Hotel Elephant Park

Hotel Elephant Park descritpion

Located right opposite Ma-Oya River, guests at Hotel Elephant Park can watch elephants from their rooms. It has a restaurant and offers room service.
The hotel is located a 5-minute walk from Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. It takes two hours and 30 minutes by car from the hotel to Colombo International Airport, while Kandy City is just an hour’s drive away.
Rooms are simply decorated and are equipped with a flat-screen satellite TV and a minibar. The en suite bathroom features a bathtub and bathrobes for guests’ comfort.
The Elephant Park Hotel’s tour desk helps guests book excursions to Kandy and the popular Temple of the Tooth. Elephant safaris are organised on request.
The restaurant provides an international menu. Laundry and ironing services are also available.

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Facilities of Hotel Elephant Park

Outdoors ：BBQ Facilities | Grounds

Pets ：Pets are not allowed.

Food & Drink ：Restaurant | Bar | Restaurant with Dining Menu

Internet ：Free!WiFi is available in the hotel rooms and is free of charge.

Parking ：Free!Free public parking is available on site (reservation is not needed).

General ：Shops (on site) | Air Conditioning

Reviews for Hotel Elephant Park

Review 1：Everything closes at 5pm and there is no other option to have a food than the hotel restaurant, which is ok, but without any local atmosphere and just for tourists.

Review 2：If you are staying in Pinawalla, this is the best place, although beside watching the elephants, there is basically nothing else to do. Good for one night stay.

Review 3：The Elephant Park Hotel is a little 'tired'. I don't think many people stay there - it caters more for the coach/buses that arrive continuously - providing food and drink and a good viewing platform. We stayed 2 nights which I think in itself is unusual, but we did get the full attention of the staff. Wifi is poor.

Review 4：The location of the Elephant Park Hotel is second to none. You have a brilliant view of the elephants bathing in the river from the hotel restaurant and from your room. To see the elephants walk past the front door of the hotel is amazing.

Review 5：Internet was very slow and some rooms not working. Rooms with river view (especially 201) is too small, just 1m walkway around bed. During our stay was a wedding party with loud music till night. No dinner available in the hotel.

Review 6：View towards bathing elephants.

Review 7：I was not too keen on the breakfast, they did not have the Sri Lankan option, disappointing. There is no lift but it is only 2 - 3 floors high

Review 8：The location, the comfortable room, the bed the pillows, the air condition worked well, loved the shower, and the general quiet of an evening, service with a smile

Review 9：Pictures of the rooms seems to be river view, but it is not true. However on the room's details page I saw the balcony with river outside.

Review 10：The location is perfect. You can watch elephants washing in the river every day in the morning and evening. If you stay in this hotel you do not have to pay the entrance fee to see elephants washing.

Review 11：Restaurant in the evening had a limited menu and the food they had was poor.

Review 12：Great location with very comfortable air conditioned rooms with great views. Good breakfast overlooking bathing elephants. Friendly helpful staff.

Review 13：Once the elephants are gone all of the shops close and it's like a ghost town but still worth the stay. It breaks up the long trip from Dambulla to Colombo.

Review 14：Location is perfect to see the elephants.

Review 15：The food and staff. The staff refused to give us a declined receipt with our credit card payment. We had an argument so that they would give us a signed document stating the credit card payment had been declined.

Review 16：The location.

Review 17：A transparent door to the bathroom was one little minus in the room.

Review 18：The hotel is placed near the river where every day tourists can observe the elephants' washing process. Great place for making photos or just watching elephants. The room was clean and comfortable, and all that at the good price.

Review 19：The staff in this hotel were so friendly and very helpful. We were the only people staying in the hotel. The food was fantastic- much better than the commercial 5 star hotel we had previously been staying at! And the view! When the elephants are in the river the view is amazing, but when the tourists leave it becomes a peaceful quiet ghost town with incredible views over the river and the hills. A really beautiful spot.

Review 20：On the river. Great dining experience. Linen table cloths and napkins, tasty and ample breakfast. Superb staff, lot's of smiles. Elephants arrived at exactly prescribed time.

Review 21：Staff could be better trained. Reception staff a bit snappy at guests.

