It was difficult to know how much things cost. There was no menu. The prices came as a surprise.

We did not meet the owner. We were told the house had been sold. Building work is being carried out, so if you stay in, you cannot spend a quiet morning resting in. We were not told about the building work and the price of accommodation remained unchanged.

We had one evening meal US$14 per person; breakfast was included in the room rate. The meal was tasty.

The room and bathroom was not cleaned daily. Towels were not changed daily. If you stay, bring
your own soap and shampoo. Yet, a service charge of 10% is levied.

The location away from Kandy is good. We walked down the hill and took a bus into town - 10 rupees per person. However, using the bus and walking up the hill at night is not a good option - poor visibility. The tuk-tuk charged 300 rupees to take us to the train station.

Apart from the smallish well kept garden this Hotel needs an urgent clean, repaint and renovation.Run by two "managers" it is sadly neglected.A small hard bed in a large room.No water,no fridge no A/C,no tea tray and no hair dryer and no room made up between nights.2 ancient TV's in the guest area were unconnected (No aerials!!)It's too far from Kandy to eat out so we were forced to eat in.We are still recovering from the bill which is as follows

2 nights accommodation $210 (agreed in advance)

2 cheese and Tom. sandwiches(really poor) $10 (reduced from the $20 they wanted to charge!)Price next day in the Kandy Botanical Gardens 2 sandwiches total $5 -and this time included chips and salad.

5 Beers $15 (reduced from the $20 they wanted to charge). Going rate in SL is $12 .50 - $15

4 Dinners and 6 pots of tea $52( reduced from $84 ) This is twice the going rate for a meal and a pot of tea. Usually $6-7 and $2 respectively.

2 Cokes $6 (normal price under $1)

Service charge of total10% which we refused to pay.

Total paid $314
TOTAL REQUESTED $363

There was no written list of their charges anywhere. They appeared to double or even treble the going rate and when the finance "manager was challenged he said "well not many people come"

That says it all!

We can only suggest that the non resident Colombo based owner checks his books and the bill for our stay .We still think there is a large overcharge.

Whilst Stone House Lodge may cost more per night than other places in Kandy it makes up for it in friendliness, character and tranquility, set in lush gardens with birds of paradise a plenty in the hills above Kandy

We stayed there in the very heavy rains so could not enjoy the beautiful gardens as much as we had hoped but it was great to be out of the hustle and bustle (dust esp.) of Kandy.

The manager (Selwarag) and staff were very friendly, polite and accommodating, cleaning our room when we asked and arranging breakfast or dinner to suit us.

We had the best rice & curries in Sri Lanka here, each evening a different selection of delicious dishes, although at approx $20 a meal (for 2 people) they were more expensive than elsewhere in Kandy, but we had a mix of eating out/eating in to suit us.

The rooms have colonial era furniture and the bathrooms are deco in style, so they are not white ideal standard types, but are full of character.

In essence it was like staying with a friend, and the helpful tips for where to go in Kandy and arranged day trips to tea estates, toddy tapping, elephant orphanage and many temples and sites off the beaten track were just what we were looking for, despite the rain.

If you don't mind paying approx $100 a night B&B (chose the huge master suite) for a relaxing, friendly and characterful stay I would highly recommend Stone House Lodge to those looking for something a bit out of the ordinary...

We stayed here for our last few nights in Sri Lanka before heading home. Because it was our last stop we thought we would treat ourselves to the Stone House Lodge, which was more expensive that the other three places we stayed in around Sri Lanka. We were very disappointed. You do not get anywhere near service that matches the prices they charge ($105 per night).

The location is a quiet idyll from the bustle of Kandy, but it's a little farther our that Lonely Planet describes. The rooms are in a colonial style, but the bathrooms are in need of an update and were dirty.

The rooms were unclean. Also, despite asking for a double we got two single beds pushed together. This in itself isn't that uncommon in Sri Lanka but we stayed in some pretty basic accommodation on our travels around the country and these places managed to give us a double bed for nearly a quarter of the cost - so what is stopping Stone House Lodge?

The staff were friendly but the cost of the food, beer and tea at the Lodge is totally extortionate compared to the prices at restaurants or even other hotels on the island. We also heard that the place is currently being sold, so for the time being we would recommed that you avoid this place.