Aliya Resort and Spa is just 10 minutes by tuk-tuk from town and absolutely spectacular, especially the pool. It feels amazing and is a beautiful place. Great room, excellent facilities, attentive staff, and a full breakfast. The safari was pricey, so we booked it separately outside the hotel. Perfect for couples, ideal for relaxation and combining with activities in the area. We tried a massage at the hotel—it was a bit expensive and not quite worth it. The spa itself is minimal, and the sauna was cold, not a real sauna experience. For the jacuzzi, couples are separated into different rooms and bathtubs, just like for massages.

Aliya Resort and Spa is a relatively big hotel with 96 rooms. The resort caters to tourists since there were several large tourist buses that came with guests staying at the hotel. There was a nice selection for the breakfast buffet. Our bedroom was spacious and tea and instant coffee were offered in the room. The water pressure was really good. The hotel had a very large swimming pool although we did not have time to use it since we focused more on sightseeing. We got to see 3 UNESCO World Heritage sites: Sigiriya Rock, Polonnaruwa, and Anuradhapura. These places were about 1 1/2 hours from the hotel.

We were assigned Room 45. The bathroom door would not stay open so we had to prop it open by putting an object against the door hinge. The bathroom smelled musty and it was hot when the door was closed because the air conditioning was not reaching the bathroom. We stayed in the hotel for 3 nights. The first night, we only had 2 bath towels. We had to request hand towels and extra bath towels since the towels did not dry in the humid weather. The resort was located in a jungle like environment. The pathways to the rooms were dark and not good for seniors like us.

Perfectly situated with gorgeous views of Sigiriya Rock from the lobby and the pool.the focus on saving elephants was tastefully incorporated everywhere from the bedside tables to the ceiling lights in the dining hall. The Traditional Sri Lankan Restaurant was worth experiencing and the staff were delightful. 3 nights were not enough

Scraping the barrel I would suggest better lighting along the pathways to the suites. They are atmospheric n lovely but a touch hard to see

The pool with view over lion's rock is exceptional. Very friendly staff, some were more competent than others. We had a nice and quiet room. The gym was big and equipped well enough.

We had breakfast and dinner. Breakfast options are many but poor quality, would have prefered less choices but better quality. Maybe to consider serving a la carte considering the number of guests and hygiene. Quality of the food at dinner was not good, compared with what you could have outside so we only had dinner once. The location is quite remote so not much restaurants around and you need to take a tuk tuk to get around.

Like the focus on sustainability and the garden areas

There were lots of things we weren’t told about (any restaurant in the hotel, another bar, evening walks etc) which we weren’t told about. I loved the idea of an hour evening nature walk but felt the extra price they charge was excessive- I would have been happy to give a good tip for this but expected it to be complimentary. Drinks and snack took a long time to arrive and order was wrong. Staff not as friendly as other places (except baggage boy and one or two ladies on reception).

We loved it here, very clean and bright in the rooms, pool was huge and on a non cloudy day the backdrop is beautiful!

Buffet breakfast wasn’t great, charge more for any coffee that isn’t a pot of Sri Lankan coffee. Prepare to eat alone if you order from A la carte menu, my other half always got his meal way before mine and finished before mine was even served.

Unbelievable pool. It’s the selling point of the hotel for sure! Good location for safari, the rock, massage etc.

Needs more sunloungers and the area under the pool was derelict - unattended bars, restaurants etc which was a shame. The paths could be much better lit as walking about at night can be a bit hairy at time. We had a good few cockroaches in our room we had to address….. Aircon could be a LOT stronger for the size of the room even when at its lowest setting. The bathroom has outside ventilation with a mosquito net, so becomes very very hot, not benefitting from the aircon and kind of negates the aircon working hard in the room. Variety at dinners would be good else it becomes very repetitive.

Safari trip to see the elephants was excellent with our very informed naturalist. Amazing swimming pool and stunning view towards Sigiriya rock. Lovely fresh food with large selection of Western and Sri Lankan food. Really good reflexology.

The hot water in the bathroom was not constant and could get very hot suddenly. The staff were not as professional as other hotels we have stayed at. Spa room needed painting and some protection overhead as bugs were dropping on my head!

The staff and the cleanliness was excellent. The spa was good too. Comfortable beds, good size of room. Comfortable stay. Nice property.

The food - the buffet was mediocre. The specialty restaurant for srilankan food was a big disappointment. It was a set menu and the cook did a good job but the servers had no clue. Food was cold and most of the dishes were not even served. Just kept on the next table. No order of service, no explanations, just dumped. The location- it's a bit far from all the restaurants and shops, getting tuktuk is not easy. You have to use the hotel taxi.

The view is outstanding. The hotel reception is perched on top of stairs with breathtaking view of the rock. The swimming pool also has an amazing view. Loved the vibe of the hotel, the room was very nice (nicer than i expected from the pictures!). The staff was very nice. We had buffet dinner and buffet breakfast and were very satisfied. The location is good, close enough to the rock to do it at sunrise then come back to the hotel to enjoy a nice breakfast.