Jaffna hotels & places to stay

We stayed 2 nights at the Jetwing Jaffna and from the moment we arrived to the moment we left we received only the very best of service from their plentiful and attentive staff. The breakfast was by far the very best we have experienced in our 20+ days in Sri Lanka! The Sri Lankan options were amazingly good and the tea was simply outstanding. We cannot recommend this hotel strongly enough!

Everything about the Thinnai is lovely, especially the staff. They are so welcoming and went above and beyond to cater to our every ask. The rooms are clean, spacious and have everything you need and the food is superb. I would especially like to call out the guest relations team and the front office team who went out of their way to make us feel special. The Thinnai will now be my go to hotel in Jaffna for sure!

With temperatures up to 40 degrees while we were in Jaffna, the Green Grass Hotel felt like an absolute oasis to come back to after a long day sightseeing. The pool was a welcome feature and well used, as was the air-conditioning! Room service staff were friendly and accommodating. Location was central with easy access to tuk tuks and pushbikes and only a few minutes from most of the central attractions that Jaffna has to offer. We had the full board option which was interesting but got a little boring after a few days. The resturant is dull and outside dining is small and hot with mozzies, however it appears that they are building a new outdoor area. Overall, this is a great choice to stay in Jaffna.

Good hotel with friendly and helpful staff (can arrange transport and offer advice etc), in its own grounds so it is quiet and feels away from the city but is within walking distance of the fort, library and shops. While the rooms could do with a bit of an update, they were large, clean and with good tv and the best internet I have had in Sri Lanka. The Indian High Commissioner was a guest during my stay which probably indicates it is a good hotel to choose for Jaffna.

Relatively new property so it is in good shape however, there are signs of neglect setting in. Right next to the railway station so you will hear the few trains that pass through. There isn't anything nearby so you either have to venture into town (15-20 min walk) for food or use the restaurant at the hotel but be prepared to get told there are no beers and wait for 45 - 60 mins for your food! Expensive for what it is but there are not many good hotels in Jaffna.

The Jaffna Heritage Hotel is at the moment (february 2013) with no doubt the best hotel in Jaffna. It's the only hotel with a modern touch, rather spacious rooms that are well furnished. And the service is good and always with a smile. But then again.. it's a brand new hotel. It opened only 3 months ago. However you can see, like most of the hotels in Sri Lanka, they used not the best materials. I'm curious how the hotel will look like in 2 years... But for now it was the perfect save haven to go to after a noisy day in Jaffna. Although I was not tempted to have a swim in the rather small swimming pool on a location that lacks charm.

We stayed as a group and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The staff, in particular the owner were incredibly accommodating, going out of their way to help with purchasing train tickets, drivers and even helped us out on the beer run!!! The hotel is simple but was perfect for our needs, the rooms are immaculate with both aircon and a fan, and the beds are comfortable. The hotel is situated in the thick of It all in Jaffna on Stanley road, close to lots of banks. They are updating a few things currently, the wifi is mainly reception only currently, and the plan is for this to be available in all rooms, although I was able to use it in my room and the dining area also! The restaurant menu is being updated, but any requests will be considered and if possible the chef will meet your needs. We had delicious Sri Lankan curries one night of our stay, and as long as you give notice, a few hours before you want to dine in the evening, or the night before for breakfast, they should manage to meet your requirements. I very much recommend staying here and will do in future visits to Jaffna. I have stayed in a bigger hotel on a trip earlier in the year, and much preferred Yals a Town Inn for its personable, friendly service and cleanliness! With limited choices currently in Jaffna, which perhaps has pushed up room pricing in this city, Yals is more reasonable and just as good, if not better!

We were given 5 star care and service at this simple guest house. We stayed in an air-conditioned room with a shared bathroom. The hosts were extremely attentive to our needs. They brought us extra pillows and extension cords. They served us tea and coffee while we lounged in the hammocks. They helped us with tuk tuks and discovering Jaffna. We really loved the breakfast as well! Wifi was fast and reliable. Quiet road.

This place for absolute convinent place as it is located in the middle of the most attractive places in jaffna peninsula(kks, jaffna , karainagar). 10 minutes away from Inuvil railway station. The staff is friendly and supportive. It's possible for reach to public transportation facilities from this place but that will be absolutely convinent if you can arrange personal vehicle. Good stay for the budget travellers.

