Palmstone Retreat

Perfect for relaxation! We stayed in the Araliya Suite 24.2-27.2. Which was absolutely spotless and modern. We loved having our own private pool, sauna, and river view, where we even went swimming a few times. The staff was incredibly friendly, especially Indunil. He arranged an adventure for us to the waterfalls, a short jungle hike, and also acted as a guide to a nearby cave. He also guided us to safely swim at the waterfall behind the hotel. And to top it all off, he arranged a candlelight dinner by the river! Five stars for service! Everything went smoothly in English.

Wow! We were greeted by the kindest of staff. Indunil and staff treated us royally. The rooms were clean, comfortable, spacious and the sauna and private tub were very luxurious. It was so hot, the cool plunge was refreshing. The outdoor pool is clean and comfortable. Staff shared with us the 'secret' pool in the back, by the waterfall. Just walk the path into the nature! Chef Lalith had the most beautifully presented food. And the tastes were amazing. Wish we could have had more than one night. Oh, the road was under repair while we were there and the climb up is bumping and breath taking! Not for the faint of heart. Hold tight..it is worth the terror of the 6 km climb.

New Chef was superb - food was amazing. Service overall was excellent, very friendly super responsive.. definitely go Abseiling, which is rappelling down an amazing waterfall. Bobby was the guide for the abseiling trip we booked through the hotel. Jungle setting was extraordinary and remote. Beautiful stream to boulder and swim in adjacent to resort. Sameera at the resort is a great guide for the jungle

What a gem of a place. You’ll find this small and lovely little hotel deep in the rainforest by a beautiful river. The rooms are spacious, modern and tastefully decorated. We had a steam room in our room and a hot tub on the deck. But what makes Palmstone so special is the wonderful staff and the incredible food! The brand new chef goes above and beyond. He is so excited to make food you’ll love. Even our 15 year old son, who’s normally not very adventurous with food, loved the food. The friendly guide, Sameera, took us up to a gorgeous waterfall the first day where we could swim. We did river rafting one day which was nice but the water was low. Some fun rapids but mostly a beautiful run down the river. Our third day we went abseiling which was the highlight of the trip to the Kithulgala area. The trip up the mountain in a jeep on beyond bad roads was an experience in of itself. Driving by little mountain villages and tea plantations, our guide Bobby took us to the most gorgeous 90 foot waterfall. Repelling down this spectacular waterfall is not to be missed!! I highly recommend staying at Palmstone Retreat when traveling to Sri Lanka!!

Truly remarkable experience. Beautiful accommodation and service . Its remote location adds to its charm. The chef cooks the most delicious food . My son said the chef was a magician. Friendly and helpful staff . Thank you Unilson , Kenneth and team . An unforgettable experience.

We had a brilliant time here. The waterfall is beautiful and it is such a secluded peaceful place. Thank you to Indunil who couldn't do enough for us and was so helpful. There is white water rafting nearby which is a lot of fun, definitely would recommend.

A one night stop on an 11 day tour. Very private RIGHT IN THE JUNGLE, but you need 4wd to access, or to enjoy a 15 minute tuk-tuk run up to the retreat. Apart from a lovely pool and organised walks locally there isn't much going on, and we were the only guests that night. How they will survive long term I don't know as only 6 luxury units. Food okay served in the main building or your room. A definite decompression spot!

One of the most beautiful properties surrounded by the rain forest in Kitulgala. Excellent hospitality starting from the Manager Kenneth, Indunil, and the excellent food prepared by the cooking staff. Will definitely be a place to return to.

Special mention to our waiter Indunil who was excellent and so warm and welcoming. He even took us to the waterfall and was very knowledgeable about the area and very helpful with our little kids. Also, special thanks to the chef for amazing meals throughout our visit. Kids were really happy with what he prepared and his western and srilankan cuisine were both exquisite. The property itself is lovely and gorgeous big rooms. But there was so many issues: 1. google maps pin was incorrect and took us 30mins away from borderlands where we had just had an exhausting day of rafting. 2. The room phone only worked on speaker mode. 3. The fan regulator either worked on 1 or 5 speed 4. The hem of the blinds were broken and had to painstakingly pulled apart each time we tried to use the jacuzzi 5. The tea hadn’t been replaced in a while and were stale when we tried to fix ourselves a cup of tea 6. The ice they brought for our drinks were tapered from the edges of the fridge as opposed to cubes of ice. 7. Whilst we were ok with the charges for bottled water, I felt that it should have been mentioned as none of us cared for bottled water and were charged for it.