Simpson's Forest Hotel

I don't often give 5 stars to a hotel but Simpson's deserves it. The tuktuk ride up from Kandy station was up a steep, winding road, an adventure in itself. The staff couldn't have been more helpful and friendly. They upgraded me to a luxurious room in the bungalow, extremely peaceful with only the sound of birdsong for company. Just across the lawn, the infinity pool provided wonderful sunsets. And being 1,300 metres up, the climate was fresher than on the coast. The restaurant served excellent food, usually on a buffet basis. Curry for breakfast every day! On one afternoon they organised a nature trail, about an hour and a half around woodland and tea plantations. Generally a very satisfying stay, a million miles from the teeming city.

We stayed two nights at Simpson’s as part of a touring holiday and felt very fortunate that we had been booked in there. I was sorry to leave. Our room (106) was well-appointed. Most importantly the bed and pillows were very comfortable, so we had a good sleep and woke refreshed for the sightseeing day ahead. One of my tests for a good hotel is the sleeping comfort. The infinity pool is in an elevated location, reached by 5 min walk up a steepish driveway. We managed fine, despite creaky joints, but there is a golf buggy service if you want. The view from the pool area across to distant hills is gorgeous. Don’t miss the sunsets up there. All the staff, be they Reception, housekeeping, pool service or restaurant were genuinely kind and professional. Nothing was too much trouble. There was a wide range of good quality food at the restaurant. We ate à la carte one night and it was lovely to be served at the table. Most tables are inside with panoramic window views. There are a few on the terrace outside, we reserved one on our second night as al fresco dining is part of our holiday enjoyment. The twinkling fireflies in the trees were an added bonus. We had early starts on our sightseeing programme and the hotel willingly opened the breakfast service early for our convenience. I would like to close with a mention of the restaurant team members who all were so efficient and professional. It would be unfair to mention just one name. They were a great team. I hope I will be forgiven for any misspelling- Wasantha, Prabudda, Chamara and Namal. I would certainly go back to Simpson’s.

I don’t really know how to score this place, looking at other reviews it seems it’s amazing. For us it was OK. Our upgraded room was OK, nothing special, a wee bit old and tired, the upside is we were right by the pool and gym, which if you are in the main hotel was a bit of an uphill hike. The food was a buffet, you could order from the menu, but that was mostly western and most of the side dishes were lifted straight from the buffet. The food available was a mish mash of roast chicken, vegetables, pasta, salads and a small cooking section that offered some fried fish or meat, neither of these were anything special. There was a lot to go at, but all was a bit meh. I fully accept I’m out of step here with the other reviews, but I am only saying as we saw it, we had much better food and room in our £30 home stay called Shay Mango, visit them if you want a true Sri Lankan experience with amazing food and accommodation.