Aliya Resort and Spa is just 10 minutes by tuk-tuk from town and absolutely spectacular, especially the pool. It feels amazing and is a beautiful place. Great room, excellent facilities, attentive staff, and a full breakfast. The safari was pricey, so we booked it separately outside the hotel. Perfect for couples, ideal for relaxation and combining with activities in the area. We tried a massage at the hotel—it was a bit expensive and not quite worth it. The spa itself is minimal, and the sauna was cold, not a real sauna experience. For the jacuzzi, couples are separated into different rooms and bathtubs, just like for massages.

The pool with view over lion's rock is exceptional. Very friendly staff, some were more competent than others. We had a nice and quiet room. The gym was big and equipped well enough.

We had breakfast and dinner. Breakfast options are many but poor quality, would have prefered less choices but better quality. Maybe to consider serving a la carte considering the number of guests and hygiene. Quality of the food at dinner was not good, compared with what you could have outside so we only had dinner once. The location is quite remote so not much restaurants around and you need to take a tuk tuk to get around.

Like the focus on sustainability and the garden areas

There were lots of things we weren’t told about (any restaurant in the hotel, another bar, evening walks etc) which we weren’t told about. I loved the idea of an hour evening nature walk but felt the extra price they charge was excessive- I would have been happy to give a good tip for this but expected it to be complimentary. Drinks and snack took a long time to arrive and order was wrong. Staff not as friendly as other places (except baggage boy and one or two ladies on reception).

We loved it here, very clean and bright in the rooms, pool was huge and on a non cloudy day the backdrop is beautiful!

Buffet breakfast wasn’t great, charge more for any coffee that isn’t a pot of Sri Lankan coffee. Prepare to eat alone if you order from A la carte menu, my other half always got his meal way before mine and finished before mine was even served.

Unbelievable pool. It’s the selling point of the hotel for sure! Good location for safari, the rock, massage etc.

Needs more sunloungers and the area under the pool was derelict - unattended bars, restaurants etc which was a shame. The paths could be much better lit as walking about at night can be a bit hairy at time. We had a good few cockroaches in our room we had to address….. Aircon could be a LOT stronger for the size of the room even when at its lowest setting. The bathroom has outside ventilation with a mosquito net, so becomes very very hot, not benefitting from the aircon and kind of negates the aircon working hard in the room. Variety at dinners would be good else it becomes very repetitive.

The staff and the cleanliness was excellent. The spa was good too. Comfortable beds, good size of room. Comfortable stay. Nice property.

The food - the buffet was mediocre. The specialty restaurant for srilankan food was a big disappointment. It was a set menu and the cook did a good job but the servers had no clue. Food was cold and most of the dishes were not even served. Just kept on the next table. No order of service, no explanations, just dumped. The location- it's a bit far from all the restaurants and shops, getting tuktuk is not easy. You have to use the hotel taxi.

The view is outstanding. The hotel reception is perched on top of stairs with breathtaking view of the rock. The swimming pool also has an amazing view. Loved the vibe of the hotel, the room was very nice (nicer than i expected from the pictures!). The staff was very nice. We had buffet dinner and buffet breakfast and were very satisfied. The location is good, close enough to the rock to do it at sunrise then come back to the hotel to enjoy a nice breakfast.

The staff were friendly, professional and extremely helpful. They anticipated our requests and checked in on how our day was at dinner and whether we needed anything. I have stayed at some bigger name hotels whose staff have not done this, meaning we have had to call reception or make a trip to reception to organise trips or request something for the room etc. Not the case at Aliya. We organised our entire Pidurangla climb at the dinner table between courses with their helpful staff who gave us tips and organised transport for us. The pool was beautiful. The grounds are extensive and so peaceful. There are nature trails and pottery to try. The food was great for all meals with plenty of choice. The room was large enough for the three of us. Only thing that was missing was an iron and ironing board but I am sure we could have requested from reception. Overall a stay that exceeded our expectations and a hotel that looks better in real life than in photos! Would definitely recommend and stay again!

We booked into a Wooden Chalet. As we drove into the resort we were a bit worried that the chalets were in a dark wooded area and away from the main buildings…however we shouldn’t have worried. The chalets are in a cool dark treed area as this traditionally was were you built to stay cool . Built in a rustic style, the rooms are huge and very comfortable. There is a seating area inside and a verandah with seating outside. On arrival, the staff a very friendly. We arrived early (11.30) before check in time. However we only had to wait about 45mins for the room to be ready- which was the perfect amount of time to have a light lunch looking over the massive pool with Sigiriya in the background. A good breakfast buffet with a large choice. Niven omelettes made to order. The pool is stunning and a great way to cool off.

The spa is a bit dated and needs freshening up. We used the steam room - which was not hot like we prefer.

After the BOOKING.COM error made regarding our reservation, as we had reserved 2 large chalets for 4 adults. The General Manager Mr Wijerathne and Mr Gayan, had the sense to realise the error. Once that was over, the resort was fabulous and the staff wonderful.

After the BOOKING.COM error made regarding our reservation, as we had reserved 2 large chalets for 4 adults. We were informed at reception that the reservation was for 1 adult in each chalet, which was ridiculous. Head office was phoned and we were asked to pay an additional USD300. Laughable if we weren't angry. It was not a good start however, we enjoyed our stay at Aliya and the facilities.