Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Situated within 172Kms, about 3.30 hours drive from Colombo towards North Central of Sri Lanka, 'The Other Corner' is a place of rare beauty and tranquility. The picturesque Eco Resort is located within easy reach of National Parks, Historic Sites, Cultural Triangle and best beached in Sri Lanka. The Other Corner is an ideal layaway for tourists and naturalists, photographers alike.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
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The Other Corner hotel emerges as a serene haven nestled within a natural setting, earning high marks for its charming cottage-like rooms that blend coziness with modern conveniences. Many reviewers extol the spacious, immaculate accommodations and the engaging on-site activities, such as safaris and cooking shows.
Guests are consistently impressed by the warm and attentive service, which adds significant value to their stay. With a strategic location in the cultural triangle, The Other Corner offers a restful retreat that's still convenient for exploring, surrounded by beautifully maintained gardens that enhance the tranquil atmosphere.
Location
Central
Atmosphere
Charming
Rooms
Comfortable
Value
Satisfying
Cleanliness
Immaculate
Service
Attentive
Amenities
Outstanding
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From tranquil sunset strolls along the lake path, to a last - night lattern-lit dinner under the stars, our visit to the other corner was magical! The staff are warm welcoming and beyond accommodating! The food was fresh and delicious from the organic gardens, with both local and western. options available for all palates and tummies! There was a lovely pool to dip into and cool off after a day of hiking and temple visits, and the most delicious fresh juices! I recomend the line and mint drink- so refreshing- they don’t grow lines that sweet in the western hemisphere! The huts are all air conditioned , and the beds were very comfortable- rustic, but all that you need. The only other thing I have to mention is butterflies! Everywhere! We loved our time here!
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Date of stay: March 2025
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 was originally going to stay at The Other Corner for only one night, but due to unforeseen circumstances my stay was extended to three nights. What a treasure in the heart of Sri Lanka. The butterflies dancing in the beautifully maintained central garden, the delicious Sri Lankan and Western food options (best rice and curry I've had in Sri Lanka), and - most of all - the kindness, smiles and genuine care provided by each and every staff member at The Other Corner. I felt like family staying here. And for me, there is no higher praise. I will be back.
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Date of stay: January 2025
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 Rahula Dassenaieke, Owner at The Other Corner
Responded Jan 11, 2025
Thank you so much for your heartfelt review about The Other Corner /TOC - Habarana, Sri Lanka.! We’re absolutely delighted to hear that your extended stay at TOC turned into such a memorable experience. It warms our hearts to know that you enjoyed the beauty of our garden, the food, and, most importantly, the kindness and care from our staff. We truly aim to make every guest feel like family, and it’s wonderful to hear we succeeded in doing that for you. We can’t wait to welcome you back on your next visit to Sri Lanka. Best wishes from Team TOC !!
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We were made to feel welcome from the moment we arrived.by all the staff, with every member we met greeting us and being friendly. We loved the peaceful, small resort and the rope bridge leading into it made it feel even more that we were going into nature. One of the staff members was always keen to share his animal findings with us which added to the experience. The choice of breakfast was excellent and there was a different four course dinner menu each night. The food was presented beautifully and was absolutely delicious. The resort was ideally located for the sights of Sigiriya and Polonnaruwa. The pool was also a pleasant extra to cool off in after a hot day’s sightseeing. We would have no hesitation recommending this lovely, hospitable resort.
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Date of stay: October 2024
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 Rahula Dassenaieke, Owner at The Other Corner
Responded Oct 25, 2024
Thank you for your fantastic review anout The Other Corner / TOC! We’re so glad to hear you felt welcomed by our friendly staff and enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere of our resort. It’s wonderful that you appreciated the natural setting, our breakfast selection, and the nightly dinner menus. We're also pleased you found our location convenient for exploring Sigiriya and Polonnaruwa. Thank you for your recommendation, and we hope to see you again soon! Best wishes from Team TOC !
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Even though our party arrived late and in the dark the welcome was very warm. The menu was not extensive but still very tasty and all cooked to order. Next day we drove an hour to Sigirya is well worth a visit even if you don’t fancy climbing to the top (but well worth it if you can). Finally there is access to three wild life parks nearby, but check which one the elephant herds are located in as they move around. The hotel also offers wildlife, photographic and nature walks on their own grounds. I cannot overstate how friendly and welcoming ALL the staff are
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Date of stay: February 2024
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 Rahula Dassenaieke, Owner at The Other Corner
Responded Feb 29, 2024
Thanks for posting your review about ‘The Other Corner’/TOC Habarana. We are so delighted to hear you had enjoyed the stay. Team TOC will look forward to welcoming you, your family and friends again in the future . Best wishes!!
