Accommodation
The accommodation options at Ella Mansion vary from the dormitory, budget double, deluxe double, triple and family. Aside from the family room, the rest of these options are priced between Rs. 900 – Rs. 5000 a night, and some of them are accompanied by a balcony too.
We stayed in the Triple Room with Balcony, which was around Rs. 3400 on booking.com, and inclusive of breakfast.
The room was neatly equipped with a comfy queen bed and a twin one, pillows, a dresser, a clothing rack, and a wall fan.
Clean, spotless and appointed with modern bathroomware, we found the condition and maintenance of the bathroom quite good as well. It was simply appointed with towels, toilet paper and soap.
Unfortunately, we couldn't capture anything from our balcony. The room was located on a quirky place; on the ground floor, but in a slightly high spot. There was nothing but a whole load of giant bushes of Guinea grass grown in front of the balcony, blocking whatever there is within our view.
The guests are allowed to hang out in this common dining area. This is where they serve breakfast too, but if you've got food or drinks with you, they can be enjoyed here.
We opened a bottle of wine here, and the staff was happy to provide us with glasses and such. In fact, they showed us into their pantry room and asked us to get anything (cutlery, glasses, plates whatnot) from the cupboard for our use.
Breakfast
Our breakfast was comprised of bread, string hoppers, dhal curry, pol sambol and potato curry.
The string hoppers weren't served warm, as they had been made early in the morning, but the bread was quite fresh. Milky, but with lots and lots of curry flavour to boot, the dhal curry is one of the best we've had. The pol sambol followed suit; spicy, and infused well with chunks of Maldivian fish, while the lime adds the sour kicks, it went really well with the dhal-bread combo.
The only letdown was the potato curry. Leaning towards the watery side, the coconutty flavour here was almost non-existent.
Ambience & Service
Calm, quiet and relaxing, the ambience here is simply great. It's a bit away from the centre of the city, but not too far away either. All the popular restaurants are located within around 2/3 kilometres from here, and you can rent a bike or tuk your way to them.
We had to wait around an hour to get ourselves checked into the room as there wasn't anyone at the reception, but aside from that, the staff was welcoming and helpful throughout our stay.
Conclusion
Ella Mansion one of the most affordable places in the area to stay at, which gives your money's worth. It's quaint, well-kept and peaceful, and coupled with good food, service and parking facilities, you're looking at a lovely getaway in Ella.
