Sir John's Bungalow Review

Excellent place to spend your vacation ... with your family ..

Nicely located colonial bungalow in Pitawala pathana.. Good service

Stunning View
Lovely place to relax
Safe and secluded

One of the best place to relax. Service and food is excellent.

Highly recommended for staying in Riverston.. You will have nice views and from there you can have access to so many places of Riverston.. Water falls, small world center, Manigala rock etc:-

truly it was adorable & lovely. much comfortable rooms. sceneries excited me. anyway it is better to change the menus according to the visitors' requests.

Nice and calm place to relax. About 35 km away from matale town, like 3h drive. Sola powered. Nice and friendly staff there. Clean and well managed. Nice scenaries around the bungalow. Specially good for hiking, bird watching etc. If you like hiking, ask from the staff they will support you.

Called their Colombo office and informed that I would be reaching the hotel at a particular time & date. When I reached the hotel after a long drive, Colombo office called me and said that the manager is not willing to accept guests. I am sure the manager is the cook! What kind of a hotel does not accept guests?

Hotel is situated in knuckles mountain range. It is very quiet and calm place for get experience of natural environment. Knuckles mountain range view from the hotel is amazing. The days we visited climate is very cold and misty. It was totally different experience. Hotel staff is friendly and service is good.

Very calm and quiet place to relax your soul.. lovely view from the colonial bungalow and the morning view is heart touching.... most importantly they have provided an excellent service which was really exceptional. Highly recommend to nature lovers and persons who love to relax calmly... Keep it up your excellent service Guys!!!....

Beautiful location in the Knuckles range. Breathtaking view from bungalow.

A most beautiful place in reverstone, Matale.
With a panaroma view, cool and quite place.
Very friendly staff, quick service was provided. Highly recommend place in this area. Dinner was fabulous as well as breakfast. No grid power. Runs with solar and generator. Hot water available. Room was very clean and comfortable. A best place to stay.. Thanks for all services provided for us.

Too expensive. service and food not value for money we spend. Just wasting money and get annoying.

Nice hideout. The staff is friendly. The available facilities are highly satisfactory given its inside a nature reserve.

Stunning stay. My most favourite place in Sri Lanka!

Visited bungalow 2 nights full board on 1St Feb 2019 @Rs. 7,500.00 full board per person. Our group consisted of 8 and reserved 3 rooms. Main bungalow has 5 rooms and another unit little away from bungalow with 2 rooms. Our group got rooms 1 from main bungalow and 2 from the other unit. Room arrangements were informed only after we checked in. No front desk. No Manager available at bungalow but one Mr. Nadeera answered phone who claim him as The Manager and said we have to stay in the allocated rooms and he is not in a position to help re- arrange . We were compelled to speak to him because they had 2 rooms vacant in the main bungalow. Kitchen closes at least. 9.00 p.m. If you want a little late dinner ,you have to have a cold meal. 2nd day we asked for lunch packets, they some how made us come back for lunch. Therefore we had lunch at 5.00 p.m. that day. Because of late lunch we asked for a late dinner to which they said they will lay the table for us to eat at any time because the kitchen close at 9.00 p.my. They have a set menu of no choices. Although website say BBQ available, no such facility available. As we checked-in they informed our meal plan. Some how we managed to get 1 extra dish on the second day. Rooms are like prison cells. No ventilation. If you open doors and windows the other guests who pass by can see you resting in bed. Solar lights are very dim. You need a torch inside. The only sitting room is too small to accommodate different group of guests. I really regret for my selection which I have never experienced before in Sri Lanka. Food was good. Would like to mention about one of the staff members namely Jason the only person with a smile on the face. Helped us a lot during our stay.

Good place to stay calm.... specially if u are doing trekking manigala....

It is a very nice place to be. Great food. And even Greater Hospitality, a beautiful view to look at all day. It's very homely, and comfort is provided.

The staff was good, the rooms were very good.

There's wifi available, and books and magazines to read.

There's enough open space for kids to play out.

Great place overall, Totally recommend.

One of the best colonial bunglow in Sri Lanka. It's situated in country's unique ecosystem. They run this lovely place from self-sufficient renewable energy. If you are a nature concern person this is a "must visit" place. Plus it has a breathtaking view.

Quaint little place with an old world feel. Garden has a lot of potential. Reasonably food local food served.

A bunglow situated in a lovely place. Few miles away from pitawala pathana. But the staff is not that much freindly.

