Sep 12, 2010

Panthera is a really comfortable place; the idea of having all the beds outside is fantastic. Very airy! The cooks are fabulous and last but not least very well located to the park. Definitely will recommend to our friends. Thank You.

~ Vajira Wijesuriya & Gang

July 30, 2010

Panthera is a very comfortable place for resting. We think it is the perfect place to rest, on our Safari to Yala. We saw almost all the animals that are meant to be seen in Yala. We are really happy about this trip. And the food was very delicious, I say that big “Thank You” to the cook. The food was so tasty that I felt to take cook home with us!!

“Our trip to Yala was really a great one, thank you to everybody in Panthera for making this day such an enjoyable on”

~ Charuni Rajapakse, Udayagira, Balagolla & Divulapitiya

May 31, 2010

Dear Amazing Chef, Thank you for making up wonderful food. We really enjoyed everything. We will spread the word of your incredible cooking and kind hospitality! Stay well.

“Thank you to the care taker for catching all the frogs and clearing up after us. We will also miss beautiful Joy.”

~ Cheyl & Beryl

Apr 10, 2010

Enchanting and serene atmosphere with lots of friendly frogs!! Excellent BBQ and service. A special thanks to “Joy” for being for friendly and the sharpest watchdog in the region!! Best Wishes.

~ Deepi, Saj, Roshan, Ashuin and Ranasinghe Clan

Jan 6, 2010

We all had a very relaxing and quiet stay here. It is my most favorite place and I keep coming back here whenever possible. There are some upgrade works to be done in some areas like the toilet. We hope to come back here for a long stay on our next visit to paradise isle.

~ Rohendrika De Zoyas & Family

Dec 20, 2009

Great surroundings, very relaxing stay, excellent service and super food. Great work by both Liyanage and Mohan. We will definitely be back very soon.

~ Prasanjith, Charithra, Meran, Shiyan and Chamal.

Aug 16, 2009

Thank you for the wonderful place, fabulous food and exceptional service. We enjoyed every second of our stay. A special thanks to Mr Liyanage and his assistant for catering to our every need at even the most inconvenient hours. We all love this lodge, and will definitely be visiting again. Keep it Up! The team from Impressions.

~ Shaneelie De Alwis, Andre Perera, Vanessa Samarasinghe, Wajini Mahanama, Manisha Amerasighe, Deborah Marhnez, Asela De Silva

Jul 10– 13th 2009

In my first trip to Yala in a long long time. A lovely bungalow, clean toilets!!! . Excellent cooking and service by Gamini and Rasika. Excellent sightings of Leopard, Crocodile and Elephants. Four Leopards on our last drive into the park. (Each drive into the park produced at least one Leopard sighting). Some lounge chairs would be appreciated. Good BBQ on the last night. Overall a very memorable trip. Will definitely be coming back to Panthera.

~ Indraraj Ratnasabapathy, Selvam CanagaRetna

May 17th, 2009

Straight out of a Wilbur Smith novel. Great ambience! Great service and tasty food. Great holiday! Thank You….

~ Enakshi, Amitha and Arun and others.

May 10th, 2009

As We saw the place we fell in love with it. It’s the most simplest and adorable place we have stayed at. The Breeze comforts you even in the tremendous heat at this time of the year. Lovely lovely lovely Place. Cheers!

~ Likitha

Feb 26-Mar 1st, 2009

Delightful time at Panthera. The cook was excellent and the rest of the staff was helpful including the two dogs which were really pleasant company. Suggestion – Make the Pond a plunge pool for us to sit in and enjoy a few beers in the middle of the days.

~ Dr. Cooray, Mr Bandaranayake, Mr & Mrs Virain Perera and Mr & Mrs Pravin Ramanaden.

Dec 27, 2008

We arrived at Panthera Lodge on 25th December 2008. Our Stay was wonderful. The support given by the bungalow keeper was excellent. Tasty food and excellent support. We had a great Time. Lovely place. Thank You!

~ Romesh, Chandi, Manju, Malka, Chitra, Amila, Ayanthi, Suresh, Shantha, Padmini, Oshadi

Apr 1, 2008

The most extraordinary place with the best casual, friendly unlimited service and Absolutely THE BEST SRI LANKAN CURRIES in the world. Thank you Liyanage and Susantha for being amazing and tolerating all our completely crazy friends.

~ Tai

Dec 25, 2007

We had a wonderful time staying at Panthera gust house for Christmas day and night. The hospitality was phenomenal; superb, even by Sri Lankan standards. We Hope we can return again in the future. Happy Holidays!

~ Avery, Kriskaran Sanjeewa

Aug 3, 2007

Excellent Location!! Cook was best of all! Best place to unwind after Colombo. Keep everything as it is, with the connection to nature. The Staff was beyond compare, with every whim and fancy catered for. Great Time! Au Revoir

~ The Pereira Family, Jinadasa’s & Karunaratnes.

May 13, 2007

A Hideout in the true sense of the word. Away from the hassles of city life, the peace and quiet is unbelievable. We had a peaceful stay and the family enjoyed every moment of this. The food was excellent and Liyanage and partner looked after us with so much of care. We will make it a point to return when time permits.

~ Marvan Atapattu.