Review 22：Room was fantastic, great balcony view of the river. Comfortable bed, good shower & TV

Review 23：We found the food was quite expensive

Review 24：best location, from hotel itself we could see hundreds elephants bathing in river pinnawala.....hotel was clean complimentary breakfast was very good

Review 25：1. Wi fi so slow it's not usable 2. Staff accuse you of having something from mini bar when they didn't even stock it before arrival 3. Tv in room not working and no offer to try to fix it. 4. Disappointing breakfast

Review 26：Great view of elephants in river tasty food for dinner in restaurant staff friendly in restaurant but not great at front desk.

Review 27：The balcony and view was amazing. The staff were really friendly. The breakfast (sri Lankan) was good. We had a very pleasant stay would definitely stay again.

Review 28：Zero charme. The place is under refurbishment, therefore lots of noise until late, inappropriate. It certainly needs a facelift though.

Review 29：Comfortable rooms, balcony with great views.

Review 30：Nothing it was wonderful

Review 31：The location the safe it was a dream come true we had a wonderful time we arrived very early but they were so sweet and looked after all our luggage and gave us breakfast they were magic

Review 32：Hated seeing how the elephants were treated and the way in which tourist and locals blind themselves to how evil be unfair it is that these beautiful, intelligent and social creatures are treated by the zoo staff. Males should not be chained up however dangerous they are, if they're dangerous than release them. It's not an orphanage if they keep breeding them to make more babies to exploit for money! All he elephants we saw were healthy and could have been released if they hadn't been stuck there their whole life! Males and babies were showing worrying behaviour of weaving meaning they're bored and not stimulated enough. These are social animals and should not be kept apart which they are, they are chained up away from each other. Hotel not directly linked with orphanage but it's obviously profiting from it by guests going ther. We regret going. Also staff member At reception was rude and short with us when we checked in.

Review 33：Clean, good food, close to river where elephants go.

Review 34：no light outside to enjoy the lake view at nigh it was very dark, no elevetor, elephant stay to 4:00 PM only

Review 35：elephant and lake View, add bed to my child,

Review 36：Food is really poor.

Review 37：Quality room and clean, must be re vamped. We had a river view superior with balcony overlooking the river. Good air con and TV. We hadnt known how to turn on the hot water but its there once you know the right switch

Review 38：We loved our stay at this hotel, the staff were very welcoming and they held a table for us while we went down to the elephants. The room was very nice with large beds, which were very comfortable as well as the pillows. The air conditioner worked, the bathroom was like new and there was hot water. The wifi was the best we had in Sri Lanka. The hotel organised a take away breakfast for us because we had to leave early and it was delicious. Our room had a balcony overlooking the river which was lovely. I will definitely be back.

Review 39：Balcony and restaurant overlooking elephant bathing area was a wonderful way to spend time resting from travel. Most people see the elephant orphanage as a day trip, they are missing the real experience, eating or enjoying a beer on the hotel balconies at a reasonable price. They bath the elephants throughout the day .

Review 40：Practically non-existent internet. Took over 24 hours to send an important email - not impressed.

Review 41：Location was superb. Staff very friendly. Food was excellent. Clean and comfortable room.

Review 42：Keep to the traditional Sri Lankan dishes when ordering food.

Review 43：Be an early bird so that you get good seats for elephant watching during breakfast, that was at least why we booked this Hotell.

Review 44：The hotel is basic. It really needs updates here and there. Paint jobs, reconstruction. I have stayed in many hotels during our trip but this hotel was beneath what to expect for it's price. It has a troubled atmosphere and staff doesn't think in favour of the guests.

Review 45：The hotel is nicely situated at the river. You can sit down, have a meal or drink and watch the elephants being washed and bath in the river.

Review 46：We looked for some spicy and the waiter said us that he knew a seller with local price. But it wasn't! It was a trap for tourist and not local price! It was a scam! Be careful!

Review 47：The elephants under the room in the river. The bathroom is clean. The soaps smell very good and I think it's a good quality.

Review 48：They don't have good facility to take meals. Looking for diner at the hotel restaurant at around 7 pm, still they don't have opend. Finally I had to go to town 10 km away with my child for find a something to diner.And want to figure out the cleaness, room were quite good but overally not good. Recommend for short stay but not for over night.

Review 49：There was a lot of renovation works going on, but the staff offered us dinner to compensate.

Review 50：The hotel is very well located. Amazing views of the river and elephants. The Staff is very friendly

Review 51：We had a room overlooking the river. It was absolutely fantastic! The food in the restaurant was very good and we could watch the elephants at the same time.

