Reviews of Once in Ella

Soothing view over the garden. It’s close to the main road, yet so peaceful and quiet. I highly recommend Once in Ella.

Big and comfortable mattress, clean and big room and peaceful and wildlife at you door step. Room downstairs it’s better.

You need a scotter as the hill it’s so steep. We went with a friend and it got very confusing with manager asking us to change rooms all the time, last day they forced me to move upstairs and nobody was downstairs. Also the do t speak very good English and it makes it harder but they are sweet and try to be helpful, u would have stayed longer if i was not ask to pack and move rooms. Breakfast not included and not A/C but that was not a problem for me.

Jungle off the back porch. We saw fire flys at night, monkeys, porky pine and mongoose right from the back step. The property was down a steep path from the main road so it was nice and quiet. Pretty central.

Steep path was a pain with luggage, some adventurous tuk tuk drivers can get down, otherwise it’s walking from the school at the top if the hill.

Really friendly owners who live in the house next door. Great location close to the centre of Ella albeit at the bottom of a very steep hill which is to be expected in Ella and you soon acclimatise! Clean room with big bathroom and comfy bed so good value for money and a nice base for a visit to Ella.

A cosy little spot hidden away in a quiet corner of Ella, surrounded by trees. The best part for me? The wildlife! In one afternoon, I saw a family of monkeys, mongooses, and a giant squirrel. Plus, the WiFi was solid—perfect for a nomad!

The place could do with a little update but there's nothing major.

Modern style homestay hosted by a warm and hospitable family. It’s rare to have a full kitchen shared with the other unit in the building which was so nice. Great location with a pleasant view, definitely hilly and takes 5-7 minutes to go up/down the hill for an active person. But the Main Street is right there.

We loved staying here, the room was very spacious and tidy with everything we needed, and in a beautiful setting amongst the jungle. We found the town centre quite busy, so it was lovely to be able to come down here to escape when we needed. We really loved the walk up/down, it was a great way to get a bit of exercise in between all the delicious food we were eating, and amazing to see fireflies along the road at night! Would definitely come back here next time we are in Ella!

Nothing 😊

The modern like style, it's really a rare find in Sri Lanka. Close to the main road yet quiet and close to nature. We were able to get a late check-in and early check-out. No insects during our 1 night stay, no mold detected Liked the place very much despites of cons. The owner was very nice and provided us with all the necessary info about the room without asking

The toilet outside of the room on the second floor is fine, but you need to dress to go there at night, which is a bit uncomfortable. The vanity cabinet was very humid inside. No shampoo and shower gel, only liquid hand soap

Clean, spacious room, and that’s the only place out of 3 where I had a proper bed setting. There was a blanket, never thought I’d be happy to have it. So comfy bed, pillows and blanket. Liked the room and views a lot. I wish I could stay there longer.

Everything was perfect, but I wish they had breakfast too 😊

Great location - only 5 minutes to the main roads. Waking up to the jungle colours and noises is charming- Lots of natural light! Very spacey. Room had a cupboard and table area. Getting to the flat from the main road requires walking down a steep hill w it b a curve. We did it with 3 bags and was fine. Good exercise to start / finish the day ! The room itself is large. Nice bed and clean sheets although we stayed two nights and they did not clean during our stay. Bathroom is huge and very clean. Ample space for showering and toilet. It can be noisy at night but mostly from nature calls. The host was helpful with using the kitchen and provided a few cooking things we forgot.

Cute little house rounded with nature! You can hear all the birds and animals doing all kind of sounds, we enjoy that! Also enjoyed the monkeys who crossed the electric cable every day. After more than 3 weeks in Sri Lanka I would say that this place has the most comfortable bed and bed linen that we had during our stays in many different places. Owners friendly and helpful , thanks for having us!

This accommodation is incredible. There are 2 rooms in a V shape building. One upstairs one down. They both have balcony's and overlook the forest which has monkeys swinging around. We sat upstairs and had tea while watching the monkeys swing. Breakfast is incredible. It's 600rs each and the amount of food and quality is amazing. We had it each day. The owners live next door in their own house and will look after you like family. Whatever we needed they helped with. The rooms and bed are much bigger than the photos and the bed is super comfortable. There is even a kitchen that you can use with fridge and all the accessories needed. WiFi was very good.

There are only 2 small faults. The walk into town is up a very steep hill and although not an issue for us it would be for those not able. We have to get a tuk tuk on the last day to help with luggage. Secondly the balcony doors are not fully sealed and so at sunset the moths get attracted to lights. We learnt the hard way and on the first night it was like a murder scene in our room. We then learnt to fill the door gaps with bags and this did the trick. If the owners could improve the doors then I see no faults with this accommodation.

A great place to stay in Ella - spacious, clean, great shower and a bonus kitchen. The owner helped organise a scooter and laundry for us, told us how to get to the sights. If I ever come back to Ella, I would definitely stay there again. The best place for the price. Also you get a private garden with monkeys, palm squirrels, fireflies and all sorts of birds, we just loved watching them!

The house is located at the bottom of a rather steep hill, which was not a problem for us, but could be for someone with mobility issues.

This property was absolutely gorgeous. Set just off of the Main Street in Ella. There is a big hill to walk up and down but for 2 young girls who like to keep fit it was no problem for us. The house is so lovely set in the trees of Ella, with monkeys walking through and the sounds of nature. The room was so clean and the owners are a lovely couple who went above and beyond to make our stay amazing . They gave us great recommendations, helped us with laundry and renting a bike and where to go in Ella. They also provided us with a huge breakfast one morning and showed us all the things they were growing in their stunning garden. Couldn’t recommend staying here enough.

Very comfortable stay, with large bed and clean bathroom. Shower was especially luxurious. The location was close to Ella’s main strip (unfortunately up 150m hill) but worth it. The hosts were lovely and welcoming as well