Reviews of Serene Homestay Ella

Great hosts and views and awesome meals!

Amazing stay with such lovely family who looked after me. Food was excellent and they even made breakfast for me when I was leaving so early to go to the National Park. Their son was a tuk tuk driver and took me into town and around Ella. Highly recommend staying with them and it’s middle of nowhere which makes a great experience with amazing people.

Beautiful family who above and beyond for us. We felt very welcome from the moment we arrived. The family even surprised us with a honeymoon cake and decoration in our room. The breakfast was the best we had in Sri Lanka! Also, the view was amazing and their son happily drove us anywhere we needed to go in his Tuk Tuk with a small fee. We couldn’t rank this place higher. 10/10!

We loved everything!

Very nice private room with a private balcony with a great view! They have their own tuktuk and are happy to drive you anywhere. It's a 10 minute drive to Ella city center. There was a nice big varied breakfast. I also ate dinner here twice. They love to cook you some Sri Lankan cuisine. You can also hear the train pass and if you look carefully through the trees, you can see it too.

The view on the mountains The breakfast

The cleanliness was subpar both with the accommodation and the bed sheets/pillows. The property is quite difficult to access and is far from the city center. Therefore, I think this property was overpriced.

Everything but most of all the view. We woke up to the sounds of nature and could see the sunrise over the mountains. Chipmunks, peacocks, monkeys on the trees all around. The owners were very kind and helped with everything. The breakfast was plentiful, so we could not eat even the half. They offered to take away all that we couldn’t eat and actually if we did that we wouldn’t need to buy more food during the day.

The property is located on the hill and I don’t think anyone would walk there. The last part of the road (about 50-100 meters) is not reachable by car, so when we arrived the taxi dropped us off before reaching the property and we had to walk with the suitcases. The owners have a tuk tuk and we could text them anytime to give us a ride at a reasonable price. So not taking into account the day of arrival later everything was ok

The room was incredible very comfy bed and a nice wash room. The family were so lovely they picked me up from the train station organised my moped rental and when my bus to Colombo was cancelled they helped me and booked me onto a different one. They were so nice! The food was also incredible and the portions were generous I didn’t need to buy lunch as I had the left overs from breakfast. 10/10

Such a wonderful family and loved the view. It was our anniversary trip, I'm happy we decided to stay with this homestay and get a true local experience. They are so nice and always try to be accommodating. The breakfast was superb and we looked forward to it every morning. Fresh fruits and juices along with hoppers. It was heavenly.

Its a bit secluded but they helped us with bike rental which made it very easily to move around.

It‘s a nice, familiar and clean homestay with a view. They offer plenty of variety for breakfast and even dinner was great. The room is, tidy and clean.

Nothing

The family that hosted us are amazing. They couldn't do enough! We stayed for my girlfriends birthday and on arrival they surprised us with a cake. The stay was extremely clean and the breakfast they provide is so tasty, we loved that it was all local Sri Lankan food, freshly made, that we got to try. The view from the balcony is amazing. The service was the best service we received in Sri Lanka. This is a must stay when visiting Sri Lanka.

Nothing

My boyfriend and I really enjoyed our stay at Serene homestay. The family that owns the place is very welcoming and warm, and always made sure we had what we needed. The breakfast was also very good - thank you so much! The room is a little outside of Ella city, but we preferred it that way! We could easily get a tuk tuk at the homestay to town if we wanted to have lunch or dinner. They could also make this at the homestay if we wanted. We had great views from our room and porch with monkeys around. We could also jog to both Ella rock and Little adams peak from the homestay partly along the railway tracks - loved it!

Everything was great!

We had an amazing time during our stay and we expect this to definitely be the best accommodation during our 3-week trip! We’ll 100% be recommending Serene Homestay to anyone we know who’s visiting Ella on their travels. Our hosts were so friendly, welcoming and helpful and they cooked an amazing breakfast for us each morning with the freshest fruit and tastiest local dishes imaginable. We truly felt like we were staying in a jungle oasis but we were still only a 10 min tuk tuk or a 40 min walk from town. The birdsong in the mornings or the train chugging past on the railway line just below has to be experienced. The room & bathroom was compact but beautifully furnished which made it an excellent place to recover after hiking the hills around Ella. 10/10 would stay again!!

I can’t say enough how happy we were to stay at this place. Run by a lovely family who will help you with whatever you need. The breakfast was huge and amazing. Everything was fresh and home made. The room was very clean and had everything we needed. On top of that, they have a beautiful terrace with a gorgeous view. Their son also drove us to main attractions in Ella.

