Hotel in Southern Province
4-Star Hotel
Reasons to book
Guests love it hereGuests give this property a top rating
Well priced for this locationPriced under area average
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About this hotel
Comfortable Accommodations
Amenities
Business facilities
Airport transportation available
Shuttle available
Free WiFi/internet
Free Parking
Air conditioning
Pool
Non-smoking
Gym
Bar
Spa
Balcony/Terrace
WiFi/Internet
Garden
Laundry services
Sauna
Fireplace
Outdoor Cooking
Family friendly
Ironing facilities
Childcare services
Key access
Key card access
Housekeeping available
Cleaning products
Map of Southern Province
Available Rooms
Ratings and reviews
100% verified reviews8 / 10Excellent·Sep 2026
We absolutely loved our stay at Hotel River Front in Yala! From the moment we arrived, we felt very welcome. The hotel was clean and comfortable, and the lovely pool was a real bonus and the perfect place to relax.
The receptionist was incredibly welcoming and helpful, taking the time to explain everything we needed to know about the hotel. Gayan, our waiter, was also fantastic. He was so friendly, attentive and helpful throughout our meals and provided such a great service.
The highlight of our stay was definitely the full-day safari we booked through the hotel. Despite the very early start, it was an unforgettable experience! Our driver and guide, Channa, was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely knowledgeable and informative and clearly knew Yala very well.
Thanks to Channa, we were lucky enough to see a leopard, a family of elephants and so much other amazing wildlife at surprisingly close range. There were plenty of other jeeps around competing for the best views, but Channa always seemed to know exactly where to position us. He was incredibly patient and made sure we had fantastic views while also helping us capture some amazing photos and videos that we will treasure.
Channa genuinely went above and beyond to make our safari special, and we would highly recommend going on safari with him. He made what was already an exciting experience truly unforgettable.
We would happily stay at Hotel River Front again and would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Yala. A wonderful hotel, lovely staff and an absolutely fantastic safari experience!
Poor air conditioning in the gym.
9 / 10Outstanding·Sep 2026
Staff is amazing, especially the gentleman in the restaurant. As well as the driver Channa from our safari, he also makes sure you are first in line for the morning safari.
The room and bathroom are beautiful.
One little thing is that the bed was a little bit to hard for our liking.
9 / 10Outstanding·Sep 2026
Beautifully clean hotel with lovely pool and the most amazing food.
Our a/c wasn’t very cold and the sun came through the thin curtains very early in the morning.
10 / 10Outstanding·Jul 2026
Hotel River Front is an excellent base from which you can explore the surrounding national parks (Yala, Lunugamvehera, and Bundala being the closest) and the nearby Tissa Lake (an ancient reservoir from the 3rd century BCE) and Tissamaharama Raja Maha Viharaya (Buddhist temple and stupa from the 2nd century BCE). It is also a delightful hotel with an attentive and friendly staff.
Pros:
- We booked the wooden, standalone family chalet room above the fitness room and directly on the bank of the river. It is a unique room with views on two sides AND two private balconies. The room was pretty and perfect as a TRIPLE ROOM for three adults.
- The upper floor hotel rooms may say they have a river view. But we had the best river view since we were right on the bank/ beach. And through these windows and the two balconies, we saw many different birds.
- Down by the river, on the beach, we were visited by a young Asian water monitor, the bigger of two monitor lizard species endemic to Sri Lanka. We also observed a family of langur monkeys who did not appreciate long telephoto lenses pointed at them and fled the scene after baring their teeth. Fine, whatever, be that way. I was going to make them famous.
- The air conditioner and ceiling fan both come with remotes and did a good job cooling down an otherwise hot room in a hot climate (we hit 36 deg. C a couple of days!). One morning, the A/C stopped working. I messaged the front desk, and within five minutes, an army showed up at our door. While housekeeping cleaned our room, the technicians fixed the air conditioner! Very efficient.
- The food was excellent, whether we talk about the included breakfast with generous fruit platter, or the Tandoori chicken kebobs, or the Sri Lankan thali (with enough food for the three of us!). Even the French fries and potato wedges were delicious.
- The pool!
Everything was great, can't think of anything we didn't like!
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Top rated by guests
9.3Outstanding
(1,556 Ratings)
"Hotel River Front is an excellent base from which you can explore the surrounding national parks (Yala, Lunugamvehera, and Bundala being the closest) and the nearby Tissa Lake (an ancient reservoir fr..."
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