No soap in the bathroom. Not the nicest walk up from the road. I was woken a few times by people coming back - but it's expected in a dorm.

Great hosting and perfect for solo travellers as there are lots of activities. Big dorm and full bag lockers. Nets, plugs, and lamps for every dorm bed. Free tea - its a small thing but goes a long way! Big fan of a honesty fridge, takes the faff out of socialising.

Stayed in April 2025

Great hostel! Cooking class and family dinner were great to meet new people. The owner was super nice and helpful and they organised trips and movie nights as well. Would definitely stay again!

Stayed in April 2025

The host was really welcoming and helpful. He adds all the people residing in the hostel in a group and tries to engage everyone with daily activities, which is very unique. Plus it makes it easier to connect with other people. And the host also takes part in those activities. Plus the bed was comfy, the location was near Ella railway station.

Stayed in April 2025

Nothing

The location, the staff and the environment. Also clean

Stayed in March 2025

The location is great to walk into Ella town, up quite a lot of steps so be prepared if you’ve got heavy bags! Loved the family dinner, was great place to meet fellow travellers and plan activities to do together! Gihan and Jess were great with recommendations and sent lots of info prior to checking in which was useful!

Stayed in March 2025

Location is a bit harder to get to, because of the stairs, but defenitely worth it! And would be better if there was free dri king water, and soap in the bathroom.

Nice beds with mosquitonet, and great and friendly host, who organizes transport for tours.

Stayed in March 2025

Staff here are the best. Cooking class was so nice

Stayed in January 2025

Everything was great!

I loved staying at The Hive Hostel in Ella! The staff was so kind and helpful and the location of the hostel is amazing and very close to the city centre and the bushalt. The rooms and showers are very clean. From the moment I arrived, I felt so welcome and I had such a lovely time with the other travelers I met in the hostel.

Stayed in March 2025

I had a great stay at the property. It was social, it had good breakfast and comfortable beds. The staff was also super friendly, and a special thanks to Julia.

Stayed in February 2025

I think there’s no bathroom in the main area, so sometimes you have to wait a little longer with going to the toilet when a lot of people need to shower in your room.

Great location and staff is very nice. Hostel owner tried everything when I asked to extend my stay with one night. He was thinking along, and involved with all the plans around the hostel.

Stayed in February 2025

Nothing I could have stayed longer!

Loved my stay at hive! Ghian is amazing at running the hostel and always helping out with activities and planning social stuff everyday. Cooking class was great fun too! Defo recommend if you want a family feel hostel. Bed was very comfy and the facilities were great too.

Stayed in February 2025

Bathroom is in the room so sometimes you have to be patient

Extremely kind owner, lots of social activities, good beds, big lockers, has mosquito nets.

Stayed in February 2025

There was a lot of humidity in the rooms… bathrooms and rooms were not really clean :(

I loved the hostel vibe, very easy to meet people, great environment and plenty of activities organised, so perfect to be social

Stayed in February 2025

Social hostel in central location. Great cooking class. Laundry service available and speedy. Tea and coffee available and you can buy beers / soft drinks in the social area. Comfy beds with mosquito nets. Staff incredible, we needed to go to the hospital one night and the host Gihan was so helpful and generous with his time. Many thanks Gihan and the team at Hive!

Stayed in January 2025

All perfect

This hostel is amazing, the best we’ve stayed in in Sri Lanka! The staff go the absolute extra mile for you in every way. It’s super social with family dinners, group activities, cooking classes, and nights out organised all together with the staff. We loved our stay here and met some great people and ate some amazing food at the family dinners for such a cheap price!

Stayed in January 2025

We had a fantastic stay at Hive. The host Gihan puts in such a huge effort to bring everyone together and run activities, we particularly enjoyed the cooking class and going out for dinner with everyone at the hostel. Even on a rainy day everyone was up for playing card games and doing activities together - there’s a real family atmosphere. It’s also a great location in Ella and less than a 10 min walk from the train station.

Stayed in January 2025

This place had nice views. Rooms were clean and had nets for mosquitos. Staff and other travellers were lovely! We invited to cooking class and family dinner. Food was great! They also had drying mashine for loundry so we got clean and dry cloths in few hours. Possible to walk anywhere in the center and also to the railway station.

Stayed in January 2025

Stay was really good. Has a family atmosphere.

Stayed in January 2025

Hive Hostel in Ella is one of the best hostels I’ve been to. Gihan, the owner, ist very friendly and helpful. He gave me a lot of tips for my trip. Every evening there are either a Cooking class and dinner or you go around for dinner and drinks in Ella. Super nice and social hostel. Would definitely recommend to stay here. I booked 3 nights but stayed for 4.

Stayed in December 2024

You want to stay in THIS place when you're visiting Ella! Gihan, the owner, does everything to make your stay as pleasant as possible! The best experience I had in Sri Lanka!

Stayed in November 2024

Nothing I loved it

I loved my time at the Hive! The staff were incredible, especially Gihan who every night and day would try arrange events like family cooking classes or trips to the waterfalls etc. It was a cool place to meet people and share experiences

Stayed in December 2024

If you have the option to get the female dorm you should book that because it’s more spacious than the mixed dorm.

Very social hostel. The owner is the best at connecting and was so helpful. Every day there was some kind of activity to join.

Stayed in December 2024

Great location, nice and spacious private rooms, cozy common areas with lots of social activities.

Stayed in November 2024

Lovely social hostel with a relaxed vibe. Good food and you can join group activities if you want to.

Stayed in November 2024