First, when we drove in from Pollanaruwa, the hotel was tough to find.
We paid nearly 100 USD a night--- and had an experience that really was not up to the mark.
The bathtub was dirty when we got there, the towels were wet!
The food--- well there was no ala carte-- you just HAD to eat what was on the buffet.
Finally, there is not internet-- no business center. You just don't expect such complete lack of connectivity in today's day and age, especially at a place with the sort of room rents that this one charges.
All in all we really found the place completely not worth it.
Avoidable.

Very disappointing place, dirty, very poor maintenance, quite expensive for room we keep our dog in ...
very simple kitchen, definitely not a place to rcommend

After a long drive up from Kandy, this hotel was a welcome rest. We stayed in a refurbished room and could not have been happier. It was well-appointed, clean, air-conditioned and full of interesting detail. The grounds were quite nice and we enjoyed the ample seating on the veranda where we could enjoy a cool drink and decompress. The food was average but the service was better than an most of the hotels we encountered along our trip.

Renting a bicycle was definitely the best way to tour the city, especially at dusk when many monuments were all but deserted. It was very convenient that the hotel had bicycles to rent but be sure to check them out before agreeing to take one as not all are in even basic working order.

We got two double rooms in what appeared to be the refurbished part. The property - the dwellings of a former Dutch Governor - has got lots of character and is set in a semi forested area with plenty of beautiful old trees. The furniture is esthetically okay but frugal. There were only beds in our rooms, i.e. no chairs. So, you either sit/lie on the bed or you stand... or you spend your time outside your room. The only entertainment on offer were a few books - mostly on Buddhism - to be picked up at the common area. However, the lighting in the room is relatively dim and extended reading is therefore not advisable. There is no TV. The establishment has a sister resthouse some 3 km away where guests of Tissawewa can use the pool at no extra charge. The Tissawewa Grand itself however does not have such luxuries. There is however a restaurant serving a selection of simple dishes. We were however surprised when we were told that orders for the dinner had to be placed 2 hours in advance. The food (local fare) was okay but the table cloth was used and had stains all over it. My wife observed how the waiter dusted off the table we were eating at with a cloth after we were done. Sure enough, the breakfast the next morning was served on the same cloth.
All in all, the stay was bearable. However, given the fact that the place essentially only provides a place to sleep and nothing else (--> no bar/alcoholic beverages, no TV, no internet connectivity, no pool etc.), the USD 95 price tag per room (B/B) seems unjustifiable - even by the generally overpriced Sri Lankan standards! A comparable package in Thailand would cost no more than USD 30.