Nestled in the heart of Kandy, Queens Hotel stands as a beacon of timeless charm and historical significance. This iconic property, with over 160 years of heritage, is a proud landmark of Sri Lanka's colonial past. Conveniently located opposite the Kandy Lake and within walking distance of the Sacred Temple of the Tooth Relic, the hotel offers an unparalleled blend of culture, history, and modern comforts. Guests can indulge in an array of experiences, from savoring delectable Sri Lankan and international cuisine at our in-house restaurants to unwinding by the serene poolside oasis. Whether you’re here to explore the city or simply soak in its rich heritage, Queens Hotel promises an unforgettable stay in a truly regal setting. Experience the essence of Kandy at Queens Hotel – where history and hospitality converge.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Classic
Historic Hotel
Languages Spoken
English, Sinhala
Location
DS Senanayake Veediya, Kandy 20000 Sri Lanka
Queen's Hotel
1,672 reviews
Getting there
Great for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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Queen's Hotel boasts a prime central location beloved by guests for its proximity to Kandy's main attractions, adding historical allure with its Victorian decor and charming ambiance. While travelers appreciate the historical charm and spacious rooms, some reviewers highlight a pressing need for renovation, particularly in maintaining amenities and improving service efficiency.
Opinions on value and cleanliness vary, with some guests satisfied but others calling out areas that need more attention. Overall, the hotel's elegant atmosphere is noted, despite the mixed reviews on room maintenance and staff responsiveness.
Location
Central
Atmosphere
Charming
Rooms
Spacious
Value
Reasonable
Cleanliness
Mixed
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Underwhelming
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We stayed here for two nights on our return through Kandy, from northern Sri Lanka. The hotel's location is fabulous - great for a variety of local, cheap eating places, for visiting the Temple of the Sacred tooth, local shops and markets, and walking around the lake. No tuktuk needed, just our feet. We wanted a taste of Colonial Sri Lanka, and the decor and history of the hotel provided this. It's well past the height of its' original splendor, but is still a lovely old building, with large, ornate central spaces, an original old elevator, comfortable rooms and beds, with small fridge, tea and coffee making facilities, a nice bar, outdoor terrace and a swimming pool (although we didn't manage a swim here.) Our bathroom was a bit aged, small, with shower over bath, but plenty of hot water with good pressure and very clean. Staff were helpful and friendly, but the hotel is large and quite busy, so service isn't personalized. We enjoyed the atmosphere of the Queen's Hotel and appreciated it as a unique experience and for its' amazing location. It's also stunning lit up at night - made for some great photography.
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Date of stay: October 2024
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:The Queen's hotel also has an in house restaurant - with extensive buffet style meals. Not our...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This was the 2nd time we stayed at Queen’s hotel. During our 1st visit we experienced more or less same issues as this time but choose to save our time due to a short holiday. Sadly, this colonial & historical building is almost abandoned and no maintenance at all. Rooms, bathrooms and all other public areas of the hotel are just neglected. Some historical artifact (archaeology)/items used at the beginning are not properly stored & displayed which are so valuable. The management do not realize how this hotel used to be, and how valuable it as a colonial property. This building is so unique and located in a very central area, so if the management pay little attention to it there will be more guests and regularly will visit. Room – our A/C’s swing which circulating cold air equally in the room was totally stopped, we tried to adjust ourselves but couldn’t. Since it was late night and we were tired, so just slept on 1st night as it was. But, around 04:00 hrs. my husband & I woke up frozen and numbed our entire body since the cold air was just focused on the bed, particularly towards upper part of the body. Next day we told them to make the swing working otherwise we will be frozen & become sick. They corrected partially means still 1 strip was swinging and other one was not. Since we don’t want to waste more time asking again we just switched off the A/C and put the fan on & kept the window opened. Buffet Dinner – we were convinced on 1st night to dine there with 10% discount. We thought to try it, but the buffet was not impressive. Therefore, 2nd night we had dinner in a nearby restaurant. Breakfast – was also not impressive. There was 1 LIVE station where they prepare Omlette & Hoppers, but the queue was too long. Staff – are nice and friendly, especially Suranga was very helpful.
