Ratings based on 14 Verified Reviews
4.5 Room cleanliness
4.2 Service & staff
4.2 Room comfort
4.1 Hotel condition
Expedia Verified Reviews
by A verified traveler
GM should stand for Great Memories!
Posted 21 Aug 2023 on Hotels+++ Absolutely magnificent place with a wonderful history. The wooden features are beautiful and the bedrooms are outstanding. Wonderful snooker table and fireplaces. Lovely garden where you can sit and enjoy afternoon tea. The staff, especially Sameera, were absolutely excellent- they couldn’t do enough for us. Thank you again Sameera, we will hopefully see you again one day!
- Only slight negative is that it could have more photographs of the historical figures or building itself going up the walls.
Comment from Hotel Management
22 Aug 2023 by Sam Silva, Hotel Management
All our staff and management appreciate your candid review. We depend on your open reviews to enhance service delivery. We will continue to make desirable improvements. Our staff are always spoken well of by our valued guests. We do have more photographs in various places at the mansion we will see what can be done to highlight them even more. More antique frames, lighting etc. Thank you again and look forward to you and your family returning again.
by A verified traveler
Posted 29 Apr 2019 on Ebookers
Comment from Hotel Management
30 Apr 2019 by Sam, Hotel Management
It was a pleasure and a privilege to be of service to you. We are pleased to note your remarks on your subsequent email sent to us.
Thank you
by A verified traveler
Beautiful garden!
Posted 4 Mar 2019 on HotelsI thought it was very expensive par night ($300), but all inclusive. We had very good Sri Lankan meals for breakfast and dinner. The garden was beautiful. The road condition to the hotel was terrible. No wonder a driver refused to take us.
Comment from Hotel Management
9 Mar 2019 by Sam , Hotel Management
The quality of cuisine we offer is the very best we import from specialise countries. Our all inclusive services are second to none. If you pay any similar hotel just for the room and then for your meals it will work out a lot more. The only establishment that can remotely match GM charges $850.00c for half of the services we provide.
The road is under repairs by RDA. It takes approximately 3-5 weeks during which coaches, buses, vans, lorries, motor cars, motor bikes and pedestrians do continue to use. This is the only main public road. We can only apologise for the inconvenience caused.
by A verified traveler
Isolated. Broken and Scary nightmare access.
Posted 20 Dec 2018 on HotelsIsolated. Scary nightmare access. Unmade track for miles. Cannot see pot-holes when wet and dark.
I am not allowed to include the bellicose correspondence from the hotel management. So, this is my second version that excludes quoting the nasty belligerent emails to my initial feedback.
The rough track to this old place is dangerous! Only suitable for Jeeps and maybe buses with very big wheels. When raining, all the holes are full of water and not visible. In front of our car, which bucked and weaved to traverse this nightmare route on a wet night, a motor-cyclist hit one of these concealed holes and fell off and nearly went over the edge. It is NOT a road! No wonder the hotel is mostly empty.
This place is trying to capitalise on its past colonial glory of the 19th century, when there may have been a safe road.
A cold unwelcoming place.
Some staff were attentive and the room and food were ok.
Having made my serious mistake of booking for 3 nights, we were stuck there until we escaped on the third day in daylight.
There are many superb hotels in Sri Lanka. This was the worst of my trip. Never again!
Comment from Hotel Management
26 Dec 2018 by Sam Silva (Manager), Hotel Management
Are you really a person who stayed at our hotel. We are "Travelers choice winner 2017". We are fully booked up most days and do not have room for all potential guests. The road referred to is a public road used by buses, coaches, cars, motor cycles, cycles and pedestrians. It is a shame you are reluctant to say who you are so that we could take appropriate action.
by A verified traveler
Superb location in heart of tea country
Posted 11 Apr 2018 on HotelsThis hotel was an actual governor’s mansion (hence the name), set in a stunning landscape of working tea plantations. The road to get to the hotel is rough, but I saw it as part of the adventure of arriving at what felt like an oasis. The rooms are a little dated, especially with the low-pressure showers, but are clean and comfortable. Our room had a view over the gorgeous gardens, which are really a credit to the care taken by the staff.
