We stayed 4 nights in the Galkadawla Forest Lodge. We absolutely loved the place! The wood houses blend in very well with the forest and they are decorated with so much love to the detail. The open rooms give the opportunity to listen the concert of birds and other animals in the morning. The atmosphere is very relaxing. The vegetarian food is amazing, you won’t miss meat or fish. The owner Maulie and the staff are so helpful and kind and make you feel at home. Maulie organized for us a very nice trip to a nearby eco parc were we saw Elephants and a lot of birds. It‘s worthwhile staying a few nights as there are so many things to see in the area and you can just relax on the rooftop and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.
5.0分
家庭亲子
A getaway with clean room close to the nature. Yet the place gives you comfortability such as hot water and wifi. A wonderful experience.
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酒店回复: Dear Frank, Thank so much for visiting us. We enjoyed the company of your family and you. Warm regards, Maulie
5.0分
其他
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Galkadawala was recommended to me by a friend, so I hadn’t read any reviews and wasn’t sure what to expect. I discovered a heavenly place. The lodges are laid out in an area of restored lowland jungle forest, that was replanted and restored by Maulie de Saram when she bought a dilapidated and denuded area of land sitting by a lake (a man made lake called a tank). The site was designed by Maulie and architect Vijitha Basnayaka and built with extraordinary insight and care using local and recycled materials. If you can while you’re there read the architect’s book that describes the philosophy behind the design and construction. The buildings are open sided so you feel as though you can reach out and touch the wildlife around you, or it can reach out and touch you in the case of the monkeys, and you wake up and fall asleep listening to the sounds of the forest. The lake is a few minutes walk away and is full of birds - at least two types of kingfisher amongst them flying around in plain sight. Maulie has 5 gorgeous dogs and some of them will accompany you to the lake in case you get lost, and they will certainly keep you company while you sit and read. The dinners were what Maulie described as ‘simple’ but in fact they were beautifully created dishes with subtle but distinct flavours - a changing menu with no choice, which is what I prefer, made with the freshest of ingredients. Breakfasts were divine and we undoubtedly left Galkadawala heavier than when we arrived. Maulie booked us a very safe and reliable driver to the big sites nearby - Sigiriya isn’t far away and Polonnaruwa only about an hour away. Other guests went to one of the national parks to see elephants and I believe you can go on a kayaking trip with a bird specialist, which I will definitely do if I go back. Maulie’s team are charming, attentive, professional and warm. Maulie herself is incredibly knowledgeable about nature, building, history, you name it. We had three days here but it wasn’t enough, I would love to return for a week’s retreat, at least. Staying at Galkadawala was a very special and thought-provoking experience that I will never forget.
5.0分
其他
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What a very special stay we had at this magical place in the forest. Maulie has taken an area of forest cleared and damaged through slash and burn and rewilded it with immense care and attention to detail, using the skills of local people, reclaimed materials and an amazing sense of artistry. We stayed for four nights and did not want to leave! The accommodation is rustic and to all intents and purposes open-air. This means you are immersed in the forest along with all the creatures that share this space. So be prepared for wildlife to be present everywhere and for the local monkey troop to wake you at dawn thumping across the roof and peering in at you! The atmosphere is based on semi-communal living, sharing mealtimes with fellow guests, with Maulie a supreme host, helping organise peoples' next day activities. There were a number of single female travellers staying and everybody became firm friends. The food was amazing , all vegetarian, local and delicious. The staff were incredibly kind and attentive but discreet. Take a day away from sightseeing (it is a great base for all the Cultural Triangle highlights), and walk besides the lake with the dogs, or borrow the kayaks and drift under the floating trees enjoying the birdlife and the amazing tranquility. Thank you Maulie, Darshie and the team for our most memorable stay in Sri Lanka; we cannot wait to return!
5.0分
情侣出游
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It was a last minute decision to stay here as we were encouraged by other travellers to go see the elephants at Mineriya. And boy did we get lucky. We loved everything about our stay at Galakadawala and really wished we could’ve stayed longer. What is very evident is that it is a complete passion project for Maulie and that comes through in every small wonderful detail. We unfortunately didn’t get a chance to meet Maulie but brilliantly we got to spend time with Maulie’s brother Darshi who also clearly has a love for the lodge and its story. They organised an excellent guide to take us to see the elephants gathering (we saw over 200!), took wonderful walks through the lakes and to a local school, and just sat and marvelled at the birdlife and monkeys. Not to mention the dogs who expertly guided us on a few walks. And the food! Soma Chandra prepared scrumptious food which we ate by candlelight in the jungle! Extremely memorable. All the staff were exceptionally and attentive. All in all, one of our highlights of this holiday thank you Maulie, Darshi, Soma Chandra Nayani Nadisha & Sarang
5.0分
情侣出游
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We spent a week at Maulie's place, where she treated us like family with her warmth and care. The accommodations were exceptional—comfortable and nestled in nature, surrounded by kind-hearted locals. The environment was breathtaking, immersed in the jungle, filled with the sounds of wildlife, a lake for kayaking, and even elephants passing by. This experience was truly rejuvenating, thanks to Maulie's love and compassion.