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Date of stay: August 2024
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Kumara Adikari, General Manager at Queen's Hotel
Responded Aug 24, 2024
Dear Mrs Jayaseeli, Thank you for your constructive feedback following your recent visit to Queens Kandy. We are appreciative of your comments in relation to where we can improve. Please accept our apologies for any disappointment caused and we assure that these issues have been addressed with the relevant department heads for immediate rectification. Once again our sincere apologies for having failed to deliver the level of service we strive to achieve consistently. We acknowledge your comments with regard to the condition in certain areas and assure you that rectification measures are in progress.As you suggested we have already planned some refurbishments activities in the areas you mentioned have already been covered in this plan. We hope you will give us another opportunity to serve you seamlessly as you truly deserve. Best Regards,
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I would give Queens 3.5 if that was possible - but not 4. You don't stay here expecting shiny, new, 5 star facilities but there are some things that could be better. On the plus side it would be impossible to find a more conveniently sited hotel to visit Kandy's central attraction, the Temple of the Tooth. Literally just across the street from the entrance. I was lucky to be allocated a room facing the inner swimming pool courtyard which meant the street noise that so many guests complain about was not an issue. The room itself was pretty small and odd shaped with one of the doors on to the balcony blocked off with the corner of what was obviously a retrofitted bathroom. The furniture was old and a little beat up but in keeping with the hotel's era. The bathroom was a bit cramped but reasonably functional. There was also a safe, kettle and empty mini-fridge. The lighting was a bit dim making reading difficult. The person who showed me to the room noted that there were no hand towels and said they would be brought but 2 days later I was still waiting. It was the same with the pool where I asked for a towel and eventually, after realizing that one was never going to come back with one, hunted them down myself in a side room.
The public areas were mostly a bit grim with worn carpet on the stairs, heavy dark furniture in the large and deserted reception area and a gloomy dining room with unobliging staff (except for one bright smily chap who came out to the unstaffed indoor/outdoor bar a couple of times to get me drinks). The soda in glass bottles was a nice touch in a country where most soft drinks come in plastic.
The wifi was surprisingly good, even supporting a VPN connection and the generator kicked in rapidly with each of the power cuts that are a constant in Sri Lanka these days.
Finally, I left very early for the train on the last morning and had arranged a packed breakfast which I was assured would be at the reception desk when I checked out. Not only as there no packed breakfast at 6am but also no soul in sight in the darkened lobby. Someone arrived after about 5 minutes so I could at least pay my bill and check out but the kitchen was all closed up so the take away breakfast was apparently a figment of the someone's imagination.
All in all, Queens is not such a bad place to stay especially with an inside room. The indoor/outdoor bar whist a bit shabby is actually a very nice place to sit for a drink or two and the proximity to the temple and the downtown make up for many of the niggles.
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Date of stay: March 2022
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Insist on an inside room
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Located ideally next to the sacred temple of tooth Queen’s hotel is an 100+ years old colonial building. We stayed 3 nights in a room with a high ceiling and balcony facing the temple and a view of the lake. Hotel is in the middle of the busy city center with restaurants, shops, bars and supermarkets within walking distance. Checking was smooth and friendly. The hotel staff, including the GM Mr. Adhikari to the doormen are extremely helpful and courteous. Both the GM and Anusha from the front desk helped us to get a nice spacious room with a view. Room was spacious, colonial style, with A/C and an overhead fan. The large bed was comfortable. There was a minibar, tea coffee and other amenities in the room. Bathroom is bit old but the water flow was good and hot water was working well. Free Wifi is available in the hotel. Lunch and dinner buffet in the hotel was reasonably priced. The breakfast has a good spread of local dishes including hoppers and milk rice.
This hotel is value for money. Ideal location and excellent service. It’s recommended. Welooking forward to coming back!