Nothing!

Our stay at Serene Homestay was truly exceptional. The host family is kind, attentive and went out their way to make our stay unforgettable. Their son picked us up from the train station by tuk tuk and arranged a motorbike rental for us at a very affordable price. The room is big, clean and very comfortable. It has everything you need. The breakfast is delicious and freshly made by the owners. We also had a dinner at the Homestay and it was a feast! We would really recommend anyone visiting Ella to stay at Serene Homestay. It was probably the best place we stayed at in Srilanka, and our whole experience was made even more special by the kindness and genuinity of the host family.

We stayed at Serene homestay for two nights and this was the best experience during our trip in Sri lanka. It’s good to know that it is located up in the mountains but it makes it perfect to take walks with nice views. The family who runs the homestay are just lovely and made us lovely breakfast and dinner. This homestay has more facitilities then other places we have been to in Sri lanka, for example a fridge and reading lights on the side of the bed. If you want to stay up in the mountains this is definitely the place! The balcony is also amazing. We loved it and will come back if we visit Sri lanka again.

Absolutely gorgeous location with gorgeous views. Incredibly peaceful so true to its name, a perfect place to relax. The host family was warm, kind, and genuinely welcoming. Breakfast was insane! So generous, beautifully prepared, and delicious. Even on my last day, they packed a huge homemade meal for my journey! Though not in Ella City, it’s ideal for nature lovers, with a few great restaurants nearby. The son offers super affordable tuk-tuk transfers—definitely worth using. Overall a simple, down-to-earth stay, but that’s exactly the charm. If I return to Ella, I’d stay here again in a heartbeat!

From my point of view, nothing.

Exceptional breakfast with local food, stunningly friendly people

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Our Homestay was as the name suggests just like being at home. The room was clean and spacious, our own private balcony had tremendous views across the valley. Inusha and his family were very welcoming, the hearty breakfasts and dinners were a feast of home cooking, beautifully presented. Nothing was too much trouble, we were disappointed the stay was so short. They even prepared a picnic as we left early on the last day. Inusha both suggested and took us to all the major sites around Elle. A truly memorable stay, thoroughly recommended, you won’t be disappointed by the hospitality. Exceptional.

Nothing

A prefect Serene Homestay Indeed. What gracious hosts!!! Inusha and his family looked after us so well. The breakfasts were amazing. Our suggestion would be to take the breakfasts along with the room. The bedroom and bathroom was perfectly clean and up to the mark. Anything you need, you can just ask Inusha. The place is close to the tracks and a 25 minute walk alongside the tracks to the city center. Its away from all the hustle bustle, you wake up to the sounds of birds chirping. We had dinner at the homestay and it was exceptional. A must try srilankan home cooked meal. We are grateful to Insuha and his family and hope to visit again.

So nice 👌

Good hospitality

Very nice homestay!

We booked 3 nights at Serene Homestay Ella based off the great reviews we saw online and our experience confirmed that the reviews are indeed real. Inusha and his family welcomed us warmly from the start, making us feel as though we were part of the family, not just guests. As we arrived in the evening they checked with us whether we would like to have dinner and despite arriving quite late they had prepared a whole feast. Every day this was the case with breakfast and dinner being a variety of really delicious food. It was also a great opportunity for us to try all the different Sri Lankan dishes as Inushas mother always made sure she cooked something different each time. The portions were always really big, more than two people could eat and often the food prepared for breakfast was enough to last for lunch too. On one of the days when we took the train, they made sure we had packed food with us in the morning. On one of the days Inusha took us to see the 9 arch bridge and tea plantation factory by tuk tuk. This reduced the back and forth we would have otherwise had to do with other tuk tuk drivers and allowed us to have a great time visiting the surrounding. The rooms were very clean, water was provided and when asked, they were accommodating including by making sure the water was hot enough, when asked. The view is amazing, at different times throughout the day you will hear the train passing by and might even see it, breathe fresh air and hear the birds in the morning. We couldn’t recommend staying at serene Homestay enough. If you want to have a cozy stay, great food, wake up to an amazing view.

We had a great stay at Inusha. Him and his family were so welcoming and did everything to make sure we had the best holiday possible. The place is quiet, comfortable and the terrace has a view directly on the forest. We had dinner and breakfast prepared by Inusha and his family, and the food was amazing and in huge quantities. It allowed us to taste local food. Inusha took us everywhere we wanted to go in his tuk tuk, he is a great driver. Thank you again for welcoming us, we higly recommand.

Rien.