Thisal Guest House

The mother and the son are amazing!!! They helped me with everything I needed. Mom makes amazing dinners, with loooot of food, full belly guarantee hehe. Definitely recommend this place. Thanks a lot for all your hospitality!! All the best! :)

I slept in the single extremely budget room, is very small, humid and with water leaking all over the toilet, therefore mosquito paradise. I saw the other rooms though and are all very good, so if you can avoid the small room go ahead and come to this place ;)

The dinner that they offer is fantastic. The room it's a private room really simple but ok and they help me with information of the transport at the end of my trip for go to another city. They have properly english.

I had another safari's booking the same day than I've arrived with more people and the man insist me in cancell it, for along 10 minutes, it was a really uncomfortable moment... I felt that him behavior it would be different if I would take with him the safari.

I had an utmost welcoming experience at Thisal's home. Literally I felt like at home. All this due to the Madam (the mum). She is an awesome cook - forget about having diners or breakfasts anywhere else. You would miss some delicuous Srilankan cooking. And the Lady really has a big heart. Son also offers safaries and after he explained to me in detail what kind of parks surround Polonnaruwa and what animals can be seen where and when I understood why all the reviews in their little notebook not only mentioned fabolous home cooking but also great safari experience. I would definitelly recommend the place. Did I mention swimming in the channel and lake? And the option to refill the water bottle?

There was nothing I did not like.

Great homestay and staff The food was the best of the trip and the safari amazing!

Stay at Thisal. NoGuest House was very nice, the hospitality was great. But the best thing to do is go on a safari with them. Very good. It is possible to eat dinner and breakfast prepared by the hosts. Thank you very much.

Really nice location, the family is very welcoming and friendly, they do everything to help you and make your stay unbelievable! The dinner was really amazing

There is AC + fan in the room, you get a private bathroom. The house is well located near the ancient city. For the price, it's quite a good deal. The place was overall quiet.

First of all, after booking, the host sent us a message saying he would pick us up from the train station, at no time he asked us if we wanted and mentioned how much he would charge for it. I told him we could take a tuktuk instead, and when we arrived he was there at the station (when we were about to leave with a tuktuk, miscommunication here). Then when we arrive at the house, he talked to us for 10-15min about his safari tour, which we listened but we weren't interested and we didn't like that he asked us to change our plans to do his safari tour instead of what we had planned the next day. We felt he was a bit possessive of the guests, by telling us not to take tuktuks from the streets, not to buy water from there, not to rent bikes from there etc etc. It was just too invasive for us. The next morning he asked us again about his safari and we said no, and from there it felt like he disappeared. When we left the place, we took a tuktuk from the street to the train station and we got charged 600 Rs, while he charged us 1000 Rs when he picked us up. For us it's not really about the money, but the principles of offering services without being pushed or imposed, and knowing before the price of the said service. Also, according to booking breakfast was included and we didn't hear anything about it. In summary, while the accommodation offered some amenities and a convenient location, the host's communication and approach to insisting on additional services left much to be desired. Improved transparency and respect for guests' preferences would greatly enhance the overall experience.

I had a great stay at Thisal Guest House! It's owned by a very friendly family. I did the safari tour that the guest house offers and it was truly amazing, I totally recommend it! The food at the guest house is also very tasty! The location is perfect, it's close where the bus drops you off and the entrance of the ancient city.

A very warm welcome by the host. Welcome with a pot of tea. She prepared very delicious, traditional and excessive meals. Breakfast is included what makes this stay a good value. Lunch and dinner are optional, and were very delicious. Good way to eat traditional Sri Lankan food. In afternoon a cup of tea. Next to busstop and pretty close to the ruins. Because of the warmth I chose for the offer to go by the safari jeep with the owner which was good for a good price. The safari tour was great and the owner and his driver did their utmost for the best spots and until the last moment, when all other jeeps already had left, we were still spotting elephants at a wonderful location.

great location, lovely breakfast every morning, has a safari jeep, amazing hosts who did the most