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Luxury boutique hotel and spa located in Anuradhapura, North Central of Sri Lanka. Built on 58 lush acres bordering two ancient reservoirs, surrounded by unspoilt nature and tucked away in complete privacy, the resort offers 19 spacious and luxurious Villas, 5 Deluxe Villas and 1 Suite, each with its own private plunge pool with all modern amenities. Ulagalla Resort is the perfect base for travelers with a thirst for adventure and a passion for wildlife. But great adventures are also about elegant simplicity – to return to a cool dip in the pool, rejuvenate in the spa or sip a sun downer on a private deck. Located in Cultural Triangle and close to national parks, the resort offers many excursions and guided tours: A cycling tour to explore the ancient capital of Anuradhapura, exciting wildlife safaris to the plains of Minneriya National Park to watch the elephants or to Wilpattu National Park – the realm of leopards. Explore marvels of archaeological and historical sites on a day trip
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Uga Ulagalla is often described by guests as a tranquil paradise, boasting meticulously clean and spacious villas complete with private pools. The hotel's luxurious amenities and serene atmosphere are consistently praised, with an eco-friendly vibe that enchants many travelers.
Nestled in a location perfect for cultural exploration, the hotel's service is generally lauded, though it's not without occasional hiccups. While some reviewers note the price as steep, others argue that the opulence and unique experiences offered provide significant value.
Location
Secluded
Atmosphere
Serene
Rooms
Luxurious
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Immaculate
Service
Attentive
Amenities
Lavish
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At Uga Ulagalla we felt like royals. We have travelled to many five star resorts in the past, and this place has without any doubt the most luxerious service, a la carte menu and service of the resorts we have been to. In the restaurant they serve three courses by your choice (we had half pensjon) wich every time looked like a piece of art, and tasted delicious. You can choose local dishes with vegetables, fruits, chicken, fish, scampi to name a few. All freshly made. You Also get a starter dish and freshly baked bread with three types of spread/butter before the meal you ordered arrives. You can easily spot that the staff has high experience in service. If you get to know them you will understand that many have worked all over the world. Every staff greeted us, smiled, and asked about our day. Especially thanks to Ruwan for making us feel like home. He even learned our difficult to understand Norwegian names, and quickly remembered our preferences like drink choises. We wish you all the best for the future. The room was washed perfectly every day, and they also arrived during dinner to close our curtains and fold the top of our sheets to the side ready for sleeping. We got fresh flowers, sweets, tea, coffe, nuts and water in our room for free, and also there was a minibar. The sceenery was beutiful. Loved our private swimming pool with the right temperature. Loved the wildlife. At the hotel we saw two kinds of monkeys, a varan,beutiful birds, chipmunks, bats and butterflies. The gym worked perfectly. There was water and towels ready for the guest. We reccomend not to bicycle when its dark. We got lost, and also had to helpe a neigbour who did the same thing. They happily pick you up at your room with the buggy at any time. Especially thanks to Kusar who gave us the best service, and cared about our wellbeing. Everyone orders a buggy when its dark. Me and mye family highly recomend this resort.
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Date of stay: June 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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We stayed at this resort for two weeks. The long journey is well worth it. You are in a wide, very well maintained area away from any noisy traffic roads. In the middle of the nature park. Perfect for switching off and coming down. Very spacious villas with private pool. Bicycles and buggy service are available. Many animals that can be found throughout the complex. The permanently present monkeys anyway. Furthermore peacocks, varans, mongooses and all kinds of small animals. The staff is consistently nice and accommodating without put on artificial courtesy. From the heart. Katharina and Sakun organized us excursions, although not quite cheap, but with a lasting "wow" effect. As for the restaurant, there is to say that the food is consistently of high quality. Man isst à la carte. No buffet. Taste excellent. For a two-week stay, however, the menu is a bit small. It repeats itself. Executive Chef Dinesh offered us that he would cook something else, but the menu was enough for us. Prices, even in in-room dining, are more upscale. You could talk to the staff in the restaurant for a very long time. Of particular note is Robin as the first man in the service. You could tell everyone was very interested in one. So a perfect relaxing holiday with lasting memories.
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Date of stay: December 2024
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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From the time we checked in to Uga Ullagalla we knew it was going to a special holiday. From the hotel rooms, to the spa to the experiences such as Kamatha (the village dining experience) were exceptional. What makes Uga stand out is their attention to detail and the extra mile that the staff go to to make sure everything is perfect. Rooms are cleaned twice a day and there is even a turn down service at the end of the day to make sure the rooms and your accommodation is prefect. You also absolutely have to experience the village dining at Kamatha. There is an additional charge for this but the whole experience is worth it and not to be missed. The food was amazing and the ambiance too was wonderful. They also give you an explanation of all of the customs and food during the process. All in all it was a perfect holiday.
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Date of stay: October 2024
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Expensive, certainly well above the standards. But an experience to live and relive. Uga Ullagalla is a splendid colonial estate located about 30 minutes from Anuradhapura, in a wonderful expanse of rice fields and forests and on whose borders there is a fascinating reservoir. The rooms are huge villas, all with private pools and whirlpools, furnished in a high-class rustic style. A huge and wonderful swimming pool stands in front of the main structure, the large colonial house where the restaurant is also located. The structure has a spa and a small gym (the latter in such a vast context seems decidedly undersized). In addition to the main restaurant where an excellent a la carte breakfast and international cuisine is served, a guided menu of land products cooked according to local recipes is offered in a small, very rustic equipped area literally in the middle of the rice fields. In the vast estate you generally move around with a buggy which at any time of the day or night takes you to your room, if anything located in the depths of the forest or overlooking the rice fields. The service is extremely accurate, the welcome is exceptional, also seasoned with a pleasant ritualism. Numerous excursions are organized both in the surroundings of the estate and in all the main tourist locations at prices considerably above any local standard, while bicycles can be used free of charge to roam around the vast estate. Ultimately Uga Ulagalla, despite the very high cost, is an unrepeatable experience, an absolute pleasure in a wonderful land like Sri Lanka.