5.0分
其他
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This is the most beautiful eco-friendly hotel I have ever visited in my life. This wonderful location is a creation of Ms. Maulie De Seram, who is so humble and kind. She and her few staff members are very friendly. Foods were amazing. You won't get ordinary western type food here. But you will be able to taste some different, organic, healthy, and so yummy local VEGETARIAN food over here. And the calmness of the place is superb. Full of birds. If I'm not mistaken, 143+ bird species recorded in the place where I got the opportunity to capture 30+ species within one day. Once to enter here, you don't feel like leaving this place. Rooms are made with very minimal eco-friendly materials and it is a good concept. When you enter this place you feel like going into sinharaja. I couldn't believe my eyes when I see the location for the first time. Wi-Fi is available, but use it wisely without wasting it.... I highly recommend this place for nature lovers to come and enjoy this unpolluted nature. **Please do not visit this place if you don't love the nature......** **Rooms are quite a bit open to nature, so you can enjoy the cool environment. If you don't like that sort of environment please don't come here** **Luxury of this location is not in the rooms but in the nature** Cheers to Maulie and the crew!!!!
5.0分
其他
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We had the best time here. It was such a nice room and the food was one of the bests we had during our 3 week holidays. Maulie is a very kind woman and all her staff were super friendly. The dogs are a plus to that amazing place. They will take you on walks :)
逃跑！！！住在树上、水上、与猴子在一起、没有舒适感的概念可能具有一定的魅力。另一方面，要避开没有客户服务概念的老板：如果你晚上8点30分游览回来，就没有晚餐……没有热情好客，没有服务，没有欢迎！ ！ ！
2024 年 8 月，我们在莫利酒店 (Maulie's) 住了 5 晚。我们很喜欢这次住宿，并将它推荐给想要沉浸在大自然中的旅行者。住宿符合 Maulie 提供的非常详细的描述。在现场，我们在房间里享受着大自然的声音，浴室里有几只无害的青蛙。蚊帐是旅行必备的完美防护。 我们每天晚上都在那里吃晚餐，也吃早餐：一切都很美味！ Maulie 和 Darshi 是友好的主人，提供了很好的建议，并且有很多知识可以分享。在我们的 5 个晚上，我们还有机会见到其他旅行者，这 5 天是我们斯里兰卡 21 天旅行中最棒的经历之一！
We stayed 4 nights in the Galkadawla Forest Lodge. We absolutely loved the place! The wood houses blend in very well with the forest and they are decorated with so much love to the detail. The open rooms give the opportunity to listen the concert of birds and other animals in the morning. The atmosphere is very relaxing. The vegetarian food is amazing, you won’t miss meat or fish. The owner Maulie and the staff are so helpful and kind and make you feel at home. Maulie organized for us a very nice trip to a nearby eco parc were we saw Elephants and a lot of birds. It‘s worthwhile staying a few nights as there are so many things to see in the area and you can just relax on the rooftop and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.
A getaway with clean room close to the nature. Yet the place gives you comfortability such as hot water and wifi. A wonderful experience.
Galkadawala was recommended to me by a friend, so I hadn’t read any reviews and wasn’t sure what to expect. I discovered a heavenly place. The lodges are laid out in an area of restored lowland jungle forest, that was replanted and restored by Maulie de Saram when she bought a dilapidated and denuded area of land sitting by a lake (a man made lake called a tank). The site was designed by Maulie and architect Vijitha Basnayaka and built with extraordinary insight and care using local and recycled materials. If you can while you’re there read the architect’s book that describes the philosophy behind the design and construction. The buildings are open sided so you feel as though you can reach out and touch the wildlife around you, or it can reach out and touch you in the case of the monkeys, and you wake up and fall asleep listening to the sounds of the forest. The lake is a few minutes walk away and is full of birds - at least two types of kingfisher amongst them flying around in plain sight. Maulie has 5 gorgeous dogs and some of them will accompany you to the lake in case you get lost, and they will certainly keep you company while you sit and read. The dinners were what Maulie described as ‘simple’ but in fact they were beautifully created dishes with subtle but distinct flavours - a changing menu with no choice, which is what I prefer, made with the freshest of ingredients. Breakfasts were divine and we undoubtedly left Galkadawala heavier than when we arrived. Maulie booked us a very safe and reliable driver to the big sites nearby - Sigiriya isn’t far away and Polonnaruwa only about an hour away. Other guests went to one of the national parks to see elephants and I believe you can go on a kayaking trip with a bird specialist, which I will definitely do if I go back. Maulie’s team are charming, attentive, professional and warm. Maulie herself is incredibly knowledgeable about nature, building, history, you name it. We had three days here but it wasn’t enough, I would love to return for a week’s retreat, at least. Staying at Galkadawala was a very special and thought-provoking experience that I will never forget.
