Hallo, I just spent 5 days in Kandy where I stayed at 4 different guesthouses, all located on Saranankara Rd. Probably most of you already know this road: it starts climbing the hill from just about half-way of the southern side of the lake. You can reach it by foot from Kandy town in about 10%26#39; walk, depending where you start from. You can not miss it as some guesthouse signs are placed at the jonction with the main road (to be precise, there are signs for the ';Highest View';, the ';Golden View'; and the ';Sharon Inn';). Then you still have to climb a little to reach the various guesthouses, but not too much: I think that you can get to the top in 7-8 min., maximum.
These are the guesthouses you meet, in order from down up:
- ';Pink House'; (left side, road no. 15)
- ';Star Light'; (left side, no. 15/A)
Follows a gap with other buildings, then almost all grouped together:
- ';Golden View'; (right side, no. 46)
- ';Glen No 58'; (right side, no. 58)
- ';Expeditor'; (left side, no. 41)
- ';Lake Inn'; (left side, no. 43)
- ';Glen 58B / Thilini 60'; (right side)
- ';Kandy Inn'; (right side, no. 70)
- ';Highest View'; (left side, no. 129/3)
- ';Lakshmi'; (left side, no. 57)
- ';Sharon Inn'; (left side, no. 59)
During these days in Kandy I was not that busy and I had time to enter almost all of these places and give a look to the premises. The owners had time for me, too, as the area is practically desert, you can count tourists on the fingers of one hand in this period. One owner complained that it will be like this also for Perahera, as it has been getting worse and worse in past years, according to her.
The clear impression is that the upper you go, the better the quality and comfort you find, and the higher the price. So you start with Pink House, which offers an excellent warm family ambience but rooms very much basic (and economic), and end up with Sharon Inn which in fact is a real small hotel with all comforts, satellite TV, and a nice view on the Kandy basin (if you choose one of the upper rooms).
Personally, I tried 4 guesthouses located in he lower half or at the middle of the road. I spent in average 660 RS per night (room only). Of course I had to negogiate a little each time in order to get such a good price. But the alternative for them right now is to leave the room empty, so...
I stayed fairly well in every place, except at ';Star Light';: my room there was very dirty and uncomfortable, I cannot recommend it. I spent an unforgettable white night there... :-(
The one which I really liked and would like to recommend is the ';Glen No. 58';. Only 3 rooms, a very discreet and kind old couple running it, homely atmosphere, clean and tidy, away from the street. According to the guestbook that I saw there, the cooking is also good, in particular the Sri Lankan breakfast and huge fruit salads. I did not try the cooking personally as for the moment my budget allows me just only to sleep at guesthouses, but I read several enthusiastic comments on their guestbook. So I already booked there for Perahera...
Beware not to confuse this one with the following one, a spurious named ';Glen 58B';! The owner at Glen 58 explained to me that once they closed down for one year, only to find at their return that their neighbours had ';stolen'; their name to attract guests...
Very good rooms I saw also at the ';Expeditor';, where I stayed one night, and especially at the ';Highest View'; and at the already mentioned ';Sharon Inn';. Those two are like two giants placed on the two sides at the top of the street, with little Lakshmi guesthouse in between them. Lakshmi is not bad, neither, although it cannot compete with those two, and it lacks the view.
Regarding the view: at Saranankara Rd., you really enjoy some good view only from the higher rooms or the roofs of Highest View and Sharon Inn. However it is always the view on the Kandy basin, with the lake, which remains a quite limited, closed panorama. If you want an open, breathtaking view, you have to climb the hill on the opposite side of the lake, the northern side, and if you manage to reach the top or at least go around the hill and look down the other side, there you will be served with a fantastic panorama on a very wide horizon.
One excellent resort I found there, almost by chance, walking my way to the other side of the hill: Kandy Panorama Resort. Excellent rooms, hotel-like comfort. And, like the guesthouses on Saranankara Rd., they are currently empty... Of course if you choose to stay there you will need to depend on some transport to come and go from Kandy. It is perhaps some 3 km away from town, half of it climbing more or less steep.
