Skip to Content

The 5 BEST family resorts in Sri Lanka with a sprinkling of luxury

The 5 BEST family resorts in Sri Lanka with a sprinkling of luxury

Sri Lanka is a very easy destination for families to travel around independently and on a budget. Check out our Sri Lanka itinerary with kids. But if you’ve been roughing it for a few too many days, and done one too many hair pin bends in a tuk-tuk, it may be time to treat yourselves to one of the best family resorts in Sri Lanka.

The following have been hand picked by myself and some fellow family travel bloggers, and all these accommodations welcome kids with open arms.

If you are looking for an eco resort, check out this post of stunning eco resorts in Sri Lanka, some are suitable for families too!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you click to purchase, it is at no additional cost to you, and I receive a small commission.

Also, depending on your nationality, you will need to apply for a Sri Lanka visa in order to visit this country. This is something you can easily do through an online application form. It only takes 5 minutes!

1. Living Heritage Koslanda

Click here to find out more and book

(Jenny from TraveLynn Family, follow on Instagram)

Nestled deep in the Sri Lankan Hill Country, set amongst 80 acres of pristine jungle and tea plantations lies the most perfect slice of paradise – Living Heritage Koslanda. This is where you find absolute tranquillity in outstanding stylish luxury, but where staff warmly welcome kids of all ages.

Living Heritage Koslanda view

Choose from one of only four luxury villas, sympathetically designed to fit the magical setting, equipped with an outdoor plunge pool decorated with flower petals, a spacious open air living area centred around an ornamental light-well, an elegant double bedroom boasting high A-frame beams, and an outside seating area to while the hours away as you watch the clouds drift over the distant mountains.

Our boys loved splashing in the infinity pool and all the green open space to run. Meeting the resident cow and playing croquet was a big hit. But the highlight was walking down to the private waterfall to enjoy a dip.

2. The Grand Hotel Nuwara Eliya

Click here to find out more and book

(Aleney from Boy Eats World)

The Grand Hotel is a sumptuous confection of a hotel tucked away in the misty hills of Nuwara Eliya, a region often referred to as ‘Little England’ due to its red telephone boxes, colonial buildings and rose gardens. The hotel itself is a remnant of British colonial rule and while it is unquestionably glam and sophisticated, it’s also exceptionally kid friendly with a tennis court, kids’ play area for littlies, billiards and snooker for older kids and plenty of grassy space to run around!

man stood outside hotel

Their afternoon tea is a must, with elegantly attired waiters delivering towers of pretty sandwiches, jam and cream-laden scones and dainty cakes, with perfectly brewed tea or milkshakes and sodas for the kids.

It’s the perfect base for visiting the town’s pretty colonial buildings, gorgeous Gregory Lake and for exploring Sri Lanka’s famous highland tea country and its many tea plantations.

3. Heritance Kandalama Dambulla

Click here to find out more and book

(Aleney from Boy Eats World)

Located on the edge of the lovely Kandalama Lake in Dambulla, the stunning Heritance Kandalama Dambulla is the perfect place to revive after taking the hike up to Sigiriya’s sky high rock fortress. Between the warm welcome, the super cool dude whose only job appears to be waving a stick to keep the birds away from our (incredible) breakfasts, the tranquillity of its lakeside location and the luxury of our private garden villa, this place proved the very definition of family friendly.

resort pool

Add jungle clad treehouses, a playground, locals hitting six on the resort’s own cricket pitch, Ayurvedic massages, a stunning infinity pool, table tennis, board games, cycling, and random cows strolling by, and we could have happily stayed a week.

4. Turyaa Kalutara

Click here to find out more and book

(Sharon from Dive Into Malaysia)

If you are looking for a convenient and relaxing family resort in Sri Lanka, go to Turyaa Kalutara! Located just south of Colombo and on a train line, you can easily get here via public transport or take a taxi from the airport. It’s also not far from Galle so there are tons of day trip options.

hotel complex with lawn

Turyaa Kalutara is located right on the beach and you can splash here or enjoy the huge pool. There are lots of shallow sections making it great for little ones. There is an activity program the whole family can enjoy including evening shows. Our kids loved the fire dancing. Other facilities include a gym, day spa, table tennis, games, a library and even a night club.

The best part for families, however, is that there are family suites. We stayed in a two bedrooms, two bathrooms, two balconies and a living area suite which gave us plenty of space for everyone.

5. Royal Retreat, Sigiriya

Click here to find out more and book

(Emma from Wanderlust And Wet Wipes)

When we were touring Sri Lanka we were mostly in hotels so I was delighted to find a resort that offered tented accommodation.

Royal Retreat Sigiriya is a hotel that also has amazing glamping tents. You check-in at the main hotel and are then driven to the tents. I must admit, I hadn’t realised we would be travelling so far to get there: the drive took us onto a narrow road… to a dirt track… and into a forest!

glamping tents

On arrival we were greeted by our very own “staff” – a chef who cooked an enormous dinner for us and 2 other guys who helped him. One of them stayed on-site over night before being joined by the other 2 the next morning to make us an equally massive breakfast.

We only had a week in Sri Lanka so I was disappointed to only get one night in our tent in Sigiriya!


BUY: Sri Lanka Lonely Planet

Sale
Lonely Planet Sri Lanka: Perfect for exploring top sights…
  • Bindloss, Joe (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 352 Pages – 10/08/2021 (Publication Date) – Lonely Planet (Publisher)

You may also like to read:
Sri Lanka itinerary with young kids
Best beaches in Sri Lanka for kids
Udawalawe NP with young kids: meeting elephants in the Sri Lankan wilderness