Some previous reviews have been a bit harsh: ok, Shalini does have old furnishings, but it's clean, staff are friendly, and we thought the food was some of the best we had in Sri Lanka. The guide who works from the hotel, Rameez, gave us an excellent tour round the Anuradhapura's remarkable sights. Overall, a decent, good value place to stay.

I stayed at the hotel 2 nights. I arrived late the first one, but I was still served some delicious food, really yummy and as usual in Sri Lanka, extremely veggie friendly. I had only one day to stay in the city before going back south so I decided to take the guide for the day in order to make the most of it. I think that was the best decision I made. the guide Rameez speaks good english and he really knows his stuff. We visited everything on bikes, which was an absolute pleasure, he showed me everything that I wanted to see and more, he understood that I didn't want to be rushed and so we took our time. One of the best day of my stay in Sri Lanka. For the hotel, I don't remember it being over priced and I definitly know that the food is really cheap compared to the quantity and quality. Overall, I would recommand the hotel.

Ok from the outside it's obvious it's had better days, our room was the tiny one at the back.. It was clean and sufficient.. No one was hard selling to us.. The waiter was a star.. Such a friendly man.. Great curry.. When it was all gone more was offered .. Nice gesture...

We stayed here for two nights. The room was clean but small. The food was delicious and the friendly waiter taught us how to eat with our fingers, Sri Lankan style. We had a good stay, but it was overpriced, compared to the places we stayed at in the rest of the country.
They organised bikes for us to hire - great value and an amazing way to explore all the ruins.