Highlights
- Luxurious, eco-friendly resort
- Access to Cultural Triangle
- Wide range of hotel-based activities
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An expansive resort set around a tastefully preserved chieftain’s mansion over 150 years old, Ulagalla Resort has an excellent reputation as one of Sri Lanka's top boutique hotels. Located in Anuradhapura, the centre of the Cultural Triangle, it offers quick and easy access to a delightful range of beautifully preserved ancient monuments. It’s set within 58 acres of mostly undisturbed wilderness, offering spectacular views of verdant paddy fields, wild scrubland and of course, the local wildlife. There are over 100 butterfly species and 100 bird species in the area - and guests may also be lucky enough to see peacocks and monkeys. Scattered across the resort’s grounds are 20 eco-friendly villas designed to offer visitors the highest level of comfort.
Ulagalla Resort certainly has some excellent eco-friendly credentials. The walls of its villas are made from recycled rice paddy. There’s an organic garden with over 40 edible fruits and vegetables. The resort itself has Sri Lanka’s largest solar farm, which provides half of the resort’s energy requirements.
Days can easily be filled visiting the Cultural Triangle's ancient cities, temples and holy places, but there's plenty to do on site as well. The resort offers activities such as guided nature walks, a guided village bicycle excursion, jungle kayaking, horseback tours, archery sessions and tours of the organic garden complete with cooking session. All of these activities are available for an extra charge, though any one of them is sure to be a worthwhile addition to a stay at the resort.
When it comes to dining, guests are spoiled for choice. Private dining can be arranged on guest verandas or out on the paddy fields. These exclusive dining experiences are most popular with couples seeking a cosy and intimate meal together, complete with delicious, authentic food and excellent service. There’s also the Liyawela restaurant, which serves a range of Sri Lankan cuisine that can be enjoyed in the open air complete with views of the surrounding scenery.
The villas are tastefully decorated with a chic and minimalistic feel. Each one is a hidden and secluded sanctuary with floor-to-ceiling glass panelled windows offering panoramic views. Visitors can relax in gorgeous surroundings and enjoy some restful peace and quiet. Of the villas, 19 of them have just one bedroom with a kingsize four-poster bed - these ones are perhaps best suited to couples, though you can request a cot or an extra bed for a child. The final one, Nikawewa Villa, has two bedrooms and is suitable for families of up to four, with two interconnected bedrooms. The resort is set in open wilderness with local wildlife free to roam, and while it's highly unlikely that animals will approach humans, parents are advised to keep an eye on their children at all times, plus there’s the main swimming pool and a plunge pool at all but two of the villas to bear in mind.
Thank you yet again for another meticulously organised and executed holiday (our 5th with you). Every aspect worked perfectly.
Please could you pass on our sincere thanks to your agent in Sri Lanka; Lakshita, our driver and guide, absolutely made the trip for us - he was so keen for us to have the best experience possible. He was organised, kind, interested, punctual, the car was always spotless, and he was an excellent driver. His extensive knowledge was really appreciated by us and was exactly what we had hoped for in a guide. I think the highlight for us was our day in Anuradhapura (7 hours of absorbing history and culture), but there was so much to learn and absorb every day. He also made several suggestions for things that he thought we might like that weren't in our itinerary, and then booked them for us. These included an ayurvedic massage after climbing Sigiriya, a cultural show (an hour of touristy fun!), reef snorkelling with turtles (a real highlight for me - I wish we could have stayed all day), a lagoon boat trip and visit to a cinnamon island, a turtle sanctuary visit, and a gemstone factory visit. He also managed to get us a private tour of Lunanguga, which Peter thoroughly enjoyed. We also really enjoyed the tea factory tour.
Our guide for the hike was also really excellent, and he and Lakshita made sure that our day was perfectly tailored to our (my) ability.
All our accommodation was also perfectly selected. Our favourite was the Ceylon tea trails bungalow (just perfect!), but The Villa Bentota came a close second as a perfect way to relax at the end of the trip. Our villa and the grounds at Uga at Ulagalla were also beautiful.
(Our only slightly disappointing day was the whale watching - no whales wanted to be seen on that particular day, plus I was very sea-sick despite taking meds! The tour organisers offered us a repeat day the following day, which we declined! Having said that, being out on the water was still enjoyable, up to a point...).
I'm sure I've missed out something - we basically loved it all and felt that the balance of the itinerary was perfect for us (we used the 'rest' day in Galle to do the snorkelling, lagoon, and turtles)
Thank you very, very much.
fiona g
reviewing Sri Lanka Highlights - Classic
on 27 March 2026
I just wanted to reach out and let you know what a truly outstanding trip we had.
The itinerary was perfect, the country, the people, the food.....wow, take me back!!!
Each of my family members made so many magnificent memories.
I cant thank you enough for all your help.
Maren B
reviewing Vietnam Northern Highlights and Tropical Beach
on 16 February 2026
We just wanted to thank you for an absolutely amazing holiday. Everything went exactly to plan and we were blown away with the quality of the guides, transport and accommodation. The itinerary was perfect for our family with a great mix of guided and free days and the different destinations complemented each other well. We will definitely be using Tourdust again for our next trip! Particular highlights were the Ha Long Bay cruise, Hanoi, and the morning cycle tour in Siam Reap
Jane P
reviewing Complete Vietnam For Families
on 14 May 2025