Review: The Trevene Hotel Nuwara Eliya

Nuwara Eliya is in the hill country of Sri Lanka and was built by the British colonists. The temperature during the day changes from 17C to 22C so you can understand why British people decided to start a city so high up. Plus, this is the place where some of the best tea in the world is grown and made. This review of The Trevene hotel will hopefully provide you with an opinion of our accommodations, but also some ideas of what Nuwara Eliya is like.

If you want to see where tea is born in Sri Lanka, you should come here. The view from the train on the way to Nuwara Eliya from Kandy or from Ella is fantastic. All the hills are covered with the tea bushes and I must say that the tea plantations in Sri Lanka are way prettier than the rice terraces in Bali.

The city itself also has stuff to offer. You can stroll along Gregory Lake or visit the old colonial post office or take a swim by the stunning waterfalls. All that and the beautiful train ride made us stay in Nuwara Eliya for a couple nights.

I must say the prices in Nuwara Eliya are higher than everywhere else. So a decent place will cost you not less than $50 a night. After thorough searching we ended up staying at the small boutique hotel called Trevene. The location seemed to be great and the reviews were good.

The Trevene Hotel Economy Room

We arrived quite early for check in, but the host gave us the room without any waiting. The room was basic, not a lot of space, but that’s okay. The thing that mostly was upsetting was the lack of a real window. Although we had a small skylight, it is not quite the same. The bed was comfortable with two thick comforters, which surprised me since I didn’t think it was that cold.

The bathroom was outdated with no toiletries and it was difficult to start the hot water, other than that it was clean and spacious.

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The most beautiful place in this hotel was a cute living room with a fireplace. In the evening it was a nice place to have a cup of tea or a glass of beer and socialize with the other guests of this hotel next to the warm fire. The hotel actually got very cold after sunset and the two comforters were very helpful.

Restaurant

The Trevene hotel has its own restaurant where they serve a tasty pizza or a curry rice. The breakfast although is served in the building next to the Trevene hotel. It is another hotel more luxurious than the Trevene and it was surprising that guests from the Trevene were served breakfast in another hotel.

I wonder if both hotels have the same owner. Either way, the breakfast was disappointing, which was surprising since the lunch and dinner we had in the hotel were both very good.

There are a few tables outside for eating, or just having afternoon drinks when the weather is good.

The Trevene Location

The hotel is located at the south end of Victoria Park, and I highly suggest that you visit it. It is well manicured and a great place to spend an hour (or longer if you want to have a picnic). You are also not more than a 15 minute walk from Lake Gregory, which is right past the horsetrack near the hotel.

Final Thoughts

While The Trevene hotel wasn’t our favorite place we stayed at in Sri Lanka, it was perfectly acceptable for a couple nights in Nuwara Eliya. I did think that the city itself was a bit overpriced for what it offered, but it still had quite a bit of charm. If you are visiting Kandy and Ella (which you should) then visiting Nuwara Eliya is a good way to break up that 7 hour train ride.

I do think the hotel could be updated, as well as moving breakfast to on-site (and making it better). Those two things were my main gripes about the place.

Room Name: The Trevene Hotel Economy Room

Location: 9/10
Staff: 9/10
Food: 6/10 (It really was just the disappointing breakfast that brings this score down)
Room Comfort: 6/10
Cleanliness: 9/10

Key Details:

Price: $50/night

Air-Conditioned Rooms: No.

Breakfast Included: Yes

Pool On-Site: No

Maid Service: No

Recommended To Stay Here: Indifferent.

Address: 17 park road, Nuwara Eliya 22000, Sri Lanka

Disclaimer: Jet Set Together paid full price for our stay at the Trevene hotel and did not accept any payment for a review. The words expressed in this article are my honest opinion.

Review: The Trevene Hotel Nuwara Eliya