The Riverston Grand

The reception was awful .. We ask whether the restaurant is open and they replyed in a very rude way says NONO.. Its we dont open it.. It was very rude.. They should have told us that they dont take outside guests and we'll be fine with it.. We just wanted something to eat and some decent coffee .. It was very rude... Maybe they have that anti local policy where they treat locals in a very bad way

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. Need total retraining at the hotel school, sorry to say. Bottom line: currently far too many issues to recommend; there are hotels in the Knuckles that have a lovely garden and a pool for the same price level, so avoid the Grand until they fix their many issues.

What a wonderful experience. This hotel should be listed to be experienced. Don't be put off by the road through the tea plantations which is winding and potholed. The welcome is friendly and the views of the Knuckle Mountain range from the mainly glassed room are stunning. The food is good and the continental breakfast wonderful.

Hotel is clean and feels like staying in a tree house. Meals are delicious specially the French cuisine that chef Ananda prepares. The hotel is located very close to transmission tower hike. Staff is always eager to help. Overall, beautiful hotel in a stunning location.

Excellent location with very nice view. Rooms are clean and new with all the facilities. The view from the rooms is wonderful and feel like stay in the sky. Staff is really grate and helpful. We traveled with kids and they customized the meal plan according to our requirement. Foods are good and available many options to select.

LOVED the Grand View Suite with it's 360 views. Although we checked in on a rainy day and the mist was too thick that eve, it cleared up briefly the next morning to give us some stunning views! The staff is excellent. Some of the food we tried probably could have been more flavorful (catering to the foreign palettes too much?), but all in all, it was good with ample portions. Looking forward to coming back again. Thank you for the warm hospitality.