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.

The overall place is s nice old stone house, in a remote and 'quiet' district.
With a lot of rather old furniture and displays. interesting architecture.
Our room was very large. The dust was not cleaned, as for spider webs a bit everywhere in the house.
The large bathroom is quite old, yet functional.
We were alone for 2 days, which gave a sense of a privately rented home.
The staff and manager were nice.
For a 90usd/night, we found if very much overpriced. This price would be ok if the place was spotless clean, with modern bathrooms.

We tried out the Stone House Lodge in Kandy run by the remarkable Asoka Ratwatte, Sri Lanka really is as much about the people as the places visited. However, lets start with the place; Stone House is very tasteful in an understated sort of way. It feels deeply calming and has a beautiful garden with a lily pond. For my partner and I it was the perfect base. The staff were polite and attentive without being intrusive and met all our weird food requirements for dinner and breakfast. It was a relief to get back there after all the sightseeing trips we undertook – impossible to see all Sri Lanka has to offer in one go.

The proprietor Asoka is quite simply the person to know in Kandy. He arranged everything for us to do while we were there including hiring a driver and recommending hotels, restaurants etc, which turned out to be spot on. He never tried to push his Lodge at us, (I should mention that he was a recommended contact given to me by a friend in Colombo), suggesting quite a few other places to stay beforehand, but Stone House turned out to be the best choice for us. Asoka is delightfully entertaining and if he had stayed in Britain where he was educated he would no doubt be livening up various UK tv shows with his wicked sense of humor and anecdotes. Otherwise he is a mine of information on most aspects of Sri Lanka.

I could go on but I won’t because I would hate it if this little haven became so popular that we couldn’t get a booking.

We found this lovely retreat through Lonely Planet. we were looking for a base in the kandy area for our first trip to Sri lanka and this did not disapoint. We were made to feel especially welcome and enjoyed the quiet attractions of the garden and location with views over the hills and Kandy. The master Bedroom was lovely with everything to hand that we needed including a spacious bathroom and ceiling fan. The living and dining room were spacious and sitting on the outdoor terrace in the evening was great. Meals prepared by the resident staff were a wonderful introduction to Sri lankan food and very reasonable too.

The staff also organised airport transfer and a car to take us into the Hill Country. All wonderful and highly recommendable