Our tour guide said this was the best place to buy souvenirs as good pricing and quailty, but not sure I believe it, as they have some of the same fake jewellry selling much cheaper in the markets. Possibly good if you want some of the more expensive authentic stuff. Not really good for the smaller generic things. Coffee shop was terrible service next door also (often touted as a stop for bus groups).

Though I've been to Laksala few times, I can not quite recall what it looked like or the specific gift items they had, except for some general impression. I went there today again to see what gift options they have, in case I needed to buy some. Must say I'm pretty impressed by the variety of items they have on display; from Ceylon Teas to spices to various other gift items, including clothes. I specifically wanted to see whether they have a particular type of traditional masks that I am interested in - popularly known as "Daha Ata Sanniya". Unfortunately they did not have this very thing I was looking for. But I was told that they had these masks earlier and they may get some new stocks soon, perhaps in a weeks time or so. But given the general lackluster attitude of their sales agents (except for one or two), that is quite usual for government establishments in Sri Lanka, I am not sure if I could take their word seriously. Anyway it's a good shop to visit if you want to buy any souvenirs and/or gifts to your friends and family back at home. But today the most or all of the vistors during my brief visit were locals. So I guess it's a shop popular both among the locals as well as foreigners.

A good place for a variety of items to buy as a souvenir in Sri Lanka. This is a chain that can be found in other touristic areas as well, although the items differ quite a bit. This one was quite large, spread out over 2 floors. You can find more typical things like notebooks, as well as larger or more expensive items such as "paintings" made from gemstones.