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Waterfall Homestay, perched on top of a hill, directly in front of the Little Ravana waterfall and surrounded by jungle makes this one of the most stunning places in Ella to stay. Choose from three beautiful rooms, two with 180 degree views and one with french doors opening on to a large veranda. Waterfalls Homestay is not just another guest house in Ella with a view. It is a relaxing, friendly paradise where you will feel truely at home. And only 1.5km from the town of Ella makes it definitely worth venturing off the beaten track for.
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Recently stayed 2 nights at Waterfalls homestay and can not fault it. Karen and her family were excellent at recommending an itinerary for Ella during our stay. Breakfast on the balcony was tasty with amazing views of the waterfalls. I highly recommend staying here. Please note you need to book with them directly via their website!
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Date of stay: December 2017
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 have stayed here four times and each time it has been just a wonderful few days. We have travelled all over the world and stayed in hundreds of guesthouses. Waterfalls is certainly one of our top three places to stay. Three artistically furnished rooms - all with different characters - are centred on a lovely open balcony and decking area jutting out above the surrounding jungle where monkeys and giant squirrels scamper acrobatically whilst the jungle birds call out. Breakfast is sumptuous with a different angle each day. Staff are friendly, helpful and very well trained. The family management team get everything right and go out of their way to assist you and advise you in every way. Karen was away this time, so Husband Martin and daughter Kiah ran things between them. Kiah is a really lovely young lady - very smiley and positive. Martin is just a great guy with a fund of stories about his wide life experiences as a vet. He's a blues fan like me and we spent a memorable evening this year sharing a beer or three whilst watching his classic collection of blues dvds. Karen and Martin have also made a huge contribution to the local community by fostering a local cooperative and helping a number of individuals succeed and enhance their lives. Just a wonderful place......but you better book up early or you may not find there is a room available.
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Date of stay: January 2017
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.
When we arrived later in the evening at Waterfalls . Martin the Aussie proprietor along with his charming daughter Kyah (Mom was out of town) were the greeters ... well actually Kyah was .. Martin was in front of the telly. Big cricket match apparently. Later in the evening in our rooms we hear the blues drift over from the patio ( which will turn out to be a stunning setting in the morning ) "Is some guest playing music at this time of night in this idyllic setting ? ... that's a little ... ummm .. presumptuous ?". But it was Martin trying a pretty decent playlist on his guests ... Martin is a bit of a rocker and a storyteller. The music was great and it picked up our mood ... and introduced us to Martin.
"So how do do you live in SL without the blues Martin?" sounded like an appropriate introduction. " Like everything else mate ... you bring it with you.". This started one of the most caz and fun stays we have had in SL. The breakfasts were the best we've had in SL. They really care about every aspect of your stay ... btw take their recommendation on the home cooked meal next door for at least one dinner and arrive on time for terrific (hot) food. "Chill" in town is great fun and probably the best food in town ... and you will likely see Martin there which might earn you a free beer IF you are a fan of a little more aussie b.s. which I happen to be. I mean the guy did my laundry on his own volition ! .. though his ironing sucks but what the hell Thanks !
oh about the dogs barking ? Cmon mangy dogs are running around all over Asia and they bark and there is nothing any proprietor can do about it. If it's not here, it - or they - will disturb another guest house the next night. Bring wax earplugs anytime you travel in Asia - and Ambien ... really what do you expect a proprietor to do ? Go on a hunt ? Apologize for stray dogs ? Martin will just turn up the blues for you
Don't miss Waterfalls Homestay it's beautiful and a lot of fun
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Date of stay: January 2017
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 stayed here for 3 nights and had a wonderful time! You can be by yourself or hang out with the super friendly host family - almost like roommates (that clean after you and make food). Make sure to have good time for the breakfast, it is a real treat. Trust their advice reg. hikes and trips: They arranged a fantastic tour to the AMBA tea plantation, a cooking class and coordinated with a guesthouse for our onward journey. 🍺👍
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Date of stay: January 2017
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.
This place is great. Karen hosts beautifully; full of friendly chat and useful advice. The views are amazing: breakfast out on the terrace looking across the valley was pretty special. the food was lovely, both the local curry and the western food: breakfast was plentiful and the coffee kept flowing. We (my wife and 9yo daughter and I) stayed for three nights and ate different food, and excellent food for breakfast and dinner each night. The rooms are simple but do what they are supposed to do - there was plenty of space (we had an extra bed in ours for our daughter).
Its a short up-and-down walk (about 20 minutes) back into Ella, or a couple of minutes in a tuk-tuk and for the views it was worth hiking out of town.
Eating in Ella was a disappointment - we tried a couple of the local cafes and were disappointed - glad we were staying at Waterfall's where the food was truly excellent.
There is a menage of cats and dogs, so you need to like animals to stay here.
A really lovely spot which was really hard to leave.
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Date of stay: July 2014
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.