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The idea is lovely, and the rooms looked very sweet, however the execution was not done well. I would not recommend this place.
We read the other reviews about insects and thought that they were just complaining obviously you’re in nature that’s part of it all. We had 2 rooms (4 adults travelling together) both rooms had ants in the bathroom. Sitting around the restaurant there were swarms of mosquitos. The second night we went out for dinner and sat outside and not a single mosquito. Our entire trip we’ve barely seen a mosquito, but this place we left covered in bites.
The restaurant was the biggest disappointment. We went to have a drink and we were told we weren’t allowed to sit in the restaurant with chairs, we had to sit on the stone bench, and look at the restaurant (which the did nothing in during the time we were consigned to the stone bench until we were allowed to sit on the restaurant chairs). The drinks selection is very limited, not unexpected though given the size of the place. While we were injuring our poor little bottoms on the stone bench we were contemplating going elsewhere for dinner. I am vegan and there didn’t seem to be too many easy options available. The manager came to talk about dinner, he suggested they could make some fried rice for me, which is great, I always appreciate when a place is happy to adjust and cater for me. They made a buffet style dinner for the 4 of us. Which consisted of a clear soup broth, and then fried rice, the others had egg as well. Some cold pasta and some cold boiled vegetables. For this we paid 9000 rupees. We went to the Cinnamon lodge the next night and had much better food for less than that (and some amazing cocktails)
Breakfast was stale toast, for some reason stale garlic bread as well (I got a little shock when I bit into that with my jam on it). They did make eggs on request and brought us some cereal.
The service was lacklustre. Other than the lovely security guard who greeted us every time we passed. It felt that we were being very annoying each time we asked for something, and it was frequently difficult to get a waiters attention even though we were the only people there.
The idea is nice, but it’s so poorly executed the experience is a long way from what anyone would hope for from a boutique hotel. The cinnamon lodge might be a chain, but the staff were lovely, the grounds are beautiful, the food and ambience are great. The cost is similar, I would absolutely stay there in preference to the other corner.
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Date of stay: March 2020
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 Rahula D, Owner at The Other Corner
Responded Mar 10, 2020
Thanks your review. I wonder if you have mistaken The Other Corner to another place you stayed. Yet it is very doubtful to imagine a type of such poorly executed property you will find anywhere in the Habarana region. Nevertheless we regret for the inconvenience you 4 adults had to go through aftre spending a sum of Rs 9000, abt US$ 50. Still we are priced more than amount you have stated, which wonders if you had this bad experience during your stay with us. If so, thanks for bringing it to our notice and it is rest assured will look into this mishap.
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It was a unique and fantastic experience to stay here. Everyone was extremely friendly. Delicious food!!! From this location, many excursions are possible, such as Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa, Safari, etc., making it very centrally located in the cultural triangle.
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Date of stay: January 2025
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 Rahula Dassenaieke, Owner at The Other Corner
Responded 3 weeks ago
Thank you for your kind review about The Other Corner, Habarana/TOC ! We're thrilled to hear that you had a unique and fantastic experience during your stay. It’s wonderful to know that you felt welcomed by our friendly team and enjoyed the delicious food. We’re also glad that our location in the heart of the cultural triangle made it convenient for you to explore nearby attractions like Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa, and the safari. We’d love to welcome you back on your next visit to the area! Best wishes from Team TOC !!
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During our second leg of the tour, we stayed here for two nights. The welcome again was fantastic, staff are very friendly, welcoming and accommodating. The rooms were comfortable cabin style, the bathrooms were a little dark with no light in the shower so it was hard to see and clean yourself properly. Also, being located in a denser greenery meant more mosquitoes which we were not prepared for, nor advised by our tour guide not a fault of the hotel itself. We unfortunately did not get to utilise the pool which looked like a decent size, the cabins itself were as expected having seen the pictures prior. As the cabin is joined to the room above, there is a ladder entry whether or not this affects the acoustics of the room, i could hear very clearly the conversation our neighbours were having like they were in the room. Breakfast was decent and delicious, definitely good value with fruits, bread basket and continental style eggs and bacon as well we could nearly bypass lunch given the size. The staff again were very friendly and helpful and we would recommend this place if passing through.
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Date of stay: December 2019
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.
