The River House by Asia Leisure

-Beautiful and quite location nearby a lake -Nice wildlife Negative: -Ice cold check in and check out. The Manager has just handed over the credit card slip. Room rates were charged before arrival. No welcome, no small talk, no explanations, nothing. -Food and hot beverages (breakfast and dinner) disappointing. Tasteless, bland. -Service standard not existing at all at any time. Bored staff with no English knowledgement ran around all the time without knowing what to do, say and offer. -Housekeeping not existing at all. We had to ask the so called manager, if someone could clean the room during our stay. Dirty linen were used. -Pool area beautiful, but abandoned. No bar, no drinks were offered at any time. Fresh towels dirty and in bad condition. -Beautiful location was ruined by untrained staff/ useless manager.

While we were blown away upon arriving at this place, as a result of the uber romantic jungle lodge vibe it had, the romance ended right there! Apart from the lovely decor and vibe of the room we stayed in, the place felt more like a glorified homestay than an indulgent jungle lodge/villa. I would have been okay if the place was any bit cheaper. But at the super high amount we paid for the stay(considering Sri Lanka’s current lower cost hotel economics), we were very disappointed with what we got in return. The place has a lot of potential and could be raised to a five star stay in the jungle, but in its current state I would certainly not recommend this place to anyone looking for an affordable encounter with nature, especially as the island has way too many options elsewhere. LOCATION: on the banks of the serene Madhu Ganga river, but you don’t have direct views of the river unfortunately! DINE + DRINK: They dont even have a bar or restaurant on site! So you need to bring your own bottle, as well as just dine at some random tables scattered around the verandah! Not what we expected from a place with such a price tag! ROOM: We stayed in Room the KIRINDA room, so this review is based on that; VIEW: No view!; SIZE: Spacious enough for 2 adults and simple baggage; AIR-CON: Perfectly functioning cooler that helped in setting the perfect room temperature; BED: Comfortable bed that played the expected part of putting me to sleep; BATHROOM: Stand-in shower; TOILETRIES: Good spa quality cosmetics FACILITIES: No gym, just jungle chill at the wonderful outdoor Swimming pool! Gym with a basic range of weights and Cardio machines SERVICE: Friendly staff that took care of all our needs with a smile and made us feel pampered and well taken care of. Special Shout out to Mr.LASANTH - the manager of the property - who is single handedly trying to raise the bar of the place! And the Dinner Chef deserves special credits also for whipping up some mind blowing local dishes upon request! HOW WIRED YOU WILL BE: LOW-speed Wi-Fi that works well all over the property. Small Plasma TV screen dishing out a wide variety of channels spanning sports, news, music, movies, and entertainment in multiple languages

Wow. That is all I can say! Super hotel that will blow your instagram. Old colonial style. Huge room. All I can say is if you are a photographer or photography is just your hobby, you should definitely stay here at last for 1 night. Highly recommend.

I have visited Riverhouse once and wanted to have the experience again. I got a garden suite for our stay this time. The location was peaceful and I loved the surroundings. They welcomed us warmly and we got a room that is located near the kitchen area with outside entrance downstairs. I do not recommend that room as it was not soundproof and you can hear all the sounds from the kitchen and it is disturbing. It has a separate window which is opened to another operating room with cctv cameras. The room boy mentioned that I can order anything I want by opening that window and ringing the bell. I was not happy with that option and felt that privacy wasn't maintained properly. I was bothered by that arrangement in the room. Also early in the morning, I can hear someone talking in that room and it was really disturbing. I informed the management but I wasn't given another room even though there was only one room occupied during my stay. The management was negligent and didn't listen to the customer's problem. On the other hand, I loved the food it was super delicious and I give all the credit to the chef who went beyond measure to provide us with delicious food. The pool was great and had a calm environment to enjoy. I wish the management of the hotel will consider this seriously as it is the only negative experience that I had that bothered my whole stay in this nice hotel.

The place is only a 2 hour drive from Colombo, and is easily accesible. It is the most calm, relaxing, magical stay. Situated right next to a lake and it's acres and acres of lush garden and nature. What makes the experience the best though apart from the location is the most competent Manager Lasantha, and his staff. The chefs Amal and Chathuranga made excellent meals and prepared them exactly how we asked them to. The 3 hotel staff Kalana, Lakshitha, Sudesh were always helpful and accomodating and very efficient with their service which meant we were never bothered. Overall the whole stay was seamless, and so amazing that I will be recommending The River House to all my friends and family. The Manik Suite aka The Plunge Pool suite is definitely the room to stay in with its personal balcony overlooking the lake and the whole garden, and of course it's very own pool in the balcony. This is the perfect place to stay in for a nice relaxing stay and we could not be more happier with it.

It was our first visit to River House and it was much more than what we expected from seeing the web pictures. Its airy, spacious and very calm. The bungalow is very clean and well maintained. The Resident Manager Lasantha takes personal care in keeping River House at its top level. The food was exceptionally great with great presentation, attention to detail and of course so delicious. The BBQ topped it all. The chef served us yummy soups everyday which was enjoyed by us all. We had a group of 12. The kids enjoyed the space very much. Lasantha oraganised a boat ride for us which was a lovely experience. Don't forget to stop by the thambili seller on the river. The evening was spent at the pier while watching the beautiful sunset over the river. We totally recommend River House and looking forward to visiting many more times. Keep going Lasantha and tea, you are doing an awesome job!!! Sonali

A wonderful discovery for a relaxing getaway close to Colombo. A spectacle of birds, tranquility, good food , clean (sometimes difficult to find in SL) and good service. Professional staff. I just missed a bit more variety in drinks BUT we will definitely come back!

The River House - Hotel name spells in well itself Location - Balapitiya City limit and facing to Maadu Ganga ( River ) Eco Friendly environment with so many birds. Pool/Garden Swimming Pool Experience is quite different here and very nicely designed. Eco friendly garden and surrounding you find here with huge verities of birds. Food/Beverages Different type of Food verities with fresh fruits. Delicious and Enjoyed. Staff is friendly and helpful Suite Clean and tidy Space Comfort and Well organized Thank you Manager Mr. Lasantha and his staff and those who made my journey happy and more peaceful one. Thank You Asia Leisure

Me and my wife have travelled The River House Balapitiya during the August 2022, we have had a nice experience at there. We have stayed in the Kala Villa which is spacious and comfortable. Throughout the stay we had received a good hospitality from the entire staff. From the beginning of getting the booking till ending the stay Mr.Lasantha who is the Resident Manager provided us a good service. Their Executive Chef Chathuranga has provided us delicious food for all meals which we had. House Keeping Asanka also arranged the Room in clean and nicely. This has a unique type of Pool which is surrounded with nice atmosphere. Highly recommend anyone to travel here for their stay.