Hotel Shalini

We stayed here in August 2023 for two nights. The hotel has an excellent location to visit Anuradhapura. The rooms need some attention, but the bed was comfortable bathroom was OK. This is a one star hotel, so we did not expect too much. We especially were delighted by the breakfast and the superb late-evening meals that we had. I would definitelly book again this hotel. Shalini is a 5 start score worth.

Best hotel in the region, from the room to the staff to the meal, everything was perfect. The hotel offers many different activities such as boat trips on the lake, bike tours, hikes and even safaris. We opted for a one day safari in Wilpattu and overnight the entire safari organization was ready. Extraordinary, a professional and warm organization (Jeep, meals, guide, etc.) and a safari offering an incredibly enriching experience, with an impressive diversity of wildlife and breathtaking natural landscapes. (Buffalo, Peacock, Leopard, Elephant, Crocodile…) Recommended to anyone looking for an authentic adventure in the heart of the wild nature of Sri Lanka.

My family and I spent 3 nights at this hotel and hope to return soon.
THANKS.

We had the most wonderful rice& curry dinner here, with eight (or nine?) different kinds of vegetarian curries, so tasty, so much variety and just perfectly spicy. Quick and friendly service too. Highly recommended!

We didn't stay here, but we had travelled up to Anuradhapura for the day and stopped in for lunch after seeing other positive online reviews. We had an absolutely delicious Sri Lankan vegetarian curry lunch here. I am celiac and can not eat gluten for medical reasons, which is a real hassle when traveling, however the guest house were able to accomodate and let me know which dishes I could not eat (basically just the pappadams were off limits to me for this meal, however my husband enjoyed them!). Husband had a cold Lion beer and we really enjoyed our curry lunch and the cooling fan - respite out of the heat. Thanks again for your lunch hospitality. Highly recommend. It's tricky to find, you can only see the sign from one side of the road but persevere and it will pay off. Happy Eating!

Stayed here for 3 nights, everything was good. Very nice people who work there and the food in the restaurant is phenomenal! They have also organized a beautiful safari to Wilpattu for a good price, including breakfast, lunch and dinner. Recommended! I don't recognize myself in the negative reviews.

We stayed two nights at the Shalini hotel which is well located because not very far from the station! The staff is very helpful and gives very good advice (they order the tuk tuk for you for example)! The breakfast is excellent as is the evening meal which we never missed!

Delicious Sri Lankan rice and curry at this hotel. Very tasty and friendly service. Did not stay here - just came for dinner.

Great location for exploring everything in the local area. I can recommend getting the dinner at the restaurant as well. The food was excellent with many options. The owner is very welcoming and will make sure your stay here is excellent.

We booked a dorm for four people. The room was decent and service really good. The hostel can organise most things to do around anuradhapura for you for a decent price. The trip to the near by national park was our highlight. Also the food there is great.

I have only been to the restaurant.
A delicious restaurant, the single dish SriLanka curry is divine, your choice of chicken, fried river fish or vegetables.
The flavors are amazing, by far the best curry I've tasted so far!
A wait, but it's worth it!

Really a good restaurant the waiter speaks French and is very helpful. The food is excellent!

What a Nice place. We had a very Nice dinner with good service. The best curry we had in sri lanka. Thank you.

We went here specifically for the food. It was really delicious and super well cared for. What a good kitchen. Thank you.

The hotel is reminiscent of a visit to the Jungle Book. The service was excellent and we received excellent advice. We then explored the city and its ruins on bicycles. We felt very comfortable.

The stay at shalini has been weird to say the least. To summerise, half of the description is false. Free air conditioning is not available unlike the description suggests. At some point the manager accused us of using it even though we did not get the remote. The pricing was 1000 a person per night. Yes, airconditioning prices are per person. The entrance reeked of the rotting jackfruit outside, which reeked terribly. They however had nice pets such as a bathroom frog, cockroaches and ants. What annoys me most however is the free breakfast, as it turns out its quite expensive. To use the "free breakfast" that they have noted on the description you appearantly need to get a roomupgrade for €5. The 3 others at the hotel had the same experience. If you dont and fall for the free breakfast trap they will ask you to pay it afterwards. Rediculous.

I ended up paying it because i had to hurry to the bus. However i did learn from this and would recommend anyone from staying well clear of the stinky, dirty, money hungry and deceiving hotel shalini

We had dinner at hotel Shalini. Best curry we had in Sri Lanka so far, and a very friendly host.

Our room was not very modern, but there was a mosquito net, hot water and a fan, and they welcomed us with delicious lemonade! The room price is adequate, it is worth including breakfast in the deal (delicious, but 1500 rupees each if added later). They rent bikes to go to the archaeological zone (also a high price, 1200 rupees each).
It is a quiet place, and the owners are very friendly and available for anything you need. We didn't eat at the restaurant, but it seems to have very good reviews.
Recommended if it fits your budget!

We recently visited Shalini Restaurant and was blown away by the delicious curry and rice. It was hands down the best we’ve had in Sri Lanka. The cook and host Siril has over 27 years of experience and it shows in the quality of the food and service. Siril was incredibly friendly and provided excellent service throughout the meal. We also enjoyed having nice conversations with Siril about Sri Lanka. Overall, I highly recommend Shalini Restaurant for anyone looking for a fantastic curry and rice and great service in a nice ambience and the interior of the dining place.

I had dinner at Hotel Shalini. The rice and curry was delicious and they kept bringing more and more. One of the best rice and curry I had in Sri Lanka. The portion is rather for two or more people than one, also is the price, I would say.