Comment from Hotel Management
12 Apr 2018 by Chris (manager), Hotel Management
Thank you for your genuine review of the Governor's Mansion. Yes we agree the main public road should be a lot better. We are actively engaged with the RDA to get them to maintain the road to a better standard.
Our guests all feel the same about the actual Mansion, the beautifully laid gardens, quality services etc. It is encouraging to hear from you. We thank you for your complements.
Water pressure does wary depending on the use within. The system is designed and installed to ensure all safety standards are met and maintained. Our apologies if you felt the water pressure needs to be higher.
Recommended
for Everyoneby A verified traveler
Posted 30 Dec 2017
Wonderful and very well kept small hotel with impeccable service and an absolutely beautiful dual-aspect junior suite we stayed in. Very very comfortable bed. Lovely food and breakfast with a stunning view over the hills and up to the mountains of the holy triangle.
Comment from Hotel Management
2 Jan 2018 by Sam Silva GM, Hotel Management
Dear Valued guest,
It is so rewarding to read genuine feedback from our guests. We work very hard to do everything realistically possible to enhance and enrich your experience at Governor's Mansion.
Thank you for making us feel our efforts have made our guests happy.
Happy New Year
Recommended
for Everyoneby A verified traveler from Washington, DC travelmom
Unique Historic Tea Plantation/Mansion
Posted 21 Aug 2017Setback during Colonial British rule in the heart of the tea plantations of Sri Lanka lies a stunning, yet manicured estate called the Governor's Mansion going back as far as 200 years old. To get here, though, one must be prepared for zig zags, switchbacks, cliffs perched high, steep and narrow, one road-head on-near collisions, whiplashes thru traffic and small towns.
We had a fantastic staff and service that felt like you're own personal butlers. Every comfort is their personal mission. Adorned in British decor, but modern conveniences, we felt like royalty in our fantasied family home. What a special place! Favorite to do's with our 4 kids ages 17, 15, 13 and 9 years: Tea Trails, Tennis, Biking, Tea Leaves Picking, Fishing, High Tea, Board Games and Fabulous Meals ...
Tea production, exports and laborers congregate and dominate the area. Tea planting by smallholders is the source of employment for thousands while it is also the main form of livelihoods for tens and thousands of families here in the region. Sri Lanka is the world's fourth-largest producer of tea.
Comment from Hotel Management
27 Aug 2017 by Sam Silva, Hotel Management
Thank you for your candid review. We thrive and aim to offer you a truly memorable experience at the Governor's Mansion.
We feel very happy to note all our efforts are truly appreciated.
It was a pleasure providing you our services.
Thank you
by GERALD
Avoid
Posted 18 Jan 2017 on HotelsLovely location but it's the worst managed hotel I have ever come across.
Recommended
for Couplesby A verified traveler from California
This hotel could be our vacation destination
Posted 22 Aug 2016
Pros: The staff and the grounds were incredible.
Cons: The mattress is the only thing that could use improvement. I literally cannot think of anything else that could be improved.
Location: The location is somewhat secluded, but it is very close to the trailhead for Adam's Peak. It was so serene and peaceful!
My wife and I love to travel and experience new things every time we do. For that reason, we rarely visit the same city twice and we NEVER stay at the same hotel twice. However, the Governor's Mansion is one place that we would make sure and come back to the next time we visit Sri Lanka. The grounds were beautiful and peaceful and the staff treated us like royalty. Our stay at the Governor's Mansion was like a vacation within a vacation. Our only regret was that we did not stay longer.
Our 4 star rating for room comfort was only due to the firmness of the mattress, however that seems to be very common throughout Sri Lanka. But the room was immaculate and had all the amenities that made our stay a 5 star experience.
Comment from Hotel Management
11 Mar 2019 by Sam, Hotel Management
Pleasure to note your comments contained in the review. We are delighted and look forward to you returning to the Governor's Mansion when the opportunity arises.
We have taken note of your remarks about the mattress and all mattresses besides being new and in good order will be replaced with body form mattresses very shortly.
Thank you
by A verified traveler
Posted 9 Dec 2015 on Hotels