The hotel itself is simple and is cared for by only a few people (owner is a large company).
Unfortunately it is not as clean as it could be. A black tuft of hair in the drain is not so nice. Also, the joints in the bathroom floor could withstand a thorough cleaning.
The rooms themselves are quite large and functional, but also very clairaudient because partly with a connecting door.
Since it is a former private house, the circumstances are appropriate.
For breakfast you can choose between local and international, the lunch consists of rice with different curries. Both are really good.
The dinner is a set menu, which you can safely do without and that did not consist of the announced dishes. Here you should ask for the curry from lunch. This is possible, but not offered by itself.
Anyway after everything should be asked, what you want (tea, coffee etc.).
Much is possible and will be brought immediately.
The fact that it is not openly offered is due to the inexperienced employees, but they are happy to fulfill all wishes, if one expresses them.
Finally and very reluctantly I have to mention the surroundings and the magnificent view.
Ungern because otherwise too many tourists book there and I would like this little paradise for me alone.
The endless view over the mountains, the unique light and the thus peaceful atmosphere makes up for all the small flaws in the hotel.
The sunrise could come from a Hollywood movie, but it is already at 5 o'clock!
If you are looking for peace and quiet, would like to experience Sri Lanka differently or want to find the most romantic place in the world, this is the place for you!
So please, please do not drive there! Leave this charming place to me! Or give me a coffee when they see me sitting on the terrace !

Superb place. Area is Still unspoiled( unlike ella and nuwara eliya).

This is the old Laggala Estate colonial Bungalow, now renovated to a boutique hotel.

Good accommodation and service despite the monkeys jumping on the roof! A real step back into a former age - dinner by candlelight

Built in 1940s. Still the British Colonial touch is there. Very relaxing place with wonderful views. Best location for nature lovers and for Honeymooners too.

Far from everything in a magical setting. Wonderful.

super place to let ur mind go ...... service was v good , food oh ...wow ..dhanushka and chandana you guys are the best, view over the mountains no words to explain ,
thank you Sir Johns Bungalow staff

A comfortable place and different experience outside the town. Facilities are available but don't expect full requirements .. good view too

Lovely hospitality, stunning mist laden mountain views, peaceful, quiet, short distance to mini world's end and other sites, great food!

Everything Fine. They have wifi with good signals. It situates close to everywhere that you have to watch in riverston. nice place to stay with family.

Probably the best place to stay in Riverston. Old plantation bungalow, refurbished with a spectacular view.

Excellent staff and five star hospitality. Serves excellent food.

Stayed for 3 nights with kids. This place is not child friendly. Pay extra attention.

The view over the knuckles mountain range is outstanding, but the rest leaves much the be desired. The only thing that the high price seems to give you, is that the staff is saying yes a lot more often, when they actually mean no or don't understand. As an example I asked for vegetarian food, got a chicken leg for dinner, told them again and got sausage for breakfast. To get towels we had to ask four times. I had much better food and service in places that cost a third of this place. In addition, the entire place was more of a construction site than the quite retreat you would expect. There were construction noises covering the nature sounds all day long. I've heard the phrase "if you're happy we are happy" very often during my stay there, and every time it sounded less convincing. The extra charge of 2000 LKR for our drivers quarter was far above the usual rate and according to our driver absolutely not justified.

3rd visit and love the area. The washroom can be a bit gloomy as its powered on solar.

OMG! The view, the place, the atmosphere, the ambiance. If you are craving for a relaxing time amidst mist, mountains and want to breath clean air with a homely feeling and nicely cooked meals, go and book this place.

Located at the foot of Knuckles mountain range, overlooking large plains that spreads towards eastern border of the country, this bungalow is definitely the place to stay, if you are in Riverston, Matale.

Bungalow also has some history. Sir John was one of the early prime ministers of Sri Lanka who reportedly lived his life to the fullest and this I presume is one of his holiday homes.

Large rooms, good food, homely feeling, clean amenities.

Don't forget to watch the sun rise, it's breath taking.

WoW !!!! What a View & what a place !!!! Enjoyed it !!!!!!

The supreme location is the main plus point of this bungalow. It's a breathtaking view of the valley below that mesmerizes. At dawn and at twilight it's a heavenly view. A drizzle makes it even more enchanting. When a vehicle with its head lights on climbs uphill along the meandering road below you that's enshrouded in the mist the dream like feeling you get is unforgettable. The property is situated not far from Pitawala Patana which is a key attraction in this section of Knuckles range of mountains. Also within a few kilometers is the Riverston gap. If you are adventurous type and like hiking you should walk all the way to both these landmark areas. The bungalow that dates back to the colonial era has seen its better days. Though the building is immensely charming a lot of renovation work is needed to improve the quality of the rooms, especially the bathrooms. The food is delicious. Candle lit diners are memorable for the quality and the taste as well as the aura associated with it. It easily takes you back to an era in the 19th century - an era that would have been. For a first time driver finding the place isn't easy as Map can be misleading. There's parking available for a couple of vehicles. The bungalow is offered full board and is not cheap. Anyway, there's no nearby restaurant where you can dine in, in this remote and difficult terrain.

SIR JOHN BUNGLOW is located in knuckles, Reverston. Um happily and highly recommended this place to spend your vacation very pleasantly and calmly!!
I would like to thank to the manager Mr.Nadeera to help me in advanced!!
Very kind staff members.. Treated us very favorably!!
Rooms and washrooms are very clean.. food is very tasty and healthy-wealthy!!
Organization is very nice!
Thanking you again and again!!
Hope to visit again!!!!