Staying in Jaffna and staying in PJ Hotel was a perfect choice! After a long bus ride I was looking forward to staying in a nice and clean hotel room in a relaxing surrounding. But that hotel was so much more. What a perfect place! The room was nicely furnished with good quality furniture (Not these crapy things you often find in asian hotel.) The bed was extremly comfortable with very nice pillows and high class sheets. The bathroom was a very nice and modern one, where you could actually shower without getting your toilet wet. And everything was super clean! The pool was extremly spacious und super clean. You could actually have a decent swimm in there. Of course they also provided pool towels and a changing room. The rice and curry in the hotel restaurant was one of the best I've had in Sri Lanka. They care a lot about their guests wishes in here. After only mentioning that I like okra, drumsticks and pumpkin they went shopping and that was exactely what I got as a curry that night. When I asked for a coconut, what they normally don't stell, they climbed up a coconut palm in front of the hotel to get one for me! And the nicest thing is that they serve dinner outside next to the beautiful pool. The staff in here, all are directly from Jaffna, are extremly caring and try their very best for you. Unfortunately due to the long time of war up here, their English is still quite poor. Their hotel manager Rohan tries his very best to teach them and is always there for his guests. That manager Rohan is the very heart and soul of that hotel! What a highly professional but also caring and sweet person! The happiness of his guests are his number one priority! Sounds cheesy but he really acts like that! Planing your trip, getting all kind of informations for you, even bargaining down your tuk tuk, he does all! Yes, that hotel is a little outside of the city centre (about 20 minutes by tuk tuk). But as it turned out for me, that wasn't a problem at all. I really enjoyed

Green Star Inn is convenient located few kilometers before Jaffna. You see the big sign on the righthand side. The public bus can stop in front of the hotel. Location is 2 minutes walk frkm the last railwaystation before Jaffna, so very convenient. Pungankulam road. Name of the station. You can use the kettle in the kitchen to make tea and use the fridge. Helpful staff.

I Would recommend this hotel to all. I would say this is the best hotel in Jaffna. Food was very tasty. They provide all kind of foods as Indian Chinese and typical Jaffna style food. They have employed Highly skilled Indian and North Indian cooks.Staffs are very friendly and the rooms are very big and clean. Everything is up to the standard.Whoever visiting Jaffna Stay at Pillaiyar Inn. I wish all the staffs a very good luck for their future endeavors

I booked the place on Agoda, but did not stay the night because my itinerary changed and I did not get to move dates/cancel. So, I forfeited the room and stayed at another hotel in town (absolute worst). However, my cousins were staying at this hotel. So, I ended up coming and having dinner/drinks with them and it was really good authentic Jaffna food at their restaurant. I liked their court yard as well. This is very old hotel that has been around for a long time in Jaffna (long before the war) and is still a good place to stay. I was talking to the manager and he agreed there are still some short coming in the hotel, but they try really hard to make guest stay as good as possible. Now, if you stayed at the place I stayed at in Jaffna, this is an awesome hotel :).. I will be leaving comments about that separately.. All in all Jaffna hotels have a long way to go to get to the standard of hotels in the rest of the country. But, from all the hotels there are, this is one of the best (value for money as well).

We had an ok stay at Lotus Inn, room was rather basic but had air-con, bathroom just ok. Hotel restaurant is a basic cafe open to the public. Breakfast is Sri Lankan fare. Very cheap meals (Masala dosa was excellent and only cost 100lkr). Limited English spoken in the cafe, not really a problem, just go and point. Certainly not a boutique hotel and rather overpriced for what is on offer

There was no cook for most of the time. Food was brought from outside and from far. It was cold by the time it got to us. Didn't feel like eating. Breakfast poor. Second day we ate fruits alone. Communication between the Jaffna branch and the Charty Beach Resort was poor. They didn't know we had booked. We had to go to Jaffna to confirm. They took at least an hour to search and confirm. Our precious time was wasted when we could have been sight seeing or enjoying ourselves. There was a problem with the AC. The men at our resort were not able to mend it. We asked for a fan and a reduction in charge. We were asked to cancel our existing booking and rebook. Finally the AC was repaired and the booking was confirmed. This could have been done without all these confusion and delay. Disappointed and frustrated.

It's always hard to find a budget accommodation in Sri Lanka for backpackers. This place is pretty nice and not so expensive for a single room. This place has pretty clean room but too small. When I was looking for a room, I tried to find a place which do not ask any extra cost on arrival. They said their price is including Hotel tax 15%, nation building tax(?) 6.4% and service charge10%. I thought it's all tax I had to pay. BUT! After arrival they asked me city tax(Rs300/night). I know it's tax but it sounds too much. I have no idea how much they can earn money with these tax. It should be so hard to manage a hotel there. Shared bathroom is outside, it's enough with this price(of course no hot water, anyway you don't need it) though. Staffs there are pretty nice, but hard to communicate each other in English. And wifi was not working well. And funny thing is a guy said "do not use an inside water tap to wash your teeth, it's only for hands." just before I checked out. (It was too late to know. I've done 4 times). So if you stay there, just use an outside tap when you wash your face and teeth!! There is no sign about it.