The Riverston Grand

Room

No buffet

The views are fantastic and the bed was large and comfortable.

There were a few things that could have been improved including the food and drinks, fly nets on the windows and aircon. The room we had was huge with multiple beds but felt quite tired / not as nice as the pictures. I didn't find this place as welcoming as everywhere else we've been and the room wasn't cleaned / water replaced etc. each night.

Friendly and supportive staff, delicious food and spacious suite. Will definitely visit again 😊

The name alone promises a Grand Old style hotel, but the pictures already show that it’s relatively new. It looks like a private mansion converted to a hotel in the last 10 years, nothing bad with that. The location is as stunning as Knuckles can be; climbing the stairs to the free Sky Bridge platform (telescope was sadly out of order) gives views of many miles. And if you have luck with the meals and rooms it could be a fantastic experience, equalling similar Knuckles hotels like Hunas Falls or Stratishla.

Apparently we were not that lucky, or maybe more critical than some tourists. The fact that in a corner of the restaurant one can consume Shisha already was a warning sign, but there is far more worrying. The room types are quite messy. The normal ‘deluxe’ room that half of our family had was actually basically a suite, with separate sitting room and large balcony. The ‘180 degrees suite’ however was despite the size a letdown: 5 beds hence more a family room, not a real sitting area, no balcony, and a lot of wasted space like a separate coat rack room with space for a suitcase and 50+ coats. And even a nice small meditation room. No experience with the ‘360 degrees’ suites in the Sky bridge tower, except that as the hotel is on a mountain slope the views are more also 180 degrees nowhere near 360’. So this confusion with rooms makes it a Frankenstein-like experience; a family room is not a suite and should not be called that, and a normal room with 2 parts can be called a suite. Breakfast (1 x Western 3 x Lankan) was excellent. Dinner however was a huge shame, and another part of the Frankenstein-risks. We needed 1 Western veggie; not on the menu but waiters agreed to make it pasta with veggies, egg and cheese. And 3 Lankan dinners, and the menu did contain all kinds of weird stuff but not a standard rice & curry. So in the end we ordered a mix of Lankan food (with toasted bread instead of rice) and mashed potatoes and chicken. Well guess it, the cook delivered pure completely tasteless pasta without anything extra, with veggies to the side; and then the Lankan/mashed mixture. He apologised later that the waiters had not told him about the cheese and eggs, and delivered at least a small bowl of hot and not too spicy tomato sauce. The waiters however had their own part to play in the mess: while we were eating the soup they started bringing mains, and 5 minutes later and our mouths full they came asking for the dessert order.

Great views, and really away from the hustle and Bustle of the cities excellent rooms

Nothing

Nice view. Very special with the 360° window.

I missed healty food.

This hotel is absolutely fabulous, located in a spectacular location. The views are incredible.During our stay, we saw monkeys in the trees from our bedroom balcony. The staff provided a 5 star customer service experience. They really couldn't do enough for us. As for the food, wow, it was of such high standard, incredibly tasty, and such large portions! When we departed, unfortunately, our taxi, via pick me cancelled at the last minute. The hotel staff pulled out all the strings, providing us with alternative travel arrangements at such short notice when we had to travel 180 kilometres. A big thank you to all the team for this. If you are looking for a unique, rural location to relax and appreciate stunning views, then this is the hotel for you. Allison Richard Wayne and Karen.

Everything was perfect! Caring staff and a very good chef in the kitchen. Our room was amazing and the view was perfect. We had a very good time there.

WiFi Is not what you expect for a structure like this especially because it's set in the middle of the mountains.

The room is so spacious and it had stunning views overlooking the mountains. The best part was at night the sky full of stars are at your eye level. I have never seen anything like that! And we rushed to the telescope on the rooftop and saw constellations that you never see through the naked eye! And the weather is so beautiful, chilly and it’s like living through the clouds. The food, the staff are top notch and highly recommend!

N/Aa

Lovely room in a unique location. Very comfortable beds!

We were unfortunate enough to not get a view due to weather. This is no one's fault however given the price of the hotel, the wider offering is limited. Food and service was ok, however not notably different to other, much cheaper experiences.