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Reviews of EKHO Safari Tissa

4 out of 5
EKHO Safari Tissa
Kataragama Road, Thissamaharama

Reviews

8.4

Very good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 36 out of 83 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 27 out of 83 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 14 out of 83 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 6 out of 83 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 83 reviews" "

8.0/10

Cleanliness

8.4/10

Staff & service

8.4/10

Amenities

8.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

6/10 Okay

Mark, Sonoma

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We liked this hotel but some of the guests were extremely rude and noisy, pushing in front of us at breakfast (which was extremely good), and being generally loud. If we were to stay in that area again we would choose an hotel tat did not cater for foreign tour groups.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Richard

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This property is outstanding with an unbelievable view. Angela at the front desk was really helpful and pleasure to deal with during our entire stay.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Ishani

Travelled with partner, Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
this is a very serene and tranquil place. it has stunning natural beauty next to a lake. customer service has been at it's best. Love the place
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

6/10 Okay

Daniel

Liked: Room comfort
Comfortable hotel. Nice view, but is a little worn
Was expecting a bit better, based on reviews and photos. The place is a bit worn down, especially the rooms. The view out to the lake is nice and the reception/lobby area is comfortable. Rooms are what let it down. They are looking a bit worn and need a facelift. Sliding window/doors on the room were quite dirty and needed a good clean. Some walls had cracks and stains. Bathrooms are a little smelly. Staff are a little slow and took a while for them to check us in and out. There is probably better options for the money.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023

6/10 Okay

Hiam

Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023

4/10 Poor

Ramanathan iyer

Stayed 1 night in Mar 2022

6/10 Okay

Haris

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Staff & service
The property is amazing - grand and beautiful. The architecture is very good and so is the view. You can spend a lot of time around the property and enjoy it. Staff is not very helpful - had to ask for a pool towel 3 times still did not get it. So, that's something they can improve upon. They do not have a buffet breakfast, so the staff provides a fixed menu. Overall, its nice and beautiful but staff can be more helpful and they can pay little more attention to attending to the guest.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2022
Response from Lilan Jayaweera on 31 Mar 2022
Dear valued Guest, Thank you very much for the review, please accept for the inconvenience cause, will forward your feedback to relevant managers for action, hope to see you again

10/10 Excellent

Tuva

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very good service! Ufortunately ended up getting quarantined and had to use the hotel for my quarantine... They took good care of us and called us several times a day to make sure we had food and water or needed anything. Impressive!
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2022
Response from Lilan Jayaweera on 6 Feb 2022
Dear Valued Guest, Hope you a safely back in your mother land, its a pleasure to serve you and hope you will back to EKHO safari on your next visit to Sri Lanka

10/10 Excellent

Blake

Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2021
Response from Lilan Jayaweera on 31 Dec 2021
Thank you very much for your lovely review, hope to see you again in the near future

10/10 Excellent

Anna Frederikke

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great stay and great facilities
We had a great stay at EKHO Safari Tissa. We were upgraded to a suite with lakeview upon arrival. The facilities were in great condition, and the swimming pool (quite) clean. Dinner and breakfast bouffet with lots to choose from. The only negative is that the safe did not work.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2021
Response from Lilan Jayaweera on 13 Dec 2021
Dear Valued guest, Thank you very much for the review and its a pleasure to know you had a memorable stay with us, hope to see you again in the future

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Location for walking around lake and to restaurants. Large very clean pool. Good wifi and breakfast. Very friendly staff. Room very clean with house keeping daily.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2020
Response from EKHO Hotels & Resorts Team on 20 Feb 2020
Dear Valued Guest, Thank you very much for your rating and review. We appreciate you taking the time to highlight your experience at the property. We are delighted that you had an enjoyable stay with us. We look forward to welcome you back soon! Warm Regards,

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2020
Response from EKHO Hotels & Resorts Team on 6 Feb 2020
Dear Valued Guest, Thank you very much for your rating. We appreciate you taking the time to highlight your experience at the property. We look forward to welcome you back soon! Warm Regards

