Grand Udawalawe Safari Resort

5.0 star property
your current months are December, 2024 and January, 2025.
December 2024
January 2025

Photo gallery for Grand Udawalawe Safari Resort

Outdoor pool, open 8 AM to 8 PM, pool umbrellas, pool loungers
Bar (on property)
Exterior
Aerial view
International cuisine

Reviews

8.2 out of 10

Very good

Popular amenities

  • Bar
  • Pool
  • Breakfast available
  • Gym
  • Spa
  • Room service

Explore the area

Map
912, Thanamalwila Road, Udawalawa
  • Udawalawe National Park
    18 min walk
  • Elephant Transit Home
    20 min walk
  • Una Sevena Restaurant
    1 min walk
  • Haputale Railway Station
    91 min drive

Room options

Luxury Suite

  • 48 sq m
  • Sleeps 4
  • 1 King Bed

Super Deluxe Room

  • 33 sq m
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 King Bed OR 2 Twin Beds

Grand Suite

  • 48 sq m
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 King Bed

Deluxe Room

  • 33 sq m
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 King Bed OR 2 Twin Beds

Similar properties

About the area

Udawalawa

When you stay at Grand Udawalawe Safari Resort in Udawalawa, you'll be in a national park, you'll be a 2-minute drive from Udawalawe National Park. .This family-friendly hotel is within the region of Sinharaja Forest Reserve and Tangalle Beach.

What's nearby

  • Udawalawe National Park - 18 min walk
  • Elephant Transit Home - 20 min walk
  • Udawalawe Reservoir - 32 min drive
  • Maduwanwela Walawwa - 33 min drive
  • Sinharaja Forest Reserve - 68 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Elephant Trail Restaurant - ‬7 min drive
  • ‪Common Rose - ‬2 min drive
  • ‪Kottawaththa Village Inn - ‬2 min drive
  • ‪Bathgedara Restaurant - ‬14 min walk
  • ‪Ali Mankada Restaurant - ‬9 min drive

About this property

Grand Udawalawe Safari Resort

Luxury hotel with a winery and a full-service spa
Grand Udawalawe Safari Resort offers 79 air-conditioned accommodations with minibars and safes. Flat-screen televisions come with cable channels.

Bathrooms include bathrobes, slippers, bidets, and complimentary toiletries. This Udawalawa hotel provides complimentary wired Internet access. Additionally, rooms include complimentary bottled water and coffee/tea makers. A nightly turndown service is provided and housekeeping is offered daily. Amenities available on request include irons/ironing boards.

An outdoor pool and a children's pool are on site. Other recreational amenities include a fitness center.

The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.

Guests can indulge in a pampering treatment at the hotel's full-service spa.
Make yourself at home in one of the 79 air-conditioned rooms featuring minibars and flat-screen televisions. Complimentary wired internet access keeps you connected, and cable programming is available for your entertainment. Private bathrooms have complimentary toiletries and bidets. Conveniences include phones, as well as safes and coffee/tea makers.
Take time to pamper yourself with a visit to the full-service spa. If you're looking for recreational opportunities, you'll find an attached winery, an outdoor pool, and a fitness center. This hotel also features complimentary wireless internet access, concierge services, and an arcade/game room.
Enjoy a meal at Una Sevana, or stay in and take advantage of the hotel's 24-hour room service. Relax with your favorite drink at the bar/lounge or the poolside bar. Buffet breakfasts are available daily from 6:30 AM to 10 AM for a fee.
Featured amenities include complimentary newspapers in the lobby, dry cleaning/laundry services, and a 24-hour front desk. A shuttle from the airport to the hotel is provided for a surcharge (available 24 hours), and free self parking is available onsite.
Buffet breakfasts are available for a surcharge and are served each morning between 6:30 AM and 10 AM.
Una Sevana - This restaurant specializes in international cuisine.
24-hour room service is available.

Languages

English, German, Japanese

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free wired Internet
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and public transport

  • Free self-parking on site
  • 24-hour pick-up airport shuttle (surcharge)
  • Airport shuttle on request

Food and drink

  • Buffet breakfast available for a fee daily 6:30 AM–10 AM: USD 10 for adults and USD 5 for children
  • 1 restaurant
  • 1 poolside bar and 1 bar
  • 24-hour room service

Restaurants on site

  • Una Sevana

Things to do

  • Arcade/games room
  • Bike rentals
  • Billiards/pool table
  • Children's pool
  • Ecotours
  • Fitness centre
  • Full-service spa
  • Outdoor pool
  • Playground
  • Shopping
  • On-site winery

Family friendly

  • Arcade/games room
  • Children's pool
  • Free cots/infant beds
  • Laundry facilities
  • Outdoor pool
  • Playground
  • Rollaway/extra beds (surcharge)
  • Snack bar/deli

