Ariya Rest & Ayurveda spa Hotel

This review is only for the restaurant (as we did not stay in the hotel) : A year ago I came with my friends after visiting the Polonnaruwa ruins and it was the best local-style food we had on the entire trip! It is a family run business and it was ridiculously cheap ($5.50 for the buffet per person and that included coffee/tea & dessert! ). Shani and her entire family work so hard to make this place feel like you're eating with a Sri Lankan family. I came back again this year with my parents who grew up in Sri Lanka and they enjoyed it so much. We asked Shani if they could prepare some Sri Lankan favorites for dinner (Sri Lankan ice coffee and Kottu Roti) and her family made a huge effort to buy all of the right ingredients (because my brother in law has celiacs) and made a delicious custom meal for the five of us, with Lion Lager and Ice coffee, all for $25 dollars! We are so thankful for their hospitality and appreciated supporting a local business. It is truly a hidden gem and worth coming to!

Excellent place for even locals. Special thanks to mr. Ariya.

Excellent food…
Very good service staff…
Clean and serene ambience…

Expensive rates for home cooked food but good spread.

A modest rest house catering for the tourist trade. Although a buffet lunch was offered, we decided to have soft drinks, cool down and use the wash room facilities. The toilet facilities were clean. This is a convenient location to rest and refresh yourself. We could see other tourist using this facility like we did.

Nice and calm place to stay in Polonnaruwa ancients city. Delicious food, very supportive staff and reasonable prices.

Very good food. And nice staff. Really recommended about that restaurant.

So delicious food. Very friendly staff. They Treat guides and Drive s too well.

Tasty hygienic food for the tourists. And good service for the guides. Chauffeurs and drivers.

Very nice place and very nice people working.

I didn't like it at all the rooms are full of humidity and very small and in the evenings there is noise and the worst the rooms are in front of the ugly parking.

Very nice Restaurant… Good village foods.

Best dam meal I ever had in polonnaruwa. Visit and find out best staff and all.

Clean room, very good food and really nice people.

Good service and nice place.

Excellent Sri Lanka lunch tasty.

Clean place. This place with food without artificial ingredients. Hence hope to visit again with kids.

I had lunch here by buffet style. It is tasty.

This is one and only great place in polonnaruwa. Owner ariya and wife, his daughter their very kind, honest. Staff is welcoming and clever friendly good service. Food is delicious and reasonable. Rooms are clean and tidy.

Great Sri Lankan food near Polonnaruwa. Buffet lunch available. Great variety of dishes and rices. Price approx LKR 600 to 800 per head.

Ariya Resthouse was Perfect for our Plans. We stayed for 2 nights to visit the ancient temples of Polonnurawa. In the later afternoon we Decided to Go for a walk through the fields around a nice lake — it was just beautiful. Nature is so untouched there. If you want to go to this amazing place just follow on the small road you entered to reach Ariya Rest House. It is much preferable than the noisy mainroad regarding a small Walk. The accomodation rooms in Ariya Rest House are comfortable and nice. There is nothing I missed at my stay. When you check in you are greeted with a tasty fruit welcome drink. Apart from that dinner is very delicious, so is breakfast — only the toast could be a little better.
The prices Are fair. All in all I was more than happy to stay at this nice family-owned hotel.
Regards
Bjoern.

It seems most of the reviews describe the restaurant (which is huge) and not the guest house, which is pretty small. A double room with a/c cost us 6000lkr per night. The owners are nice. There is a TV in the room, the bed is covered by a mosquito net. The bed would be somewhat short for a person over 1.90 The guesthouse is very cozy, located in a forested area. The room has a single tiny window. The shower doesn't have any windows. The restaurant was OK, buffet cost 850lkr, they didn't charge us for the children.

Great place to have lunch. Highly recommended.

Top class buffet with large dining area & nice rooms. Family run biz. Like 2nd home.

This is a great place to have lunch. And very friendly people to service.

No frills but good meals. 800 rupees for the buffet.

Nice place. Awsome food. Friendly staff.

We had an amazing lunch yesterday and today the dinner. Do try grilled fish and rice. Lake fish fry is also very good.

This one of the best places I have ever stayed! Shani and her family are just wonderful and make you feel very, very welcome. The food is also marvellous. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

This is the greatest rest house ever I stayed in rajarata. i am a great traveller who travelled all around my little mother land. This is like a peaceful heaven to spend our holidays. i ask you all to go and experience this lovely plesent place.

Great Place to stay around in Polonnaruwa. Worth the money.