The Saranankara guesthouses, as I said, are all reachable by foot in between 12 to 16/18 min. from Kandy town, depending on how quickly you walk and climb. If that%26#39;s too far for you, there is the possibility of the ';Lake Round'; guesthouse, located on the road that preceeds Saranankara coming from Kandy (Sangaraja Rd, no. 8/5). It is a good 5 minutes closer to Kandy town. They have one sufficiently good room with hot water, in front of the house, and several other ones of lower quality in an annex behind the house.
Regards, Ticino
Guesthouses on Saranankara Rd.
Hello Ticino
Many thanks for all the feedback you%26#39;re sending us from Sri Lanka. I must speak for many people when I say that such detailed info on guesthouses is invaluable reference material and also a fascinating read.
I remember reading a similar report from someone who was staying near Dambulla and he stayed at a place called ';Little Dream';. I see it%26#39;s mentioned in the Lonely Planet Guide as well and they say it%26#39;s 8km along the road to Amaya Lake in case you%26#39;re interested. He made it sound really appealing - right by the Kandalama Tank and river so he could swim with the locals - really cheap too. That one is on our list for next time. Thought I%26#39;d mention it as you seem to be heading north now.
Enjoy your travels.
Regards
Sue
Guesthouses on Saranankara Rd.
Thank you so much Sue, I took note of it as I certainly want to pass by Dambulla, probably on the way back from Trincomalee where I am planning to go very soon. Do you happen to have their contact numbers too?
And I forgot to mention that I have the cards of several of the guesthouses mentioned above, so if anybody needs the contact details just let me know.
Regards, Ticino
Hello again Ticino
Ooh, lucky you, I wish I was out there now.
Yes, here are the contact details of Little Dream (from the current Lonely Planet book - tel. no. 072 618871. The price quoted in the book is Rs 440/660, but it might be slightly more than that now, as that was a 2006 price.
Looking forward to your next report!
All the best
Sue
Hi Sue, it looks like the number you gave is missing 1 digit, can you confirm that it is really so? Normally there should be a total of 10 digits.
Regards, Ticino :-)
Sorry Ticino, that%26#39;s definitely the number given. I looked back in the older version of the guide and there%26#39;s a completely different number there (072 893736) but again, only 9 digits. Looking through the book though, there are quite a few others like that also, so it might be right.
Can anyone else help with this? It%26#39;s a place I would like to get in touch with as well.
Incidentally, the going rate there seems to be Rs800 - the starting price is Rs1000 and the owner comes down to that ... and apparently she%26#39;s an excellent cook too!
Let me know how you get on.
Best wishes,
Sue
Hi Sue,
A couple of years ago most phone numbers in Lanka were changed. Adding extra digits to give them millions of extra numbers to allocate.
Most kept the same code but added 22 in front of the number.
for example, a Mirissa number used to be
+94-(0)-41-50410..........add 22 so it%26#39;s now
+94-(0)-41-2250410
That was most.. Some numbers only got a single
'; 2 '; added at the front of the number.
so the number you had, may have become,
072-2618871.
Probably completely wrong but that is how they changed the system.
Rod.
Thanks Rod and Sue, I%26#39;ll try to add a ';2'; in the front (after the area code) and let you know. But it will be after a while, I am not going there right now.
Regards, Ticino
Hi,
Thank you for your post which is totally helpfull and superb.
Please have you got an e-mail address for glen 58 and for a 50+ young couple who like a homely,clean place would this be the best. We can stay in posh hotels the world over but it is not giving to the community nor experiencing real life.
Thank you,
Chris
Hallo Chris, yes I think that ';The Glen 58'; is good for you. I have their business card, I will copy it here in full. No e-mail unfortunately.
The Glen Guest House
Peaceful home
Rooms for tourists
Mr. Deem, Proprietor
58, Saranankara Rd, Kandy
Tel : 081-2235342 ; 071-6106997
Regards, Ticino
Hi Ticino and all,
I am so pleased to see your messages about The Glen 58.
My name is Aishah, I am maried to Faizal Sherifdeen it is Faizal%26#39;s mum and dad who is running the Glen 58. After reading your messages I have set up an email to take bookings and enqueries.
EMAIL: glen58@uk2.net
We live in London and running a Japanese Restaurant (yes, I am Japanese) here is the link
www.poppyhana.com
Any Kandy lovers are welcome! If you are in London, come to see us!
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