We stayed here for our last night in Sri Lanka and it was just what we needed. The lovely host and her son were so helpful, accommodating and very relaxed about things (they let us charge our laptops and phones in the hallway and searched all over for an adaptor for us). We stayed in the avocado room which was homely and comfortable and we had a spotless full suite bathroom. It's in a convenient location near Cinammon Gardens and a tuk tuk is easy to pick up on the main road. In terms of getting a tuk tuk back you'll need to just tell them the park it's near as all the drivers knew where that was. Breakfast was good with as much toast and tea as you wanted plus omelettes and fresh fruit. We'd recommend asking the host to arrange a taxi to the airport as it was significantly cheaper than any other quote we'd had. A real find in this busy city and you'll get to meet Bimbo the dog (very playful and well behaved!).

We visited here again after about three years. We were amazed to see the level of service was still amazing, but this time, pretty much every room was booked. All the guests we spoke to commented on how much they enjoyed staying here. The Wi-Fi worked great.

The breakfasts in the morning are really something special. The attention to every detail, with high-quality fruits, presentation and cooking techniques made each breakfast an experience on its own.

We spent a total of eight nights here, in between two trips around the island. We had people to visit in the Colombo area, and so this was a convenient base for us. Some guests we spoke to liked to walk to the downtown (galle-face) area, while others prefered the Tuk-Tuk. In either case, it's an easy ride, or a long walk...with our kids, we preferred the ride.

Good shopping is very close by, and this rest house is in a quiet area away from the very busy Colombo traffic. We spent the first couple of days just relaxing from our 30 hour flight from Canada, so the peace and serenity of this place was very much appreciated.

I think another reviewer commented this is a luxurious stay at a very modest price. I would totally agree. This is the perfect place for someone who wants to be pampered but does not want to pay the high prices of Colombo area hotels, which are 2-3 times the price of this place.

I think the type of experience you will have at the Garden Guest House goes back to Colonial Ceylon, and will soon be lost in the modern-day Sri Lanka. Stay here while you can, to experience something truly unique.

I will start with one single warning, taxi drivers will have no idea where this place is, they will say they do but they don't. So make sure you print out a map & take down the telephone number before leaving home

However once you are there you can look forward to a very good stay

Stayed for single night, very much a family run guest house, think we met mum, sister & son
All very friendly & helpful, organised transport to the station in the morning at local rate not tourist
Room was very good, fitted wardrobe magically open to reveal bathroom with separate bath & shower.
Wi Fi too

We stayed at the beginning and end of our trip around Sri Lanka. What amazing hosts we had, providing such genuinely friendly service.....unlike anything we have ever seen. The attention to detail was un-matched.

Although this place is much less expensive than Colombo area hotels, the service is much higher. If you are coming in after a long flight, I suggest staying here for a three days to help getting over your jet-lag before heading out for more rustic accommodations around the rest of the island. If you are a back-packer type who is looking for the most basic place to sleep...go somewhere else. We spent a couple days at the end as well to unwind and feel pampered before our long flight home.