Really nice owner, great food, nice and clean

Stayed in January 2025

amazing host and incredibly generous breakfast. the evening meal was also excellent.

Stayed in April 2025

Wonderful hotel. Huge comfortable room. Lovely pool. The hotel owners arranged our safari for us which was exceptional. We were taken around Yala by a member of the family in a private jeep. The guide really knew where to go to see everything and avoid the "chase" for sightings. In the end we seemed to have the whole park to ourselves and ended up seeing Elephants, Leopards, crocodiles and a huge variety of other wildlife and birds. A fantastic day. Then back in time for a much needed swim in the lovely pool.

Stayed in March 2025

Two Nicely landscaped sites minutes apart Lovely Pool and dining in one, spacious substantially built chalets with terrace overlooking a free running river with plenty of delightful bird life in the other, all within a fine, mature tropical garden. The properties nestle down a quiet road walking distance from the lively small town. Big comfy bed, great air con and fan, modern bathroom, good shower, lovely soft chairs and hammocks on the outdoor terrace. Good food too and cheerful friendly staff Ample Packed breakfast on our early morning safari

Stayed in March 2025

The only alcohol they serve is beer.

The food is amazing, made to order every time. The pool area is really relaxing.

Stayed in March 2025

Richards Cabanas is a hidden gem. From the moment we arrived, we were warmly welcomed by the friendly owners. The food was absolutely delicious – without a doubt the best rice and curry we’ve had so far in Sri Lanka! Amila cooks everything from scratch using fresh ingredients bought that day locally. He clearly takes great pride in his cooking and his attention to detail was spot on. We did a full day safari with a picnic breakfast and lunch all prepared by Amila. Delicious! The rooms were clean and comfortable, we had the two pool rooms which looked across the beautifully maintained garden and pool area again kept spotlessly clean by the staff. Fabulous stay thank you!

Stayed in March 2025

The hosts organised a brilliant safari for us and the food was the best we had in Sri Lanka, so much so that we had dinner there twice

Stayed in January 2025

Nothing

It was serenity amongst the jungle

Stayed in February 2025

Haven in the jungle

Stayed in February 2025

The owner was very kind and helped us on a ton of things: trips, safari, photos...

Stayed in February 2025

Along a lane way off the busy road so nice and quiet. Good sized rooms. We were near the pool and restaurant which I think is preferable to being across the lane way in the other part of the hotel. Food is great - definitely worth eating here. Don’t bother trying to find a restaurant locally.

Stayed in February 2025

No wifi in restaurant and pool area. No bar at hotel and none within walking distance.

Lovely rooms and pool area, really relaxing. Staff working all day to keep the place immaculate. Really nice setting and an ideal place to stay to chill before/after safari. Amazing food.

Stayed in February 2025

We stayed in a really nice and clean room right by the pool. The staff were amazing and very accommodating. We booked our morning Yala safari with the cabana, and it was a great experience. They packed us breakfast for the ride, and we got the entire car for our selves. We would definitely like to come back again!

Stayed in February 2025

Great spot and the staff were so kind and helpful

Stayed in January 2025

A little piece of heaven!! (Don't believe a word of the negative rewies - it is made by negative personalities, for whom everything is not good enough!!) This place has the most lovely, helpfull and caretaking staff, I haved ever seen. Amila is allways trying to keep all guests satisfied, in anyway. He came with fresh coconuts, when we were in the clean pool cooling. Everyday Amila is coming to every cabana with incense sticks against mosquitoes, and lighting candles everywhere. The few understandeble houserules regarding preordering the food, is remarkable good due to the really freshness of this! Everywhere its clean- outside in the cozy areas, and in the cabanas as well. All the place are maintained. The cabanas are big and cozy, and gives you a clue of the nearby safaris. Peacocks, monkeys and wild animals can always be heard from the associated big terraces. The cabanas has a tuk-tuk service, that can bring you into town and back, really cheap and fast. Richards Cabanas are truely "Peace, love & harmony"! Biggest recommendations to this place!!

