Comparing
Nature Stays Near Sigiriya, and How to Choose Between Them
If you are reading this you have eight tabs open and every one of them is a nature resort with green photographs and the word eco in the name. This page is not going to tell you that we are the best of them. It is going to tell you what actually differs between them, so you can work out which one you want.
Nature stays near Sigiriya run from two-cottage family places to forty-room resorts. What genuinely varies is the number of units, the air conditioning, the distance to the rock, whether breakfast is in, and who answers when you message. The rest is photography.
The Category
What Nature Resort Means Around Sigiriya
It means almost nothing, which is the problem. The phrase covers a two-cottage family garden and a forty-room resort with a spa and a coach park, and both of them photograph the same way if you point the camera at a tree.
Names you will run into while you search include Kuwera Eco Lodge, Sigiri Asna Nature Resort, Sigiriya Water Cottage and Wild Grass Nature Resort, among a good many others. They are genuinely different from each other in size, in what is included and in how far they are from the rock.
We are not going to describe anyone else's property here. We have not slept in their beds, their rates and facilities change without telling us, and a second hand summary written by a competitor is worth nothing to you. What follows instead is the list of questions we would ask if we were the ones booking.
Before You Book Anywhere
Six Things Worth Checking, Wherever You Stay
Ask any property these six and the photographs stop mattering. Our own answers are in the right hand column, so you can see what you would be comparing against.
If another place answers these better for the trip you are planning, book it. We would rather you had the right stay than our stay.
| Ask | Why it matters | Our answer |
|---|---|---|
| How many rooms are there? | Twelve guests and eighty guests are different holidays | Seven cottages |
| Is every room air-conditioned? | Some properties air-condition only the upper category. March and April are hot | All seven, not as an upgrade |
| How far is Sigiriya Rock, by road? | Walking distance means a noisy road. A long drive means early starts are painful | Twelve minutes, and twenty to Minneriya |
| Is breakfast in the rate? | It often is not, and it is rarely obvious until checkout | Yes, included |
| Is there a pool? | Not every stay near the rock has one | Yes, free for guests |
| Who answers if I message now? | An owner replies differently from a booking desk | Suranga, our manager, or one of the team |
Everything in the right hand column is set out in full on the cottages page, with beds, sizes and rates.
Who It Suits
Who Should Book Here, and Who Should Not
There is no version of this place that suits everybody, and pretending otherwise wastes your evening and ours.
Book Here If
- You want quiet at night more than you want facilities
- You are doing the rock at opening time and Minneriya in the afternoon
- You would rather message a person than fill in a form
- You are travelling as two, three or four and want your own cottage
- Birds before breakfast sounds like a good morning rather than a chore
Book Somewhere Else If
- You want to walk to the rock from your door. We are a twelve minute drive
- You want a spa, a gym or a bar
- You are a group of more than about twenty. Seven cottages will not hold you
- You need cots or extra beds. We have neither, and over-thirteens count as adults
If any of those is a deal breaker, the resorts along the Sigiriya and Habarana road will suit you better and there is no hard feeling in saying so.
No Pressure
Ask Us the Practical Questions
Whether the road is noisy, whether three adults really fit, what the mosquitoes are like in November, how big the pool is. Ask, and we will tell you, even when the answer sends you somewhere else.
Choosing
Questions People Ask While Comparing
Should I Stay in Sigiriya Village or Outside It?
Village means you can walk to the rock and you will hear the road. Outside means a ten to twenty minute drive and a genuinely quiet night. If you are here for one night and climbing at dawn, the village is convenient. For two nights or more, the quiet usually wins.
Are Nature Resorts Near Sigiriya Actually in Nature?
Some are and some are a lawn with palm trees. Look at the satellite view rather than the photographs. If the property is surrounded by green on a map rather than by other roofs, the claim holds up. Ours sits in forest at Indigas wewa, a few minutes off the main strip.
Is Sigiriya or Dambulla the Better Base?
Sigiriya, for almost everyone. Dambulla is a working town with more shops and more traffic, and it adds twenty five minutes to every trip to the rock and to Minneriya. Dambulla makes sense if you are arriving late from Kandy and leaving early.
How Far in Advance Should I Book?
Small properties fill first, because there is so little of them. With seven cottages, a good week in the dry season goes weeks ahead. Quiet months you can often book the week before. Message us and we will tell you how tight your dates are.
Do You Price Match Other Properties?
No, and we would be suspicious of anyone who did. What we do is keep the booking sites' commission out of the direct rate and take 15% off bookings made 3 months ahead. The rates are on the offers page.