Thimbiri Wewa Resort Wilpattu

We found this a very pleasant stay. The room was lavish with nice outlook, the staff helpful and friendly, and the grounds had a welcome swimming pool to recover from the rigors of the potholed track in Wilpattu Park.. The restaurant attached provided a good dinner (soft drinks only). We hope this new hotel builds up its reputation.

The rooms are very nice - comfortable, tasteful, with balconies and lovely views out over the wewa. The bathroom was clean and modern. There's an absolutely great swimming pool, and kids play area. And the rooftop was a lovely place to watch sunset from. The staff were nice, but a bit variable - not always very efficient, and front desk/reception didn't really speak good English, meaning that it was difficult to be understood. The restaurant is pretty basic, and rather average (curry, devilled things, fried rice and noodles) - and has no alcohol licence, so you need to bring your own beer / wine if you want a tipple. There is a very nice and helpful, slightly older, waiter in the restaurant, who was particularly friendly, and was able to speak good English to us. The hotel is located very close to Wilpattu National Park - about 10-15 mins drive from Hunuwilagama gate. We arranged a full-day safari with naturalist through the hotel, and were very happy with it. Casun the naturalist was great, and we'd recommend him - and request him next time.

The family room was clean and comfortable, albiet a little cramped. The shower was hot with good water pressure. We stayed in an upstairs (family) room - when the key was not in the slot (i.e. when you're out) all power is lost (including the fridge) this meant when we came back from safari ants had found a jar of peanut butter we had in the fridge! It would be great if the fridge was on a different circuit and secondly there was a way to cool the room a little whilst out. My parents whose room was on the ground floor did not have this issue. The bathroom does not have an extractor fan. While this did not impact us, the are minor construction issues like this that could age the hotel prematurely. The staff were helpful and friendly in particular a gentleman in the resturant who kindly organised dhal for my daughter (even though it was not on the menu). We had the omelette, biryani and fried rice which were okay. Dhal was very tasty. Breakfast was great and loads of food, the packed breakfast on the safari day was good too. On the second night we had dinner down the road at Wilpattu Coco Hut Village foods which was one of the best meals of our trip! The pool and area was beautiful and well maintained. Our daughter enjoyed playing on the play equipment which was a lovely touch for the hotel to include in their garden. The pool has a kids pool section which was a big "win" in our books.