Review 52：Nothing

Review 53：Amazing of you love elephants. We were able to look out our room window and watch the elephants bath in the river below. The staff were amazingly helpful and friendly

Review 54：Food was not good. Our fish dinner was old and we ordered something wlse they charged us for both. I ordered a single shot of Brandy they tried to charge me double for it. Breakfast was not good. When I called direct for a price they quoted me almost double what I could get it for online. They also told me they charge 6000 rupees for a drivers room when in actuality drivers rooms are ALWAYS free. My friends room, her sheets were not clean. My room was clean

Review 55：Comfortable bed. Hot water. Newly refurbished river view room. Great location to see elephants from the room or restaurant

Review 56：Staff were very helpful and attentive, nothing was too much trouble. Room was very clean an had an amazing view of the river (we upgraded) well worth the extra cost. We had breakfast included and also ate in the hotel in the evening and all the meals were freshly prepared and tasty, the pork was chewy but apart from that I would rate the good as great. Location couldn't be better if you want to get up close to the elephants and want peace and quiet in the evenings. All shops shut at around 5pm so there is little to occupy you in the evenings other than listening to the babbling of the river and the bird song take a book to read. It was pure bliss for us to just relax.

Review 57：Renovations outside the room involving election of scaffolding outside our window. Very disconcerting and disappointing.

Review 58：Our room overlooked the river so we had an excellent view of the elephants bathing. The room was very comfortable with a balcony just adjacent from which we could also view the elephants.

Review 59：A little but of construction still happening at the upper floors which didn't bother us at all, to be honest, as we neither heard no seen any workers, just some cement bags. It's good they're improving:)

Review 60：Located right in front of the place where elephants are taking bath so you don't have to buy a ticket to see them;) The sound of the river makes it easier to fall asleep)) The room was adorable, absolutely clean and quite spacious, lovely hot shower with complimentary toiletries. The breakfast was huge and awesome. The stuff extremely friendly and helpful, the lady at the reception found us a great driver for the next 4 days (to go to Sigiriya, Nuwara Eliya and other places). Thank you, Elephant Park Hotel!

Review 61：At night you hear dogs crying outside.

Review 62：It is a very nice location to see the elephants bathing in the river (nice view from the restaurant) Breakfest was good and the staff very helpfull and kind. The room was big and clean, so was the bathroom. We had a very nice stay!

Review 63：Wifi didnt work, what was very disappointing. It showed it was connected but nothing went through... The hotel is very old, molded, drainage stank. They r renovating the whole building, do hopefully its gonna b nice soon. :)

Review 64：The staff was very helpful and smiley all the time. They arranged a cake for my parents' wedding anniversary after asking for it. :) they were looking for our comfort during our stay. The view of the river where the elephants bath its just amazing!

Review 65：The wifi wasn't working when we were there and they were building some new rooms so there was noise from that all day. The day visitors more or less took over the best viewing points, many without even buying a drink from the hotel. There should be some better system with an area for hotel guests only. It would have been nice if our room had had its own balcony.

Review 66：The room while small was well appointed and had a view out onto the river. The bathroom was newish and everything worked. The breakfasts were tasty and good and the restaurant food overall was fine. The views of the elephants bathing in the river from the verandas were outstanding. The staff were on the whole pretty helpful.

Review 67：No closet in the room for cloths.

Review 68：Excellent place to stay, clean room and washroom. Breakfast at the river was excellent, variety of fruits with choice of eggs and other stuff. Staff is very helpful, they prepare food for us at 10 pm upon our arrival.

Review 69：Room was dated and old, shower room was a wet room , bed was not the most comfortable, A/C was noisy. The staff held a party at 11pm- 1 am with drums, singing etc under my room, when asked to stop they just continued. I was the only guest staying that night. Little to do after 5pm in Pinnawalla...every closes at night.

Review 70：Location

Review 71：Staff are doing exaggerating their actions looking for extra tips all the time.

Review 72：You can watch the elephants in river while having breakfast, Although we couldn't do this due to heavy rain. Room is comfortable and clean.

Review 73：Typical place for tourist harvesting. The elephant park (not hotel, but park) is nice but very expensive (including the events inside). At Pinawala it was the first time of our stomak problems in Sri Lanka.

Review 74：Hotel itself was good.