Hands down the best place to bird watch and just disconnect. we stayed for 02 nights and it was just not enough. The rooms are basic but very comfortable and have hot water, AC and toiletries. What is really divine is the surroundings and the food. Extremely well prepared and tasty and they have a good choice between local and western. If you are the adventurous type, they also have lots of nature walks and safaris including a catamaran ride and a villange lunch which is exquisite!
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Date of stay: September 2023
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 Rahula Dassenaieke, Owner at The Other Corner
Responded Oct 4, 2023
Many thanks for posting your experience during your stay at ‘The Other Corner’ ( TOC) Habarana. We are so delighted to hear you have enjoyed the uniqueness and enjoyed what we have to offer at TOC. We all at TOC look forward to see you, your family and friends with us for even better experience in the future !
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The other corner is a beautifully located resort in Habarana and is covered with trees and a nearby lake which attracts birds and other animals making it the best place to stay around this area (Sigiriya included). The pool was great and the rooms were big and spacious with natural light coming in during the day. The restaurant served us amazing food three times a day and it was all vegan when requested so it is best for animal lovers who are visiting this area. Amal who is also a naturalist took us on bird walks and accompanied us on an Elephant safari as well. He is great at spotting birds and has equipment to do a great night walk around the property. It was a fun two night stay.
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Date of stay: July 2023
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 Rahula Dassenaieke, Owner at The Other Corner
Responded Jul 23, 2023
Many thanks for taking time to review your stay with us at 'The Other Corner', Sri Lanka. We are delighted to note you had a wonderful stay with us. We hope you will recommend 'The Other Corner 'amongst your family and friends who have plans to visit our beautiful Island in the future.
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We couldn't have asked for more at this charming boutique hotel. An exceptional standard of service, we felt welcomed and the food was delicious. Care was taken to ask our food preferences, we highly recommend Amal's wildlife tours. He is knowledgeable, passionate and patient. A sunset tour is a highlight. The organic garden supplies the hotel and every member of their team made this a memorable stay. Giles and Sarah
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Date of stay: November 2022
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 Rahula Dassenaieke, Owner at The Other Corner
Responded Nov 27, 2022
Thank you so much for taking time to post your experience at 'The Other Corner', Habarana. We are very delighted to hear you had a wonderful time and enjoyed your stay with us. We hope you will visit us again with your family and friends to explore more what we have on offer. Wishing you best !
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Hello Elawes. Two days is enough for a stay here, since you've already covered Sigiriya earlier. A safari to Minneriya or Kaudulla could be done (I did Kaudulla since Minneriya was flooded during my visit). The property has an in-house naturalist who can take you for bird watching and other nature activities. If you can squeeze in time, Polonaruva coulf be covered in the two days too. Half board plan is recommended. I stayed for 2 nights (2 days) in November 2016.
Hi, Greetings from The Other Corner,
To answer your concerns ,
Dinner will cost from US$ 6 to about US$ 15 per head.
It is 1.6km walk to Habarana town from the hotel.
You can hire a scooter for US$ 13-15 per day, need advance confirmation to reserve.
Hope above answers and if any further pls contact again.
Warm regards , rahula
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates196 contributions38 helpful votes
Price - Should be around USD120-150 per night via Hotel website or travel sites including Breakfast.
Day attractions & Safari - can be arranged through the hotel for a price. You can check with them on arrival or call and arrange in advance.
Nature walks are free for residents. Please arrange with Mr. Dhilip De Alwis who is the resident Naturalist. He is on FB and you can find him easily. A very knowledgeable guy with loads of experience. It is customary to give a reasonable tip.
All hotels in Sri Lanka will accommodate the drivers free of charge. But their meals may be charged to your room sometimes. You can also check this on arrival.
Greetings!! Thanks for your email. Sorry for the late reply as for some unknown reason I have missed your email.
The far end rooms from the main road towards the lake are 'Twin Chalets' and 'Main Lodge'. These would be the best. But it is not possible to get disturbed from road noises for any of our chalets.
We have just obtained license for Wines and Beer and will be serving from early Nov.
If not our staff will help you to bring your choice of Alcohol from the local wine stores, so you can enjoy same with your meals. Hope this answer your email. Please drop an email. Regarding your reservation or to book TOC on availability. Look forward to hear from you soon. Warm regards, rahula
There are more places to choose from in the Habarana area.
LOCATION
Sri LankaNorth Central ProvinceHabarana
NUMBER OF ROOMS
11
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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