Great ambience and staff were amazing, we liked the way how they treated us and they were very friendly. I would suggest everyone to visit this amazing place if you are planning to Yala. The only drawback is, it is but far from the park. You need to travel for 30minutes. But, the accommodation is extraordinary.
Lovely cool pool front room, spacious and clean. Nice hot shower with good water pressure. Outdoor dining with buffet breakfast and dinner, good selection of food. Kitchen packed takeaway breakfast to take on safari. Quiet complex, pool lovely and clean, plenty of lounges. Would be nice to have an area to lounge with a drink and relax. Overall a pleasant stay.
Relaxing hotel, perfect after an Elephant Safari. Excllent service and food, can not fault this hotel it was perfect in every way. I would like to mention Amali in the resturant who made our stay even more enjoyable because she was so helpful and accommodating, thank you. Great rooms overlooking the pool and rice fields.
My original plan of a 1-night stay turned into 3 nights purely based on the property and the team. The rooms are spacious and well appointed, with clean linen and towels. The wooden floors are a nice look and feel. The air-conditioning works very well. An unbelievable amount of space for work / lounging. The room itself has a work desk which is perfect for remote work. The balcony is small but functional, and overlooks the majestic Tissa Lake. Spacious terraces on the 1st and 2nd levels as well as a rooftop with spectacular views of the surrounding fields and the lake. I got plenty of work done and attended web-based meetings in peace, against an amazing backdrop. At the end of the day it is the people that make a difference, and this is where Yasith and his team were exemplary. From his kind, attentive service to the care he displays to guests and the property (and of course by the way he treats Kalu, the adorable orphaned puppy), Yasith leads from the front. I noted among other things his meticulous bookkeeping skills, which is a rare find for any property. Suffice to say I have found my stay whenever I return to Tissa. What better place for a morning/evening stroll than the bank of Tissa lake. For any reasonable person willing to stay at a 3-star hotel and not expect 5-star amenities, Serene Park Hotel by Ark has all the right things in place. Full disclosure, I did not have any meals at the premises; as I am very familiar with Tissa I enjoy the many local options available nearby.
Firstly I'd like to say that the room, hotel, grounds and surrounding area are lovely. The room is huge, nicely decorated and blooming lovely. The rest of the hotel has a very warm, welcoming and cosy feel to it. I wasn't able to try the hotels breakfast as I left early the next day for the safari that the hotel had organised for me. There's parking, aircon in the rooms. But it's safe to say that the pictures don't do the place justice. hmmm... the negative. There's a few little things that stopped the place being fantastic. When I turned up I was greeted by two of the hotels assistants. Suffice to say that their greeting was a bit frosty. The complete polar opposite as to what I'd experienced at the other hotels I'd stayed in around Sri Lanka. They looked at me as if I was going to rob the place. So, before going to my room I order from the menu what I'd like for dinner and then say three times and pointed to the menu, that I'd like a coffee. It never came. No biggy, but it's the little things. Next, prior to my stay, I got in contact with the hotel about a Safari. Twice the hotel confirmed the price. Low and behold, when I get to the hotel I'm told that the price i was told was in correct. Of course the price was more expensive. It's silly it's never cheaper is it haha. So again this leaves a bitter taste in the mouth, because it's not like the hotel doesn't sort these tours on a regular basis. Lastly, it would have been nice to swim in the pool if it wasn't turning green.