8/10 Good

Mary S

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great hotel on the lake in Tissamaharama
Hotel is in a great location right on the lake. Rooms are nice and clean. Recommend staying in the lake view room. From bed you have a view of the lake. Langur monkeys playing on property. Theres an island just off the hotel in the lake which is teaming with wildlife. Room service was prompt and delicious. Good pool. Comfortable bed and pillows. Amazing water pressure from rain shower. Great loungers in front of pool to watch the sunset over the lake. Down side Checkin process seemed longer than it should have. No balcony in room Bathroom needs some update Walkways are loud becuse of the A/C units are attached on the side of them
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2020
Response from EKHO Hotels & Resorts Team on 3 Feb 2020
Dear Mary, Thank you very much for your rating and review. We appreciate you taking the time to highlight your experience at the property. We are delighted that you had an enjoyable stay with us. We look forward to welcome you back soon! Warm Regards

10/10 Excellent

Aidan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Tropical
It was beautiful, right in the wild beautiful scenery. Lovely room
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2020
Response from EKHO Hotels & Resorts Team on 3 Feb 2020
Dear Aidan, Thank you very much for your rating and review. We appreciate you taking the time to highlight your experience at the property. We are delighted that you had an enjoyable stay with us. We look forward to welcome you back soon! Warm Regards

6/10 Okay

Sonali

Travelled with family
Could have been better!!
Stayed one night at Ecko safari, Tissa. The overall the stay was pleasant but they can improve on their b'fast menu aswell as room cleanliness. Towards the end on the stay we didn't have water in our WC, luckily for us we had finished using it!
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2019
Response from EKHO Safari Team on 12 Jan 2020
Dear Valued Guest, Thank you for your patronage and valuable feedback.

4/10 Poor

GuestF, Canada

Travelled with family, Travelled with partner, Travelled with group
Liked: Property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service
The first impression of the hotel was remarkable. It's beautiful and clearly laid out. Our room was not ready when we arrived and they half cleaned the room. The sheets were stained and dirty. Washroom smelled like piss. Staff were not friendly and wouldn't respond to questions.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2019
Response from EKHO Hotels & Resorts Team on 3 Feb 2020
Dear Valued Guest, Thank you for taking the time to share your experience at the property. Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience experienced during your stay. We have already taken corrective measures to ensure the guests leaves with happy and pleasant memories. Warm Regards

6/10 Okay

Karl

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
As is the norm in Sri Lanka the staff are super friendly. Alas thats where it stops for me, the food is terrible, rooms are in need of serious updating gaps in door (not good for the mossies) not the cleanest and didnt even make the bed. To top it off when you fancy a nice dip in the pool after a sweaty day on safari, the water is green .
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2019
Response from EKHO Hotels & Resorts Team on 3 Feb 2020
Dear Karl, We appreciate you taking the time to highlight your experience at the property. Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience experienced during your stay. At EKHO Safari we strive to ensure that guests leave with happy and pleasant memories. Should your travels bring you back to Sri Lanka, we are delighted to welcome you back. Warm Regards

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Lovely lake front property. There were a couple of small problems, but the staff fixed them. Breakfast is incredible. So delicious
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2019
Response from EKHO Hotels & Resorts Team on 3 Feb 2020
ear Valued Guest, Thank you very much for your rating and review. We appreciate you taking the time to highlight your experience at the property. We are delighted that you had an enjoyable stay with us. We look forward to welcome you back soon! Warm Regards

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2019

6/10 Okay

Jonathan

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Nice atmosphere, friendly staff. Nice location and views.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019
Response from the EKHO Safari team on 8 Apr 2019
Hello Jonathan, Thank you so much for your kind review with regards to the atmosphere and the staff at EKHO Safari. We look forward to having you again if your travels bring you back to Sri Lanka. Best Wishes

8/10 Good

ARUN

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Disliked: Cleanliness
The location of the hotel and our room was wonderful. However, the housekeeping was below par. We had to call them back multiple times to clean the room every time something would get let out. The hotel is a little dated and needs to be upgraded - the bathroom doors and the room windows needed to be replaced.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2019
Response from Shanela on 15 Mar 2019
Hi Arun, Thank you for taking time to review your stay at EKHO Safari. We are glad to hear that you liked the room and found the location convenient and quiet. However, we are sorry to hear that the cleaning of the room was not up to our usual standard. Your comments on refurbishment are duly noted. Thank you for letting us know and we will be working on ensuring that there won't be any more experiences like this. Warm Regards, the EKHO safari team