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Date of stay: December 2024Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
What do I say. Queens was always Queens, Old and prestigious. But that was 40 years ago. It was still ok 2 decades ago. But now, the place makes me feel sad. There are factors that cannot be avoided due to the surrounding like the noise. But the rest can jolly well be improved. 20 years later I stepped into the hotel for a one night's stay. I won't say the stay was bad. I like old places so I liked the interior, I liked the furniture and I liked the gloomy corridors. I also liked the ladies at the reception, the doorman who was smiling at any given time and the very helpful FO Manager, Heshan.
What I didn't like was the neglected walls, dirty fingerprints on the corridor, hanging cables in every corner, unclamped pipes outside the hotel walls, chipped skirtings, poor paint touch ups and the upholstery of the lobby furniture. Also, that fascinating lift I've always loved needs a bit more attention. It's not a joke maintaining a building that goes back a century or two but letting this place go to waste is not an option either. Add to that, I had to wait for 30 mins and make 3 phone calls to get a bottle of water up to my room. Not the best service there.
The shower amenities needs more attention. They come in a hard plastic bottle that cannot be squeezed unless you're a giant with superpowers. Either the bottles needs to change to soft ones or they should go on the wall dispensers. The dry bathroom sticker had spelling mistakes.
The beds were comfortable and the room was sufficiently spacious. Breakfast was nice. My mother thoroughly enjoyed the hoppers from the live station. I would say, they were pretty good. The F&B staff was very nice but I got this feeling that they're somewhat scared to talk or smile with the guest. Here I am talking to them with this broad smile and I could see the shy and confused feeling all over their faces; should we also smile or not. They surely need to be trained.
The hotel needs a full makeover. It's a shame letting it go to waste this way.
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Date of stay: April 2024
Value
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Location
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Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Ask for a pool side room. Less noise.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Kanishka Mallikarachchi, General Manager at Queen's Hotel
Responded May 19, 2024
Dear Guest, Management is highly appreciated your comment. While thanking, we are inviting you to stay with us again. We will make sure to rectify the shortcoming for your next stay. Thank you.
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This is the only accommodation in Srilanka where we have experienced less than great service. They seem to be relying on their building and forgetting everything else. The communal areas are stunning but the room was very very dated. It doesn’t look like it has been redecorated or fully refreshed in centuries (marks on bathtub, dirty grouting, tired furniture). You need to run the hot water for about 10minutes before it comes through hot. The reception staff seem disinterested and reluctant to help, we had to ask several times for info on laundry and a few other issues. A mention to the housekeeper who was extremely helpful getting laundry done at breakneck speed, the porter and barman were also friendly and helpful. Breakfast was average at best. I would avoid this, a less impressive building might be better inside.
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Date of stay: December 2022Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I recently had the most disappointing stay at Queens Hotel in Kandy, and I can confidently say it was the worst hotel experience I've ever had. I made a reservation for the night of August 18th and had clearly communicated the number of guests, including our two children, in advance via chat. I was informed that we would need to pay extra for our 8-year-old child, which I did immediately upon booking on September 30th. However, upon arrival at the reception today, we were rudely asked to make the payment again as they had no record of our previous payment. I had to scramble to find the online transfer evidence to show them—thankfully, it was an online transaction, or we would have been forced to return home to retrieve the receipts.
The problems didn’t end there. We were assured in our chat conversation that our children, both over 7 years old, would be provided with meals and preachers tickets. However, during the evening seating arrangements, the staff refused to give our children seats. We were left in the humiliating position of begging for seating for our kids. The behavior of the reception staff was utterly disgraceful and unprofessional.
Even after all the prior communication, we were left wondering if we needed to remind them separately for every detail. The lack of organization, rude behavior, and incompetence displayed by the staff made our stay a nightmare. I strongly advise anyone considering this hotel to look elsewhere, as this was by far the worst experience I've had with any hotel.
