highly disappointed because the comfort level was quite low.

bathroom of rainforest ecolodge
Bathroom of Rainforest Eco Lodge

Not So Heavenly For Food Lovers

Lunch: ***/*****

We wish to give the food 3 stars out of 5.

After reaching the property, we settled for lunch. Since we are food lovers, we can tell you that the food was not extraordinary. There is no buffet lunch (may be due to Covid 19 safety concerns) and they had local Sri Lankan cuisine such as curries and rice.

They had a good variation, but the taste was not extraordinary though we were expecting a lot more. No brownie points for the property!

Once again, the dinner was not impressive. There were not many options to select and the kitchen had got pork and chicken option, but no fish options. None of us were satisfied with the meal! We all have different tastes, maybe someone else would like it.

Kind of similar experience for breakfast too.

Adventure with the Group

It was hiking time at the Sinharaja Rainforest. We hired a guide from the hotel, because it is not allowed to head inside without one.

They charge 700 rupees per adult and 250 rupees per child for the experience. Of course, the natural walk/waterfall hike was good, but there were some challenges as we had older people and kids in our group.

We were not able to go further inside and we all had a nice dip in a natural pool on the way and headed back!

Natural pool for a perfect dip (on the way of our nature walk)

Next day, we went for a morning walk on our own. It was a pleasant experience because we could spot many birds, including endemic birds! This resort is a paradise for bird lovers. There is no doubt that the location is amazing. That was a main selling point of the hotel!

Birding, Duo Escapes
Birding on our own

Concluding Thoughts

If you want solitude or wish to explore Sinharaja Rainforest, then this property is a must-go.

Let’s not forget that they charge 150 rupees for a bottle of water of 500ml.

Overall, an average experience. We came back with mixed thoughts.

The Positives: Superb location (Adjacent to Sinharaja Rainforest),

The Negatives: Worn out Interiors, Food and Comfort

Should you head to Rainforest Eco Lodge? Maybe once in a lifetime! The property should work on their food, changes to the furniture and panelling, specially when catering the locals.

Our Villa

Tell us whether you liked the article! We are always craving for constructive feedback.

Also check out all our articles on Duo Escapes and also latest offers

Points to Note: Rainforest Eco Lodge

  • Price: Rs.16,000 (USD 85) per double room and Rs.20,000 (USD 105) per triple room (Booked 3 triple rooms and 1 double room on full board basis)
  • Visited in July 2020
  • The road to the hotel is challenging uphill but can manage with any type of vehicle. You can also request the shuttle service from hotel, parking your vehicle at the security point
  • The hotel is located in the Sinharaja Border and one of the most beautifully located hotels with the surroundings
  • The resort has 20 rooms in total, and 16 of them are located as separate villas
  • The Hotel needs some serious refurbishments since most of the interior are worn out
  • Food menus should be upgraded to suit the locals more if the hotel plans to cater to locals
  • Though most of the hotels provide water complimentary as per the guests requirement, Rainforest only provide 2 water bottles per day and charge Rs.150 per additional water bottle
  • The guided walks costs Rs.700/adult and Rs.250 per child. The hotel does not provide any packages for groups, so it might be costly to go there as a group

8 comments

  1. Spot on! We also travelled in July 2020 and felt that the seevice was downgraded.
    The stay could have been much better! But it was a nice change of scenary for sure.

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