10/10 Excellent

Dr. Sebastian

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Ekho safari Tissa
We travelled as a family. The hotel is situated at the most scenic spot at tissamaharama overlooking the lake. Had breakfast at hotel and and it was not bad but could be improved.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2019
Response from Shanela on 15 Mar 2019
Hi Dr. Sebastian, We apologise for responding to your kind review this late. Thank you for taking your time to review your stay with us. We are glad to hear that you liked the views and we hope your family had a good time as well. We are sorry to hear that breakfast was not up to our usual high standard. If your travels do bring you back to Sri Lanka, we look forward to welcoming you again. Best wishes, the EKHO safari team

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This is a beautiful property. Our room was exceptional clean and spacious and a view of Tissa lake. There were always staff around the property cleaning and upkeeping the grounds and the building. Staff always asking if there is anything you need and certainly most attentive.Would highly recommend this hotel if you are in the area
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2019
Response from Shanela on 15 Mar 2019
Hello! Thank you so very much for this great review of your stay. We are happy to hear that everything was up to standard and to your liking. We appreciate your recommendation to others as well. We look forward to welcoming you again if your travels bring you back to Sri Lanka. Best Wishes, the EKHO Safari team

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2019
Response from Shanela on 15 Mar 2019
Hello! Thank you for your kind review of 8/10 for your stay at EKHO Safari. Best Wishes, the EKHO Safari team

10/10 Excellent

Zahera

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great hotel for Yala National Park safari. Very nice welcoming staff. Great breakfast. Nice restaurants around the property. There restaurant is good too. Would definitely stay again!
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2019
Response from Shanela on 15 Mar 2019
Hi Zahera, Thank you for taking time to review your stay at EKHO Safari. We are looking forward to welcoming you again, please do come again! Warm Regards, the EKHO Safari team

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2018

10/10 Excellent

Long

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The room is great. it's clean and great view and is beside Lake Tissa. Great lake view from our room.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2018

8/10 Good

Uma

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hotel is cosy and inviting. Rooms have a good view, clean and comfortable. Quiet and walking distance to local eateries (no street lights though)
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2018

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2018

10/10 Excellent

Marzio

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent experience! In every way.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2018

8/10 Good

kiyoshi Alwis

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
It’s a small hotel but you get a beautiful view of the Tissa lake. The view is absolutely breathtaking! Would recommend this place to anyone who wants to take a closer look at the Tissa lake and admire the beauty of it all day long! However, the buffet was not the best even though they had a variety ranging from authentic Sri Lankan to western , but for the amount we paid it was a fair deal I’d say! :)
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2018

8/10 Good

Scott

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Nice lake views
A reasonably comfortable stay in Tissa on the lake for one night in a Deluxe Room. The views from the pool/lake seating at sunset were great with lots of birds flying around. It's easy to take a walk around the lake from the hotel and there are a number of restaurants within a short walk - New Cabana was perfect for dinner.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2018

6/10 Okay

jo, london

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Could be a great hotel
Looks like it’s been modernised very cheaply. Never any staff at the bar so ended only ordering room service, pool was very dirty, air con didn’t work well and spat out ice all over floor. So many staff all over the hotel but no one seemed to be in charge and no one knew what was happening. Dinner was very annoying as you pretty much have to eat at the hotel and they’ve obviously realised this so prices and very expensive for poor food. They push you to have the buffet which is double the price of the al la carte menu and has little choice. We were told we’d have to wait an hour for food on this menu, which then reduced gradually to 20 mins when the waiter realised i wouldn’t eat at the buffet. Many other hotels in the area so would try a different one next time.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2018

8/10 Good

Valentina

Liked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful location, good breakfast buffet!
The room was in general in good condition, quite big and a/c working properly. Bathroom was a bit smelly and needs a better cleaning. Impressive hot water pressure. Breakfast buffet very good but we were not impressed with "a la cart food" . Great location, good size swimming pool. Staff helped us with a problem regarding bus tickets, thanks for that! I have asked to move the sunbed in a sunny area and I have been told it wasn't possible, not happy about it! Get a better pool boy :)

4/10 Poor

veena, london, UK

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disappointing Place and a waste of your money
Right from check in we were disappointed. The receptionist made us wait long time and also jumped queue and attended first to someone who came after us. The room given was filthy with stains on floor and bedsheets, cobwebs and spiders especially around bed and dead insects by back door . The toilet had been used and not flushed. The water in the pool had dirt floating. We must say that the manager was very helpful. He gave us another room. Within a few hours, water started pouring from the AC as if it were raining. It was repaired later. The manager offered us a 20 percent discount for spa as compensation for our inconvenience. The Spa is a RIP OFF !!! We told the Woman there that we have been offered 20 percent discount. She said yes she would give us the discount only if we took the 75 minute massage for two people. We agreed to this. However, We were given a 60 minute session but the Spa Incharge billed us for 75 minutes showing 20 percent discount and insisted that we had used their 75 minutes She starts counting the time from the minute you say "Ok to take treatment. She raised her voice and was very rude . Though we paid the bill without any argument because we were already regretting our decision to choose this hotel. We were waiting to check out ASAP. However it would be wrong to not mention it in my review as we feel cheated and tricked. We would not want others to go through similar fraud. There are a lot of mosquitoes everywhere including inside the rooms
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2018

