Tissawewa Rest House Sri Lanka

Customer Rating
  • General
    87
    87%
  • Food
    92
    92%
  • Service
    79
    79%
  • Room
    67
    67%
  • Location
    96
    96%
Average Score - 4 Reviews
84.2
84.2%
Ratings based on real traveller reviews in past 2 years
Media Reviews
"'…Bags of colonial character, wooden floorboards and ceilings, some period furniture and fittings, beautifully situated in secluded parkland with lots of monkeys. Downstairs a bit dark so inspect first – but slight grubbiness seems to add to charm. Restaurant, bike hire, guests can use pool at Nuwarawewa Rest House, reasonable value, closest to archeological sites.'"
Footprint Sri Lanka, 4th Edition
January 2009 More »
Tissawewa Rest House, Anaradhapura
Price From:  US $ 54.05 (Old Wing Non A/C Room, BB Basis, Twin)
Location
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Tisawewa Grand Rest House was built by the British in 1907, as The Grand Hotel. It has an envied location, standing in what was once the Royal Pleasure Gardens of the old capital of Anaradhapura - capital of the Sinhala kingdom from the 3rd century BC to around the 11th century. In this slice of tamed jungle, birds sing and monkeys wander. A short walk takes you to the sacred Bodhi Tree, museums, temples and ancient bathing ponds. The enormous archaeological site of Anuradhapura is best explored by bicycle. The journey from Colombo takes about 4.5 hours.
Introduction
Tisawewa Grand Rest House, a former Dutch governor's residence, was designed in an unrepentant colonial manner. However, the hotel, like colonialism has slipped out of fashion in recent times, so a minor facelift got underway in 2005 to restore its dilapidated charm. Wooden floors and some period furniture point to a property with one foot in the 19th century. Despite its obvious flaws, Tisawewa does have a number of things going for it: it is relatively good value, the closest hotel to the archaeological site of Anuradhapura with wonderful views of the Tisa Wewa (reservoir) and its imposing restaurant is attractively priced. Ideal for those who want to spend time in historical Anuradhapura whilst sampling an affordable taste of colonial living, perhaps from a rickety cane chair on a private balcony our verandah. The views from here are inspiring with the white Dagoba (dome shaped temple) of the Mirisawetiya Chaitya just across the gardens and overlooking the ancient Tisa Wewa.
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Accommodation
18 individual rooms, some with a/c. All have overhead fans which help to keep the rooms cool along with the breeze that flows through from the reservoir.
Facilities
The original dining room with very little changes, still remains. A choice of Sri Lankan, Eastern, and Western cuisine is offered here. Herb soups are a specialty. Other facilities include laundry service, doctor on call, bicycles for hire, foreign currency encashment, and TV lounge. There is no pool, nor alcohol license, but guests are welcome to use the facilities of their sister property - the Nuwarawewa Rest House located nearby.
Excursions
Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka’s first capital was the greatest monastic city of the ancient world. It was royal capital for more than 100 Sri Lankan kings and at its heights was home to thousands of monks from dozens of monasteries. The ruins of Mahavihara, the first Monastery, which served as the seat of Theravada Buddhism, as well as the Thuparamaya, built by King Devanam Piyatissa in 250 B.C.E, the Ruwanwelisaya, and several other monasteries and temples can be seen. The ancient Bo Tree, which was originally a branch of the Bo tree in Budda Gaya under which Lord Buddha attained enlightenment and brought to Sri Lanka by Emperor Asoka’s daughter, Princess Sangamiita, also is in Anuradhapura.
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