The Ibis - Wilpattu

A simple hotel with a big heart! On the first glance a hotel to ignore but if you do you’ll miss out on staying in a delightful and friendly place. Set in a rural position away from the main road, this hotel is clean and welcoming. We were greeted by George, not the owner, and his helpers. We received a welcoming drink and shown to our room. It was inviting and clean. The location overlooked a large lake with plenty of bird life nearby and if you’re prepared to look Land Monitors and Chameleon. Lunch was by the lake and was a feast. In fact the food was delicious and plentiful. Dinner was romantically set with tables well set apart and lanterns to illuminate. We went on safari from here, with Wilpattu very close. This is a lovely place to stay!

It's really hard to describe the Ibis in a few sentences. While it's near the Wilpattu National Park, you feel as if you're IN a national park with a wonderful selection of waterfowl that visit the extensive lake one which The Ibis is located. This is not a multistory, fancy, glass box of a resort: it's low, and quiet (except for the bird calls), and elegant in a casual, loving sort of way. The buildings are brick, and one story, with air conditioning and expansive windows which face the lake. Sit on your front porch in the afternoon, and watch the birds and have a cocktail while the sun sets over the jungle. While elephants are in the neighborhood, we saw water buffalos instead on the far side of the lake. The food is excellent. There's not much choice, but we loved every meal. Great Sri Lankan curries, fresh fruit from the garden, and fresh baked goods were served at every meal. Henry, who manages the lodge, could not have been a kinder and more helpful. He chose a table for us on the edge of the lake, under a large tree, and it was both romantic and unique. If you've seen people dining at the ends of piers in Fiji, then this was something like it on land. We should have stayed two or three nights, but our rushed schedule to do the typical American "Sri Lanka in five days" program prohibited us from staying longer. When we return to Sri Lanka, we'll schedule more time for The Ibis Lodge. Off the beaten track, but right where you want to be.

We spent 4 day's at this awesome location bordering a beautiful lake. Food was excellent with attention to detail on presentation. Staff was friendly and ready to help. Room's & washrooms were spacious and clean. Kid's loved the pool. Will be back

Wonderful setting on the edge of the national park. Genuine feel of being house guests with fabulous hosts (the owners) and their staff. Excellent food served under the stars, a plunge pool and activities to complement the spacious rooms. True home from home to relax and enjoy the experience.

We stayed up in the treehouse and it was amazing. It's a quirky little space with full en-suite up in the tree! We were there during dry season so the lake was very low, and unfortunately our itinerary only had one nights stay here, but even in that time we saw the care and attention of the owners and staff, they even packed us a lunch to take on safari! If you're visiting Wilpattu then a stay here is a must!

This hotel is really off the beaten track and only has 8 rooms so the service is really personal. We arrived during torrential rain but woke the next morning to find it had all dried. It was still dark as we were off to Wilpattu National Park for a safari. We were provided with a packed breakfast and lunch and asked if there was anything we particularly didn't like. Our evening meal was taken outside, under the stars listening to the sounds of the frogs in the lake and the crickets. All the food was freshly prepared and the staff couldn't do enough for us - always checking to see if we'd like a cup of tea, cakes etc.