Ferndale Retreat Knuckles

Conveniently located at the starting point of the Knuckles hiking trails, this is a wonderful place to stay if you’re planning to explore the area. The rooms are small but comfortable, private, and very clean. The staff are incredibly helpful and attentive throughout the stay. We did the High Knuckles hike with Charaka, and it was excellent. I would highly recommend this as a must-do activity during your stay. It was one of the highlights of our trip. I would recommend staying for at least two nights, as the property is quite far from Kandy and there is so much to enjoy in the surrounding area. The food deserves a special mention. Everything was fresh, organic, and incredibly tasty, while also being excellent value for money. The 10-curry Sri Lankan lunch was an absolute masterpiece—authentic, flavourful, and beautifully prepared.Kudos to the chef! The manager, Lordy, is such a lovely and accommodating person. We mentioned that we would love to have some of our favourite sweets for afternoon tea on the second day, along with fried rice for dinner, and he kindly arranged everything for us. The garden is beautifully maintained and adds so much to the charm of the property. We stayed in Chalet 1, which I think probably has some of the best views and is conveniently located right next to the dining area. Overall, a lovely and peaceful stay with wonderful hospitality. Highly recommended!

AC would have been a nice addition as the room can get a little warm during the day, but it had minimal impact on our stay.

Lordy and his team provided an exceptional Sri Lankan experience, starting with an impressive 10-curry welcome feast. The food in general was outstanding, everything was prepared freshly and many ingredients were from their own garden! (And everything was served warm / hot, so don’t worry about that in old reviews.) The eco-conscious retreat is seamlessly integrated into nature, preserving the local vegetation. The view from the bed / balcony was impressive and unforgettable. We highly recommend trekking in the Knuckles Range—ideal for experienced, self-guided hikers. Hiring a guide would also have been possible. The team’s genuine warmth made us feel immediately at home and we also had a lot of fun with Lordy; leaving was the hardest part.

Amazing location. Staff were really friendly and helpful.

Feels a bit of a work in progress. More facilities are coming which will elevate the experience.

Absolutely amazing staff!! They are so helpful, considerate and kind. They helped us , fed us, guided us and we were delighted with each one of them. The beds were comfortable, showers and hot water were good. The meals were well presented and the food was delicious, the homemade ice cream was terrific. The natural view was superb!

The value for money is horrible... And is not suitable for children/families unless you are cool with them being traumatized by leeches... The hotel looks amazing and high-end on booking.com but the reality is the place is nowhere close to the level they present themselves to be... There is no AC or heating in the room (and it's needed even in August), the rooms are poorly filtered from insects... we got ants, beatles, leeches and all other types of flying insects in the room (no screens, no barrier under the entrance door). there is no internet outside of the rooms, there is no lighting outside from the rooms to the dinning patio and walking to dinner is a dangerous hazard (as if placing a single flashlight in the room solves that). The hotel doesn't present its limitations properly either - there is no way to get there in your car, instead you need to park a mile away, and they take you with a Jeep to the location. They offer you trails to hike - but have no real alternatives since you can't get in or out without the jeep. The access road is a mile long full of leeches, you can't walk without getting 5-6 attached to your skin and must use leech socks to minimize attacks. We went with them on the trail and got drenched by the rain ... Yet the facility lacks dryers or any other options to dry clothes so all our hiking shoes and clothes were useless the next few days. This hotel asks prices suitable for the highest grade Sri Lanka hotels with spas, laundry, gym, multiple restaurants and has none of the facilities. If you are with kids, or prefer not to have a rainy glamping adventure... Stay away.