Conveniences

  • Banquet hall
  • Free newspapers in reception
  • Front-desk safe
  • Gift shop/newsstand

Guest services

  • 24-hour front desk
  • Concierge services
  • Daily housekeeping
  • Dry-cleaning service
  • Laundry facilities
  • Luggage storage
  • Porter/bellhop
  • Tour/ticket assistance
  • Turndown service
  • Wedding services

Business services

  • A meeting room

Outdoors

  • BBQ grill(s)
  • Garden
  • Picnic area
  • Pool sunloungers
  • Pool umbrellas
  • Terrace

Accessibility

  • This property does not have any lifts

More

  • Couples dining
  • Designated smoking areas
  • Romance packages available

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Air conditioning
  • Bed sheets
  • Blackout drapes/curtains
  • Ceiling fan
  • Free cots/infant beds
  • Rollaway/extra beds (surcharge)

Bathroom

  • Dressing gowns
  • Bidet
  • Free toiletries
  • Hairdryer
  • Private bathroom
  • Shampoo
  • Soap
  • Toilet paper
  • Towels

Entertainment

  • TV channels
  • Flat-screen TV

Food and drink

  • Champagne service
  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Electric kettle
  • Free bottled water
  • Minibar

More

  • Connecting rooms available
  • Iron/ironing board (on request)
  • Phone
  • Safe
  • Slippers
  • Turndown service

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 2 PM; Check-in end time: noon
Late check-in subject to availability
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before noon

Special check-in instructions

This property offers transfers from the airport (surcharges may apply); guests must contact the property with arrival details before travel, using the contact information on the booking confirmation
Front desk staff will greet guests on arrival

Access methods

Staffed front desk

Pets

No pets or service animals allowed

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome
Rollaway/extra beds are available for USD 30.0 per night
Free cribs are available on request at the property

Payment types

Important information

Fees

You'll be asked to pay the following charges at the property. Fees may include applicable taxes:

  • Christmas Eve (24 December) Gala Dinner per adult: USD 60.00
  • Christmas Eve (24 December) Gala Dinner per child: USD 30 (from 5 to 12 years old)
  • New Year's Eve (31 December) Gala Dinner per adult: USD 60.00
  • New Year's Eve (31 December) Gala Dinner per child: USD 30 (from 5 to 12 years old)

We have included all charges provided to us by the property.

Optional extras

  • Fee for buffet breakfast: approximately USD 10 for adults and USD 5 for children
  • Airport shuttle fee: USD 150 per room
  • Rollaway bed fee: USD 30.0 per night

The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards, debit cards, and cash
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher

We should mention

This property does not have elevators
Pool access available from 8 AM to 8 PM
The property has connecting/adjoining rooms, which are subject to availability and can be requested by contacting the property using the number on the booking confirmation
No pets and no service animals are allowed at this property

Property is also known as

Grand Udawalawe Safari Resort Udawalawa
Grand Udawalawe Safari Resort Embilipitiya
Grand Udawalawe Safari Embilipitiya
Udawalawe Safari Embilipitiya
Udawalawe Safari Udawalawa
Grand Udawalawe Safari Resort Hotel
Grand Udawalawe Safari Resort Udawalawa
Grand Udawalawe Safari Resort Hotel Udawalawa

Grand Udawalawe Safari Resort Reviews

Reviews

8.2

Very good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 28 out of 68 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 22 out of 68 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 9 out of 68 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 9 out of 68 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 68 reviews" "

8.6/10

Cleanliness

8.2/10

Staff & service

8.8/10

Amenities

8.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.2/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Ryan

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We loved our stay here! The staff were all great, the campus was clean and well taken care of, and our room was very nice. The restaurant breakfast and dinner buffets had a nice variety of food options as well. Watch out for monkeys in the morning - one tried to steal our cream and sugar during morning coffee on the balcony.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

Samaraweerage

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great place to relax and enjoy. A convenient location if you’re going for safari in Udawalawe national parks
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Danette

Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Sarah

Travelled with family, Travelled with family and small children, Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We had a wonderful time and experience here. The staff were above and beyond, the amenities were also really nice. We enjoyed the restaurant and bar and the food.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
The staff were pleasant. The room was large and comfortable. The bathroom was a bit gritty. The décor was gloomy. The food was good.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2020

10/10 Excellent

Jennifer

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
great stay in a great hotel
We had a fantastic time, the food was great - so many gluten free options, I’m coeliac so that made a huge difference. It was my 30th birthday when we arrived, they decorated my room, gave me a free drink and also made me a gluten free cake and sang to me - brilliant! This hotel was lovely, clean, had great pool and the staff were kind, attentive and always pleasant. we would definitely visit again :)
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2020

8/10 Good

Corey

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2020

8/10 Good

Murray

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good Spot
A great place to stay when planning a safari! Not much else to do in the area and hotel but perfect for a one night trip!
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2020