Review 75：It is a budget hotel you get what you pay for

Review 76：We arrived late at 10pm and the reception was closed but they managed to open up for us location is good next to the river but due to heavy rains the Elephants did not come as the river was in flood

Review 77：the food was average, but the service was very slow. also they were doing some renovation work and that started quite early. They woke up my daughter a number of times....

Review 78：location. and great views of the elephants.

Review 79：This hotel I right on the river, with amazing views. We arrived a little later than we wanted but the staff were lovely and still arranged food for us. Which was a local curry. Lovely. The air conditioning didn't work in 1 of our rooms, so they changed without making a fuss. In the morning we had breakfast and watched the elephants bathe. We walked down to the river and and were right in with elephants. This was the best stop on our trip. Our only regret is that we didn't stay longer.

Review 80：The hotel, the staff, the food. On arrival was given some info not to go to the elephant orphanage as the tickets were expensive to which he asked for money as he was saving me money. Smelly damp towels on arrival, ended up using a dry sheet as they had no dry clean towels! Mentioned all the above to the manger he offered me a sandwich to take with me on checkout!!

Review 81：The location

Review 82：We didn't find

Review 83：We were just for one night, too meet with elephants. If you rest in this hotel, you don't need to pay for visiting elephants bathing. We have good room, good view from hotel.

Review 84：it's a little bit expensive.

Review 85：The hotel is next to the river where elephants have bath everyday. The food was delicious and the room was very comfortable. They can improve cleaning!

Review 86：great and helpful staff, nice view to the river, where you can see elephants, you don't have to pay entrance fee to the river as you're already inside, but must be careful that you don't go out :) clean and nice rooms with wifi

Review 87：We were somewhat unlucky in that the hotel had a wedding reception the night we stayed. The music was load, but thankfully finished at 11pm. Unfortunately though the clean-up went on until 2:30am with tables being dragged across the floor directly over our bed! Had there been no party we would have slept very well though I believe as the room was very comfortable otherwise.

Review 88：Room was newly renovated, large, clean and looked out directly over the river where the elephants bathe. Reasonably priced food in the restaurant. Friendly staff.

Review 89：Breakfast options were limited. Rooms could benefit from being modernised but then it would be more expensive.

Review 90：Clean rooms with friendly and helpful staff. Good value for money and close to all the things going on locally.

Review 91：situation clean

Review 92：Good size room, every facility. I thought very reasonable rate of $40 B/B

Review 93：Glass door to the toilet

Review 94：The room has the most amazing view ever! The food was simple but ok.

Review 95：Food wasn't great, but was acceptable for a short stay.

Review 96：The most beautiful view. Good value for money. Friendly staff. Worth a short visit.

Review 97：The best part is the location of this hotel, this is the USP.

Review 98：Tp not work Comet loose fitted No water at 5am I have to come down to inform

Review 99：The menue card, didn't fit to the hotel.

Review 100：The comfortable bed, the service and friendly staff.

Review 101：Fantastic staff

Review 102：No Lift Flies in the restaurant

Review 103：Location - Children enjoyed the most Reception Staff. They were very pleasant, helpful and courteous

Review 104：location, quite clean, friendly staff

Review 105：Absolutely fantastic. Worth the Money. Elephants bathing in front of my window!!

Review 106：Check in & Check out time is not ok !

Review 107：River view point !

Review 108：Cleanliness of the room. It could be better. My son dropped a toy under the bed and when I went to get it there was dust and dirt under there.

Review 109：Area dead after 5pm when elephants leave. Dinner menu could be improved

Review 110：Great place to view elephants

Review 111：The wifi was too slow and would expect 24hrs check in-out option rather than 12 noon.

Review 112：The view was great

Review 113：friendly, helpful, in a convenient and beautiful location

Review 114：good location

Review 115：Wifi was very slow

Review 116：Wonderful accommodating staff, it was a lovely room with the best view of the river to see the elephants in the morning.

Review 117：after 10 pm the hotel facilities are closed and in the dark. You can only use your minibar.

Review 118：Great location. Good food and frendly staff.

Review 119：Locals trying to treat guests as ATM's

Review 120：Views, cleanliness.

Review 121：Location, location and location. Beautiful views.

Review 122：Close to Elephant bathing area. Staff changed our reservation without hassle.

Review 123：Food options are limited

Review 124：The silence and overall generous nature surroundings