What a very special stay we had at this magical place in the forest. Maulie has taken an area of forest cleared and damaged through slash and burn and rewilded it with immense care and attention to detail, using the skills of local people, reclaimed materials and an amazing sense of artistry. We stayed for four nights and did not want to leave! The accommodation is rustic and to all intents and purposes open-air. This means you are immersed in the forest along with all the creatures that share this space. So be prepared for wildlife to be present everywhere and for the local monkey troop to wake you at dawn thumping across the roof and peering in at you! The atmosphere is based on semi-communal living, sharing mealtimes with fellow guests, with Maulie a supreme host, helping organise peoples' next day activities. There were a number of single female travellers staying and everybody became firm friends. The food was amazing , all vegetarian, local and delicious. The staff were incredibly kind and attentive but discreet. Take a day away from sightseeing (it is a great base for all the Cultural Triangle highlights), and walk besides the lake with the dogs, or borrow the kayaks and drift under the floating trees enjoying the birdlife and the amazing tranquility. Thank you Maulie, Darshie and the team for our most memorable stay in Sri Lanka; we cannot wait to return!
It was a last minute decision to stay here as we were encouraged by other travellers to go see the elephants at Mineriya. And boy did we get lucky. We loved everything about our stay at Galakadawala and really wished we could’ve stayed longer. What is very evident is that it is a complete passion project for Maulie and that comes through in every small wonderful detail. We unfortunately didn’t get a chance to meet Maulie but brilliantly we got to spend time with Maulie’s brother Darshi who also clearly has a love for the lodge and its story. They organised an excellent guide to take us to see the elephants gathering (we saw over 200!), took wonderful walks through the lakes and to a local school, and just sat and marvelled at the birdlife and monkeys. Not to mention the dogs who expertly guided us on a few walks. And the food! Soma Chandra prepared scrumptious food which we ate by candlelight in the jungle! Extremely memorable. All the staff were exceptionally and attentive. All in all, one of our highlights of this holiday thank you Maulie, Darshi, Soma Chandra Nayani Nadisha & Sarang
We spent a week at Maulie's place, where she treated us like family with her warmth and care. The accommodations were exceptional—comfortable and nestled in nature, surrounded by kind-hearted locals. The environment was breathtaking, immersed in the jungle, filled with the sounds of wildlife, a lake for kayaking, and even elephants passing by. This experience was truly rejuvenating, thanks to Maulie's love and compassion.
This is the most beautiful eco-friendly hotel I have ever visited in my life. This wonderful location is a creation of Ms. Maulie De Seram, who is so humble and kind. She and her few staff members are very friendly. Foods were amazing. You won't get ordinary western type food here. But you will be able to taste some different, organic, healthy, and so yummy local VEGETARIAN food over here. And the calmness of the place is superb. Full of birds. If I'm not mistaken, 143+ bird species recorded in the place where I got the opportunity to capture 30+ species within one day. Once to enter here, you don't feel like leaving this place. Rooms are made with very minimal eco-friendly materials and it is a good concept. When you enter this place you feel like going into sinharaja. I couldn't believe my eyes when I see the location for the first time. Wi-Fi is available, but use it wisely without wasting it.... I highly recommend this place for nature lovers to come and enjoy this unpolluted nature. **Please do not visit this place if you don't love the nature......** **Rooms are quite a bit open to nature, so you can enjoy the cool environment. If you don't like that sort of environment please don't come here** **Luxury of this location is not in the rooms but in the nature** Cheers to Maulie and the crew!!!!
We had the best time here. It was such a nice room and the food was one of the bests we had during our 3 week holidays. Maulie is a very kind woman and all her staff were super friendly. The dogs are a plus to that amazing place. They will take you on walks :)