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Date of stay: February 2024
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The ritual welcome of lighting the lamp and ringing the bell at the entry was a lovely way to begin our stay here. We had a beautiful suite of very spacious, superbly furnished rooms in a villa right on the outer edge of the estate with views over paddy fields from our terrace and pool. The staff are lovely, all very friendly and helpful. The buggies that ferry you around the place were always quick to arrive.
A horse ride one morning around the estate and out to the lake and village was wonderful, a gentle walk on Rolex, a lovely horse who likes his palm leaves!
Very varied selection of food on offer for lunch and dinner, over the course of a couple of days our choices included meaty prawns, though a little light on taste; good pork ribs, though a little fatty, and the pak choi they were served with was inedible - very stringy; reasonable fillet steak; very good fish, prawn and squid tempura with a dressed salad.
The Elephant Research Centre does extremely good work with the local communities including the children, promoting their understanding and tolerance of the elephants in the area.
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Date of stay: February 2025Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We had a wonderful 4 days at Uga Ulagalla. The location is remote, and surrounded by nature. The staff are accommodating and friendly the food was good and I loved our villa which had its own pool. We had a lovely horse ride with Roxy and Rolex and a fantastic half day safari to Wilpattu with a very knowledgable guide organised through the hotel. We had an incredible dining experience at the Kamatha and cannot fault the staff, or food, it was very special.
The hotel grounds are very well looked after and we really enjoyed riding the bikes around.
The reason I am not giving Uga 5 stars is because the spa really lets it down. It needs an overhaul/update and the treatments we had were very average with the same song playing on repeat for the entire 90 minutes. I also had my HRT patch ripped off part way through, which was completely inappropriate. Such a shame.
To end on a high note, we had a very special few days at Uga celebrating some personal milestones and the staff and location were exceptional. If we ever return to Sri Lanka, we will be making a trip to Uga Ulagalla.
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Date of stay: August 2024
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
With one of the most beautiful hotels I've ever stayed in. The small number of rooms makes everything feel very personal and familiar. The entire hotel complex combines exclusive comfort with the natural environment and is very well maintained, beautifully landscaped and offers many opportunities for activities. The staff is very friendly throughout and responds to the personal wishes of the guests. The food and drinks are of very high quality and offers something for all tastes. We felt very comfortable and would come back anytime.
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Date of stay: January 2025Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I have never been to a hotel where I felt like a friend to all the staff. All the staff were so lovely, caring, took an interest in our day, provided excellent professional service. The Assistant Manager was very helpful with our booking at Kamatha, we got stuck in the mud in the game park, but he ensured everything was ready for us at the restaurant. This restaurant was very special, not cheap, but as it was small you felt like a guest in a private house, the sisters cooked a delicious feast and the setting is amazing. All the food was superb, we enjoyed all our dinners and breakfasts in the main restaurant, beautifully presented amazingly delicious food and fantastic service. The room was very spacious. Unfortunately the weather was not good, so we were unable to cycle and explore the grounds……..we will just have to return to this calm luxury oasis.
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Date of stay: November 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
An incredible experience from start to finish, with an amazing staff team that made it the brilliant. Nish and the Front office team had done an amazing job taking care of us and making sure that everything is in order. The room and the facilities are gorgeous with lots of attention to detail to all aspects of accommodation, The dining experience was top, with a great menu for both food and drinks and such a nice head chef who is always ready to make anything out of the menu. They had their own naturalist team which went above and beyond with their researches with the elephants and Rana was really knowledgeable and very informative with everything including the cultural sites. Overall we cannot recommend more and highly interested in returning again.
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Date of stay: September 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:Try to ride the bicycles around the property
Visiting the elephant research center is highly...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Uga Ulagalla is a beautiful place with fantastic grounds, we had a lovely time there. The staff are all wonderful and the rooms are truly beautiful, more like small cottages filled with everything you could possibly wish for including a plunge pool. We went for a bike ride around the local area and saw lots of birds. We also enjoyed a nature walk with a naturalist and a drive and picnic. The naturalist was very knowledgeable and great at spotting birds. Ulagalla are passionate about wildlife, especially protecting the elephants, and there is a research station that you can visit to find out more. There is so much that you can do whilst staying at Uga Ulagalla. We really enjoyed the Kamatha experience, 25 Sri Lankan dishes! Special thanks to Diluka and Manel (the chef that prepared all the fab dishes), as well as all the other incredible staff.
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Date of stay: January 2025
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Well we only stayed for one night as part of the Rickshaw Run so we could t stay any longer and therefore didn’t have time to do the activities, but that didn’t matter because all we wanted to do was relax, I think if you wanted a combination of both, I.e doing nothing and a few activities then 3 days would be fine, and after 4 you might want to explore Sri Lanka further but I have to tell you that we absolutely loved it there, it really was top class!
Colombo, Sri Lanka127 contributions53 helpful votes
The bedroom was well protected. The dining area was open but didn't have any mossies. However, it would be best to carry the repellent with you since they are bound to be around the lovely gardens during the 5.30pm to 6.30pm times.
There are more places to choose from in the Thirappane area.
PRICE RANGE
AU$408 - AU$873 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
ulagalla hotel thirappane
LOCATION
Sri LankaNorth Central ProvinceThirappane
NUMBER OF ROOMS
25
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