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Date of stay: August 2024Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Highly recommend to not visit
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My recent experience at the Queen's hotel lunch buffet was extremely disappointing. Unfortunately, it stands out as the worst buffet experience I have ever had. The lack of oversight before the buffet started was evident, and even the starter pack was subpar. The soup resembled lukewarm water rather than a properly heated starter.
Moreover, a prime example was they labeling of a dish called "Cream Sepegatteti" on the name board, however, it turned out to be just ordinary Sri Lankan noodles. Such discrepancies can be embarrassing for foreigners, and it reflects poorly on the hotel's reputation.
As someone who appreciates the allure of the location, it is saddening to observe such mismanagement in a place that should ideally be a gem in the hospitality industry.
I cannot help but express my disappointment with the overall experience. I genuinely hope that the hotel management takes steps to address these issues promptly. I cannot recommend this establishment to others based on my recent encounter, and I sincerely wish for an improvement in the management and service quality of this once-beloved hotel.
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Date of stay: January 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Kanishka Mallikarachchi, General Manager at Queen's Hotel
Responded Jan 31, 2024
Dear Mr. Nimal, Referring to your comment, I would like to get more details to rectify the same. If you can give me a full detail about it on "kanishka.mallikarachchi@kandyhotels.lk" or contacting me on "0773422729", it will be highly appreciated. I apologize on the inconvenience caused to you and waiting to contact you. Regards.
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This was the worst hotel I have ever been ( I have been to more than 200 hotels). I went there with my wife during our vacation in Sri-Lanka. First negative impression I got was just at the check in. We did not book the hotel in advance, so went to the reception for checking the price. The price that receptionist said (60USD), was more than the price in the booking.com (40USD) and he was not aware of it. So when I said I will just book from booking.com he started to get angry, and acted strangely. Anyways, I paid for the room and went to the restaurant to have food since I was very hungry. Food was terrible as well, it took almost 40 minutes to bring rice and chicken. Unbelievable! And when we got the food it was super spicy even though we highlighted to the waiter that we want the food to be not spicy at all. It started to get even more interesting after we went to the room. The condition of the room was very bad, overall the hotel was very old. There was a bad smell in the room, bed sheets were dirty (disgusting). Air conditioner did not work properly, only one mode. No shampoo, shower gel, toothbrush/paste in the bathroom. As if it was not enough, we suddenly saw a lizard on the wall. So we packed our stuff, and left the hotel without even talking about getting the money back. Now I check booking.com to write a review, but they still did not make my reservation complete on purpose I guess so that I can not write a review.
My advise, never do ot even think about stepping in this hotel!
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Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Do not ever think about stepping in this hotel.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
After seeing negative reviews, we were reluctant to stay at Queens Hotel. However, once we arrived at the hotel, we realised that the management team were so professional and detail-oriented in all interactions.
The whole team are very friendly, polite and helpful - Particularly the front desk, housekeeping and food & beverage areas where we had the most contact with the respective staff. The hotel's GM, Kumara Adhikari, also went above and beyond to ensure that we were very well looked after.
The rooms are clean and spacious, and the restaurant has a wide selection of various delicious dishes that anyone can enjoy.
The hotel is very well placed in the heart of Kandy, just seconds away and a very short walking distance from Sri Dalada Maligawa (The tooth relic temple) and Kandy City Centre (Shopping centre).
Thank you to the whole team for a very pleasant and enjoyable stay, we will most definitely return and would recommend Queens Hotel for anyone visiting Kandy.
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Date of stay: December 2024Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Colombo, Sri Lanka38 contributions24 helpful votes
Hi, I suggest you to travel by Expo rail for this sector having with all the facilities. Expo rail will provide you very comfortable travel along with food, wifi, T.V etc. Please google Expo rail sri lanka for more information.
There are charges for seats, depending on the day or the area you choose. Please let us know your plans and we can advise pricing, or contact us directly on reservations.
There are more places to choose from in the Kandy area.
PRICE RANGE
$57 - $110 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
queens hotel kandy
LOCATION
Sri LankaCentral ProvinceKandy DistrictKandy
NUMBER OF ROOMS
90
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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