10/10 Excellent

Heena

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Checking in to the hotel was a little slow, however this was made up by the room we were upgraded to and the cake provided to celebrate my mum’s birthday.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2018

10/10 Excellent

Ryan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice hotel. Good to stay if going to Yala
Nice, clean room and pool. Stayed here for 1 night before going to Yala National Park. The staff were so welcoming and we were well greeted on arrival with a drink and friendliness. They also prepared breakfast to take on our very early safari trip, which was very nice of them. Even though the pool area was good, it seemed that there were not enough sun beds for all guests. Guests seemed to leave their towel there without being there for a long period of time, which isn’t fair to guests wanting to use the beds. Maybe this is issue could be investigated by the hotel.

4/10 Poor

Gary

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Don’t go here .
Despite showing the management my email confirmation showing that I had paid for B & B they insisted I only had room only. I had to pay for breakfast and now have the hassle of claiming back the money . It was embarrassing and confrontational it spoilt our stay. Customer service from the hotel disgusting.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2018

10/10 Excellent

Cat, London

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent value and lovely rooms!
Really enjoyed our stay at Ekho Safari Tissa. Facilities, food and room were all great. Our room was lovely - perfectly clean, stylish, comfy bed with amazing views and lovely bathroom. Only slight disappointment was the difficulty of booking a safari via the front office staff -they seemed surprisingly lacking in knowledge about the options and logistics of taking a safari. Was easier to do this ourselves using recommendations on trip advisor in the end. We were also definitely ripped off by the guy offering boat trips on the lake - wouldn’t bother going, better off enjoying the views from the pool! Otherwise though we loved our stay and (despite sounding slightly negative above) this was one of favourite places to stay in Sri Lanka and we’d DEFINITELY recommend a stay!
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2018

10/10 Excellent

Rosalea

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Loved the setting! Loved the rooms! Staff were friendly and helpful.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2018

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The hotel is well located next to the Tissa Lake and therefore has a beautiful view and is about 30 min from Yala (without traffic). The hotel condition however was not great and definitely in need of a renovation. The rooms were also not well cleaned, the pool was also visibly dirty. we didn’t want to swim in it. The hotel food was also not good. For the buffet breakfast, the food quality was poor , don’t even have cheese for making omelette and the cold bacon was made of processed chicken meat. The New Year’s Eve dinner was compulsory and was a rip off at USD 66 per pax. Won’t go back again
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2017

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness
Water comes from the tap is black in colour all in a sudden.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2017

8/10 Good

Ricky

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
TV signal reception was bad, i couldn't watch the TV program through my 5 nights stay at the hotel
Stayed 5 nights in Sep 2017

10/10 Excellent

Marine, paris

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very Nice and enjoyable stay
Clean and nice room. Wonderfull pool and view on the lake. The sunset was incredible. Did not have dinner in the restaurant as I found it too cold. I highly recommand the hôtel.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

UFUK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
A short stay to visit Yala National park
Safari hotel is a ood place to stay if you are upto visit Yala National Park. They are trying to renovate some rooms but my room was OK. room service was quick and good. food is average, do not expect something special. according to the features it is a bit over priced compared to the value you get.

10/10 Excellent

Harshad

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
REMARKABLE VIEW OF THE LAKE.
EXCELLENT HOTEL WITH REMARKABLE VIEW OF THE LAKE.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

6/10 Okay

Dalia A Wazerah

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
The location is nice , staff are helpful, rooms are clean and comfortable, the view of the lake is really wonderful. The A/c needs maintenance since it has a noise and low cooling. The only bad thing was the restaurant, food was not tasty and it took more than an hour to serve it.

8/10 Good

Labekoa, Donostia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect view
Great experience in the Safari Hotel. First, they arranged and early check-in for us and then they gave us a room with an amazing view of the lake. Also very nice pool.