Top 15 · updated 2026
Best Hotels in Polonnaruwa
The top 15 hotels in Polonnaruwa, ranked by real reviewer feedback.
- 15
- Hotels listed
- 4.0★
- Average rating
- 148
- Reviews aggregated
- Kithmi Resort
- Top-rated
Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka's medieval royal capital and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the third city of the Cultural Triangle. Its ancient city, with the Royal Palace, the Quadrangle and the Gal Vihara rock carvings, sits beside the vast Parakrama Samudraya reservoir. Places to stay are mostly family-run guest houses and tourist homes around Thopawewa, Sri Sudharshana Road and the New Town, plus lakeside hotels and resorts along the reservoir and quieter holiday resorts out on the Kadawalawewa and Ethumalpitiya roads. Many hosts rent bicycles for the ruins and arrange jeep safaris to Minneriya and Kaudulla. The hotels below are ranked by real guest reviews. For Colombo hotels and links to other hotel city pages across Sri Lanka, see /best/hotels-in-colombo.
- 1
Kithmi Resort
4.0(10 reviews)Restaurants No 2/1579m Kadawalawewa Road Bendiwewa, Polonnaruwa 51024
- 2
Ancient Village
4.0(10 reviews)Restaurants WXPX+WJ2, Sri Sudharshana Road, Thopawewa, Polonnaruwa
- 3
Geethani Tourist Home Polonnaruwa
4.0(10 reviews)Restaurants Sri sudarshanarama Road, Polonnaruwa 51000
- 4
Thisal gust house and Thisal safari
4.0(10 reviews)Restaurants Thisalgust house, 23/1 temples road, Polonnaruwa 51000
- 5
Seyara Holiday Resort
4.0(10 reviews)Restaurants XX7Q+83M, 34, Polonnaruwa 55000
- 6
Hotel Lake Park
4.0(10 reviews)Restaurants 42 Deewara Mawatha, Polonnaruwa 51000
- 7
Hotel Siyathma Polonnaruwa
4.0(10 reviews)Restaurants No.1/13 2nd Canal Rd, Polonnaruwa 51000
- 8
Peregrine Villa - Polonnaruwa City
4.0(10 reviews)Restaurants No 07, Pothgul Pedesa, New Town Rd, Polonnaruwa 51000
- 9
Tishan Holiday Resort
4.0(10 reviews)Restaurants No:1580, Polonnaruwa 51000
- 10
Hotel Sudu Araliya
4.0(10 reviews)Restaurants Polonnaruwa 51000
- 11
EKHO Lake House
4.0(10 reviews)Restaurants Pothgul, Mawatha, Polonnaruwa 51000
- 12
Lake Cabin
4.0(10 reviews)Restaurants Polonnaruwa
- 13
Deer Garden Guest polonnaruwa
4.0(10 reviews)Restaurants Kumara pokuna, Polonnaruwa 51000
- 14
The Heritage Polonnaruwa
4.0(10 reviews)Restaurants No:10, Sri Nishshankamallapura, Polonnaruwa 51000
- 15
Sahan Tourist House
4.0(8 reviews)Restaurants Near Filling Station, Maradankadawala-Habarana-Thirukkondaiadimadu Hwy, Polonnaruwa 51000
Frequently asked
- What's the highest-rated hotels in Polonnaruwa?
- Kithmi Resort is currently the highest-rated hotels in Polonnaruwa on Review Guru, with an average of 4.0 out of 5 stars from 10 reviews.
- Which hotels in Polonnaruwa has the most reviews?
- Kithmi Resort is the most-reviewed hotels in Polonnaruwa with 10 customer reviews. A higher review count typically means a more reliable signal — a 4.5★ rating from 50 reviewers is stronger than a 5★ rating from 3.
- How many hotels are listed in Polonnaruwa?
- Review Guru has 15 hotels listed in Polonnaruwa, aggregating 148 customer reviews across them. We only include a business on a "best of" page once it has at least 3 reviews so the ranking is meaningful.
- How are these hotels ranked?
- We use a Bayesian-weighted average score that combines the business's own star rating with the volume of reviews it has received. This prevents a single 5-star review from outranking 30 consistent 4-star reviews. Read more on our methodology page.
- Are the reviews verified?
- Reviews on Review Guru come from two sources: native submissions written directly on our platform, and imported reviews from Google Maps that we rewrite for clarity while preserving the original rating, sentiment, and named entities. Source is tagged on each review for transparency.
- Should I stay near Polonnaruwa's ancient city or closer to Minneriya for a safari?
- Staying in Polonnaruwa town, around Thopawewa, Sri Sudharshana Road or beside the Parakrama Samudraya, puts you a short walk, cycle or tuk-tuk ride from the ancient city, so you can explore the ruins early before the midday heat. Guest houses here are usually the most affordable, and many hosts arrange jeeps for Minneriya and Kaudulla national parks, which are well within reach for an afternoon safari during the dry-season elephant gathering. Staying closer to Minneriya or Habarana saves driving time if the safari is your main focus, but leaves you further from the ruins. If you want to see both, Polonnaruwa town works well as a base. Hotels in Sigiriya (see Best Hotels in Sigiriya) and Anuradhapura (see Best Hotels in Anuradhapura) cover the rest of the Cultural Triangle.
- Can I cycle around the Polonnaruwa ruins from my hotel?
- Yes. Cycling is one of the most popular ways to see Polonnaruwa, because the ancient city is long and flat and the main sites, from the Royal Palace and the Quadrangle to Gal Vihara, are spread out over several kilometres. Many guest houses and hotels in town lend or rent bicycles, and guests often mention hosts who provide bikes and suggest a route. Start early in the morning or later in the afternoon to avoid the heat, and carry water. Check recent guest reviews for comments on bike rental, distance to the ruins and how helpful the hosts are with planning your day.