Rukgala Retreat

I discovered Rukgala through Google Maps and was immediately drawn to the peaceful atmosphere and stunning natural surroundings. The property itself is beautiful, with spacious rooms, comfortable bedding, a lovely pool and a very calming yoga shala. The architecture blends nicely with nature and the staff was kind and receptive to feedback throughout the stay.

The main downside was the strong feeling of dependency created around activities and high prices. Some proposed activity prices felt disproportionate for experiences that can easily be done alone nearby walking distance (less than 25min) : coconut ridge 15$, temple visit 15$, yoga 15$/h. Food presentation was nice but considering the simplicity of the ingredients (rice, lentils, chicken, etc.), the 18$ dinner and 12$ lunch felt relatively high for the overall value delivered.

Impeccable staff, so friendly make you feel at home from the first second. Food is the best we’ve had in Sri Lanka. Every detail in this retreat has been well thought through. The rooms are stunning with beautiful design. Yoga everyday twice is amazing. So peaceful feel no need to leave the accommodation. We cannot recommend this stay enough, we are extending our stay as enjoyed it so much!

Everything

N/A

The setting, staff facility were excellent.

I found it unsettling that there is a charge for yoga classes at a yoga retreat center. For some reason that bothered me.

Stunning location with lovely views of the lake and forestry. Food was fantastic. Staff were so friendly and attentive always received service with a smile. Yoga was varied and good for people who want to learn more about the breathing side of the practice.

Bed and pillows were a bit too soft for our liking. Dinner was served at 7.30 which is late for us although the food was splendid. More active yoga would have been preferable with more focus on stretching and techniques. Guest arrivals were staggered

We came to Rukgala off a recommendation as part of our honeymoon and had a lovely stay. The food was absolutely delicious and some of the best we’ve had in Sri Lanka, and the access to kayaks / paddle boards and suggested hikes around the area was super helpful, unfortunately the weather wasn’t the best when we were there and we were unable to take full advantage, but had it been then we’d of also done knuckles mountains range which is just an hour a way. The staff (aside from manager) were very attentive, kind and helpful throughout our stay - they made us a delicious surprise chocolate cake to celebrate our honeymoon!

A couple of the areas were a bit weathered looking compared to some of the photos online in the bedrooms, but still comfortable and spacious. We found the new manager to be quite pressurising and challenging at times, not as friendly as the rest of the staff who were wonderful during our time there

Staff and food were fantastic.

Western prices for Sri Lankan services. Just felt as if they were charging as much as they could (middle of nowhere so you have no other options. )

Nice and calm

De allerbeste plek waar we zijn verbleven in Sri Lanka. Rust, extreem lekker eten, super luxe kamers en gemeenschappelijke ruimtes, mega aardig personeel en echt een hele fijne sfeer. Als je even uit de drukte wilt en op een geweldige plek wilt verblijven, hier MOET je heen.