Water Garden Sigiriya - 30 Chic Designed Private Villas Overlooking Sigiriya

This was my first stay at Water Garden Sigiriya, and I'm happy to say it definitely won't be my last! Everything from the moment our group arrived to the moment we left was excellent and I look forward to bringing more friends to experience this hotel soon. The staff of the hotel deserve a special shoutout. They were so accommodating and did everything possible to make our stay as comfortable and relaxing as possible and even arranged outside activities for us, including an elephant safari. The staff would go out of their way to make sure any special requests we had were fulfilled, and even gave us their WhatsApp contact info should we need to contact them for anything. The staff also helped my sister and her friend look for some of the crocodiles that populate the water gardens of the hotel, when one was spotted, they would contact her and show up at her villa in one of the hotel buggies ready to rush to the last known croc sighting location. The food at the hotel was delicious, the locals and foreign tourists our group comprised of loved everything that the kitchen made for us. The Sri Lankan food deserves particular praise and I'd highly recommend that all guests try their local Sri Lankan food options. The kitchen was also happy to make adjustments to their meals, one of which was having the kitchen make their Kottu using crab instead of the chicken they normally use. The kitchen was happy to oblige, and I have to say it was amazing! I highly recommend any guest put in a special request for a crab kottu, you won't be disappointed. The hotel has a few types of villas, our group got a duplex villa which could comfortably house 4 people in two separate bedrooms each with their own large bathroom. We also booked two Superior Deluxe villas which can comfortably house 2 to 3 people in one bedroom. Both of the villa types we had contained a private plunge pool, which is a great place to stargaze from on the clear nights. The villas are spacious, clean, and well appointed with modern amenities including universal plug points. The staff would also come by and ask if there was anything we needed, and would also leave homemade local treats like milk toffee or coconut toffee in the room after cleaning, which was a nice touch. I'd highly recommend getting a treatment from the spa, the masseuses are well trained and know how to release those tensed-up/knotted muscles. Be sure to book the day before as the spa can get booked up quickly. The hotel is on a very large property, so I'd recommend getting a bicycle from the lobby and using that to get around unless you're more fond of walking. There are also plenty of animals that also live in the property, including peacocks, monkeys, tortoises, and monitor lizards, which add to the ambiance of the hotel and create a unique experience when randomly encountering one of the animals when walking around the hotel grounds. Our group stayed for two nights, but by the end we wished we could have stayed long

The hotel is immaculately presented with rooms set around their series of lakes. The rooms are spacious and well equipped with everything you would expect from a 5* hotel. The wildlife around the lakes is a real feature and you will see, Kingfisher, Eagles, Egrets, Monitor Lizards as well as the hotels three crocodiles! The Spa is excellent and the free yoga sessions very well operated. You have your own butler to organise your day and Nishantha was friendly and efficient. Food and drink service was very good and whilst the food prices and obviously significantly higher than elsewhere the quality was good and the environment beautiful. We took a day off from touring at the hotel which was a great decision allowing us to relax and unwind.

Outstanding place to stay to visit the magnificent Sigiriya archeological site. A truly beautiful hotel set in lakes and rice paddies. A slice to calm and relaxation filled with a variety of birds - from elegant greater egrets to showy peacocks. Our accommodation consisted of a beautiful little house with a large sitting area, huge bedroom and bathroom, and comfortable veranda. The restaurant service was top notch, a very creative chef, and very friendly professional staff at all levels. We particularly enjoyed Dilshan’s service in the restaurant - a combination of efficient polite professionalism. And it was always a treat to walk back to our little house in the evening after dinner, alternating between spotlighting the local frogs and marvelling at the stars.

I have stayed in many 5 star hotels: there is nothing like this one. We were a group of 10 from the US. Each of us had a villa. We each had a golf buggy to drive us to our villa, along paths that went by small lakes & waterways. The villas were beautiful & each had a back porch which looked over the lake, that had water flowers, birds & fish. You could call your buggy for the ride back to the dining area. We never did, because the walk back was so pleasant – we even had peacocks to keep us company. Each dinner was a 5 course meal: 3 choices for starters & several main courses to choose from. For one dinner, I ordered a seafood meal. Others got their plates of food: a main dish, with a variety of other items. Mine was similar, but then another platter arrived. Seems like my dinner had a number of accompaniments (see picture). It’s a lovely scenic hotel & the staff were outstanding

Had a truly relaxing stay. The staff was patient and attentive to all our needs. The villas were quite spacious and reasonably priced. Perfect for a family getaway! Special thanks to Dilanka (our butler) who ensured all our needs were met during the stay.

Mirroring other reviews made, the Water Garden has exceptionally beautiful grounds and this is matched by the quality found in the very well appointment large apartments. The breakfast and evening meals were excellent and the staff are a credit to the hotel, in particular Sashi and Dishan. I would highly recommend to anyone wanting a totally relaxing and stunning stay in the area.