8/10 Good

Sneha

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good place but very average food
The hotel was nice and well kept. The room was really big and comfortable, the staff was helpful. The biggest issue that we faced was with the food. we are vegetarians so there were very limited choices to begin with (we are used to less options but this was abnormally low). Even the few options that were available tasted very bad. It was excessively salty and slightly under-cooked. The hotel’s safari jeep package was almost double of what we paid outside.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2020

6/10 Okay

BRIAN

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good location as near to the park and it has a pleasant swimming pool and Deluxe rooms were nice (not as described on website but still ok). Food was very poor and catered for tour groups and very expensive for food and drinks. They have no tour desk or leaflets regarding tours for independent travellers, however they booked an excellent trip for 2 people. One night here is enough as tour leaves at either 0530 or 1430 so only trip is needed and then elephant orphanage / transit home, which was worth a visit and in walking distance. Only hotel like this in the area so if you want the facilities then book this but be aware not up to expected standards.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2020

10/10 Excellent

Nicklas Møller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2020

8/10 Good

Robert

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent hotel - except for the food
Based on the hotel itself, we'd give this hotel a 5 star rating. The only reason we have to give it a 4 is that the food war really disappointing. We had been in Sri Lanka for about a week in various hotels and restaurants prior to this stay, and really love the food and have found the quality and flavor of food in this country to be very consistent. However, the food here was really rather bad. We ate dinner and breakfast here twice, and all meals were consistently poor. Even the papadums were kind of stale tasting - this is not that hard an item to cook well! Otherwise, the hotel was great - great rooms, great staff, excellent grounds, nice pool. But they really need to replace the food service manager or chef and upgrade their food.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2020

4/10 Poor

James

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disappointing stay
Unfortunately we did not have a great stay at Udawalawe Safari Resort. The hotel is in definite need of an upgrade and is very dated. The price is definitely overpriced for what you get (especially for Sri Lanka). The reception staff were very friendly but we had a bad experience in the restaurant for dinner and then again the following morning for breakfast. I am vegetarian and was served bacon in my breakfast. The main issue we had was the language barrier and attitude of the staff in the restaurant.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019

10/10 Excellent

Jared

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2019

4/10 Poor

Tahsin

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
No wifi in room. Public places have wifi very bad. Took spa but the towel was very dirty
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
We arrived in Grand Uda Walawe for 1 night only and it was beautiful. We got upgraded to a nicer room which is always a nice surprise and the staff was incredible. We used the spa to get a massage and that was also amazing. The hotel organised our safari to Uda Walawe and we got a guide from the park as well as our driver who were both very knowledgeable. Be aware that the curry in the restaurant was really quite spicy (we didn’t request mild or spicy so unsure which one we got). We had been fine with curries around Sri Lanka so far but this one was a little too fiery for me! The club sandwich though was fantastic! Staff was awesome and the hotel itself is beautiful. The room was luxurious and we had conditioner in the bathroom which is quite rare! Loved this place.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Staff were top notch. Great location. Lovely pool.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2019

8/10 Good

Rick, Crystal Lake, IL USA

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
A nice resort close to Udawalawe National Park. Enjoyed the pool area very much. Spacious room.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great one night stay
Great hotel, nice large rooms with powerful showers however the drains can’t keep up with the flow and the bathroom floods, good air conditioning and great on site restauarant with many different options in their buffet both for breakfast and lunch, the WiFi only works in common areas an not in rooms, this is the only thing I would suggest the hotel works on but the service and customer is first rate
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019

8/10 Good

Katherine

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019

8/10 Good

Joseph A

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Good for safari as it's so close to the park
Truly awful WiFi. The restaurant is expensive. Ideal for a one night stay if you want to do the safari
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent! We had a very comfortable room, friendly staff and great food
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2019

6/10 Okay

Martin

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Underwhelming at best.
Our stay here where underwhelming at best. First they messed up our booking and we needed to wait for a new room. For the price we pay the standard was not really good. The shower head needed to either be changed or a proper deep cleaning, around the bathtub it was a bad paint job who made it look more dirty. The towels was old and washed out, the bed linens too was old. The services, they were nice but the English was so bad that all communication was a frustration. Especially in the restaurants, who was overpriced, slow service and not that good. Several of us got sick afterwards. Oh. And the WiFi in the rooms was completely down and that was something we needed to ask around of instead in just informing us that at arrival.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2018

8/10 Good

Solli

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
It is a very nice location of the hotel, close to the road but very silence. The rooms are very comfortably and clean. A big nice pool. Very delicious food at the buffets, the only thing is you have to pay for your drinks during dinner, there should at least be one drink included. All there are working there was friendly and helpfull all the time. Would like to stay there again. Absolut perfect.
Stayed 4 nights in Nov 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely stay, rooms very clean and comfortable, staff helpful. Would recommend
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2018