This was the guesthouse we were the most looking forward too after reading the reviews. The setting is stunning, the room lovely, great food and lovely pets but we found the service poor and the worst of the 11 places we stayed in whilst in Sri Lanka. Karen was away at the time and I must say she had been great with email communications before arrive so it was probabally due to her absence. We had arranged to be picked up from the train station, she had even said don't worry if the train is late, we can here the train going past. Nobody turned up and we spent a good 10 minutes being harrassed by all the tuk tuk drivers and eventually had to take one when nobody turned up. No apology or reason was offered on arrival. We were after some advise on what to do around the area and would have liked to do a trip by tuk tuk to some of the sights but we were brushed off by the owner on our several attempts to ask. He just seemed to sit around drinking. The cook was not much beter with the answer "no idea" to a question. The website mentioned that they have thier own tuk tuk driver but this was not the case whilst we were there, when we wanted to go into town in the evening it was always a different driver that was called and they always wanted more money that what we had been told it would be. We stayed for 4 nights and the room was never cleaned and we never had hot water. We were told by the owner to ask the cook to book a car and driver and we had to keep asking him over the 4 days, the night before he said it was done and quoted the price and then the next morning he said it was more so I am sure he only booked it that morning. It was 30 mins late which would not have worried us except that we had to be somewhere at a certain time, and it was the worst vehicle we had on the trip, the back seat was broken so every time the driver braked we ended by banging into his seat! On arrival we were asked if we would like a drink which was the same at all the guest houses we stayed at in Sri Lanka but at waterfalls it appeared on our bill which we thought was a bit cheeky! The owner was boasting how they were booking up untill Febuary next year so maybe it is a case of they don't have to try anymore which is a great shame as they really have a piece of paradise in Ella. They add a service charge to the bill(the only guest house to do this) which I have no problem with as long as you actually get good service not the worst we experienced in Sri Lanka!
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Date of stay: August 2013
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 Rooms are unique, The views spectacular, The food was lovely and Karen really treats you like you are at home. We stayed our two first days in Sri Lanka in this paradise place and we could have stayed longer just to relax and eat the lovely food.
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Date of stay: July 2012
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.
Wow! How they only charges Rs3,500 a night (jungle room) is beyond me, they could easily double their prices and we wouldn't grumble. Having read the reviews, you are always a little sceptical if somewhere is really that great but I have to report that it was. We stayed for 3 nights and totally fell in love with this place. The rooms are simple but extremely clean and nicely decorated (though pink in jungle room...ha ha - sorry Karen!). This room might be small but it has it's own little private terrace, so it feels a bit bigger. The shared areas are lovely, great places to sit and read (have afternoon tea) or stare at beautiful surroundings and waterfall. Ella is beautiful and the homestay is a great base to go and explore Ella Rock or little Adam's peak or just people watch at the station.
Then there's the food. Kamal is clearly a talented chef and we had 3 dinners which were all different but all executed perfectly. This was certainly the best food we had on the Island, considerably better than Galle Fort Hotel and a third of the price. Breakfast which were included (!) were excellent as was the coffee.
I cannot recommend this place enough - if you're thinking of staying there, do it and stay for 3 days and really enjoy its benefits - they will even send a free tuk tuk to get you from town/station!
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Date of stay: November 2011
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.
This really was a highlight of our tour of Sri Lanka in June. Spend 2 perfect nights here - Karen and Martin were perfect hosts - fantastic location, great accomodation, food and atmosphere (and music Martin !). Monkeys and birds all around us as we relaxed on the spectacular terrace taking in the views of the jungle and waterfall in the distance. Our 2 daughters also loved taking care of the dogs and cats - and with a short walk into Ella along the train tracks it was just a great stay. Excellent value too.
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Date of stay: June 2011
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.
It’s the absolute meaning for “home stay”!!! location, food and cleanliness are off the hook!
Owners, Lakshan & Kiah will ensure your stay is taken care of at their best and never falls short in their commitment. You certainly feel like part of their family during your stay, absolutely lovely people. 😘
They put so much love preparing your meals and top it all, if you are lucky, Kiah will make some scrumptious muffins for you as well 🤤.
We are definitely coming back guys!! Tc and see you guys soon!
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Date of stay: April 2023
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 recently stayed at the Waterfall Homestay, it about five minutes in a Tuk Tuk out of Ella - not a great road but so worth the stay. During my stay the internet went down a few times - this is Sri Lanka after all! But it is well worth keep on trying, its a great place to stay, the people are truly lovely. Good Luck
Very sorry for the late reply, no we arent on any booking site and manage our own bookings via our website, having said that though, sorry we are fully booked for your chosen dates.
thanks for your interest and we wish you safe travels and a wonderful stay in Ella
kind regards Karen
There are more places to choose from in the Ella area.
ALSO KNOWN AS
waterfalls homestay hotel ella
LOCATION
Sri LankaUva ProvinceElla
NUMBER OF ROOMS
3
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