Stayed in January 2025

Nothing just a bit too expensive

Not the best value for money we had in Sri Lanka. But the place is good clean and Confy. The food is really good, the staff is nice. Nothing much to visit around it is a place you stay for the safari.

Stayed in January 2025

Nothing :)

We had an amazing time here! From the moment we arrived, we were warmly welcomed by the friendly owners. The hospitality was truly fantastic. The food was absolutely delicious – without a doubt the best Rice and Curry we’ve had so far in Sri Lanka! Everything was fresh and full of flavor, a real must-try. On top of that, the accommodation was perfect: the rooms were clean and comfortable, and the pool was well-maintained – a great place to relax. What made our stay even more special was the manager’s father, who picked us up and dropped us off. Along the way, he enthusiastically told us about the surroundings and the country, making the ride truly memorable. In short, a highly recommended place for anyone looking for a warm welcome, delicious food, and a clean, comfortable stay. We would come back here in a heartbeat!

Stayed in January 2025

mosquitos

Quiet place

Stayed in January 2025

Beautifully maintained and well designed property. Our room was right by the river with a view from the porch. Amazing breakfast. Super friendly staff, Amila helped to organise our safari

Stayed in January 2025

However, the aircon was broken on arrival but fixed during the next day. Also, the shower hose had a hole in it and leaked but wasn't fixed during our stay.

The pool, the breakfast, the arranged safari. All good points.

Stayed in January 2025

Great personal and great place! Would highly recommend this to others! :) We got a great packed breakfast for our safari!

Stayed in December 2024

Negatives- We had an issue with the toilet not flushing properly The shower head pretty much broke as soon as we arrived.. Ants all around the bathroom (in the sink, in the toilet etc..)

Positives- Great location close to yala park Beautiful serene garden and pool Amazing breakfast and dinner (bought with fresh local ingredients & cooked homemade) so much food they prepare for you! They even packed us a cute basket for breakfast to take with us on safari at 5am, even though we didn’t book the safari through them Super nice staff

Stayed in January 2025

Nothing!

We had the best 2 night stay here - it’s as good as the reviews! We had such a warm welcome from Siri who set the business up many years ago which is now run by his son, Amila (not sure if my spelling is correct) and team, he is the perfect host and good fun too! Everything is spotlessly clean and our room had all we needed. Comfy bed, decent shower, air con worked well. We loved having sundowners in the comfy seats outside our room overlooking the water. Put plenty of deet on in the evening though, there are lots of insects/mosquitos. The food is superb, the best we’ve had in Sri Lanka. We loved the Sri Lankan curry so much we had it both nights. They have beers if you want them but are also happy if you bring your own wine (we bought some in the supermarket in Tissa). Breakfast was a feast, following another review we had the Sri Lankan breakfast which was great. We walked up to the street to look at other bars/restaurants but ate all our meals at Richards - it’s so fresh, cooked to order and high quality why go elsewhere! Amila arranged our safari for us and it was the best day. Dilip was our driver and guide and he was superb at making sure he beat all the other drivers to get us the best views. We saw far more animals than most other people there that day, including the prized leopard. He really understood the jungle and the animals which meant we had a great day with him. We had breakfast, lunch, snacks and drinks provided - there was plenty! The pool area is great, the right mix of sun and shade. This place is a gem, you won’t regret staying there! Thanks to Siri, Amila and Dilip for a wonderful time.

Stayed in January 2025

Nothing, i wish we could stay more!

Amazing place, super amazing family running the hotel. Rooms are very clean, everything is provided in the rooms, atmosphere is very nice and peaceful. The whole establishment is beautiful. Met with father and the son, very helpful people. In addition, they were able to arrange us safari on a very short notice and they even provided breakfast in the cutest prettiest basket ever (such a beautiful presentation, we had the best one in the whole safari groups)! Also the son was waiting for us at 5am with the basket, it was so nice.

Stayed in January 2025