Apr 02nd, 2007

We had a wonderful time here! Half the time we spent eating the most wonderful food – Hoppers in the morning, five curries and Yellow rice for lunch, barbeque in the evening, Butter cake and Brownies in between. The other half we were sleeping or feeling sleepy or chatting ….. We felt too sleepy. Miraculously we also made it to Yala Park and had some lovely game drives, including a great Tusker, elephant babies, a Jackal and flocks of birds, heard of buffalos, scores of deer and wild boors. Everybody fine!
“Felt inspired by this lovely place but simple Place! Keep it like this to give a good time to people. Thanks.”

~ Nishanthi Fernandez, Benson Fenandez, Dinesh Alexander, Ruanthi Gooneratne

Jan 7, 2007

One travels far and travels wide and a place like Panthera brings it all home, with the best of friends, the most delicious food and an amazing place. This is simply heaven on earth. Until next time.

~ Suresh and Thushi, USA

X’Mas Day 2006

Panthera is an excellent echo friendly location to relax from the busy environment. Arrangement, food and the workers hospitality was too commendable comparative to other rest houses. Avoid artificial facilities if you think on an improvement and natural lockable material is far better, for its simple architectural location such as Panthera.

~ Dr. Bihan Perera & Dr. Sunethra Perera.

Aug 5–8th, 2006

What a delight it is to arrive in a place like Panthera, after being in the hustle and bustle of Colombo. A wonderfully relaxing time was had by all. The food and the service was fantastic. It was also a great pleasure to name the new watch dog “Joey”.
This was my first trip to Yala. I couldn’t believe my luck when I saw a Leopard on the first day. I was humbled in its presence and I was surprised to learn that spotting Leopard is a very rare occurrence. Four Leopards were sighted in the two days we visited Yala National Park. This Yala trip has been an unforgettable experience for me. Definitely one to tell the grand kids about! Thanks Panthera.

~ Danushka Gunahinga & Senarath Perera and Party (England)

Jul 14–16th, 2006

The place was wonderfully kept, clean and well maintained by the staff. Mr. Liyanage’s food was fabulous and mouthwatering. We certainly wish we could have it every day. Sameera was extremely pleasant and was very attentive to our needs all the time. We were well looked after. It was a home away from home.

Highlight of our stay were – 7 ½ (1/2 = tail leg) Leopard sight age……. Panthera is truly a fiting name. Lalith was a caring Safari driver.
“P.S. – Turn the pond to a pool”. We are looking forward to come again…….

~ Tiran & Darshana, Arinda, Sandamali & Thilani.

Mar 5, 2006

Great Place to be. The food was excellent and great service. The Design of the place is unique and blends well with the environment. Would visit the place often and recommend to all. Cheers!!

“Many Thanks to Liyanage and Chinthaka”

~ Shehan Hettiaratchi

Jan 19, 2006

“Panthera”? – dose this mean an oasis in a calm and tranquil setting? We will highly recommend this place as we had a wonderful experience. The Concept is great with the minimalist but very practical accommodation. We had wonderful and efficient service from Gamini and Chinthaka. I hope that everyone can experience this “Panthera” at least once in their lives. Sure beats staying in an impersonal hotel room.

PS: It was really relaxing – and the only exertion I had was to walk to the kitchen to fetch a beer or 2!! Thanks

~ Shaan Ching, Sydney Australia

Oct 15-18th, 2005

An excellent holiday. A wonderful place and a beautiful location. Delicious food and excellent service. Lot of garden space for kids to enjoy too. Our several visits to the park saw many leopards, elephants, deer, peacocks, and several rare species of birds. It was a great holiday away from the busy Colombo City. All in all, it was a great and memorable holiday. Hope to come back soon. Well done Panthera Lodge.

~ From Vijitha, Chamala & Tharini Warakaulla, Deepthi and Sameera.

September 5, 2005

It was a very nice place. It is so nice. I really like the hammock. There is a lot area to play and run around and also there is a pokuna, we can always go and watch the birds. It’s like the best bungalow. It is so nice.

~ From Darling Manike (7) and Tikiri (4).

July 22, 2005

A fantastic stay, so relaxing and peaceful. Food was delicious though quantities ensured a good stone was put on! Love the open plan sleeping area too. New bird bath a great addition. Good luck with the planting and we will maybe see an additional storey next time?! Hosts seem to be alcoholics though, thoroughly entertaining and great company. Thanks for a great stay. Love always.

~ Emma Gregson, London, UK.

Fabulous stay with great company. Was quite surprised to make it alive given Jehan’s driving, but I am glad we did. Hightlight was watching Kule attempt to ride a motorcycle in the middle of the night completely trashed. Thanks for having us stay. Love

~ Emma Rivett-Carnac, Singapore.

May 5, 2005

A restful spot, nice place to wine and dine. The Yala Park, exceptional wildlife and rugged beauty. The devastation of the Tsunami was evident. I hope our little stay has made the locals we have met a little happier. Ozi, Ozi, Ozi, Oi, Oi, Oi

~ Gerry Nelson, Lexton, Victoria, Australia

Feb 6, 2005

Although not our first visit, this place still has a lot to reveal. As usual, the service and staff were excellent and our stay was enjoyable. Other than the wild Jumbo, there was nothing else that showed up. Nevertherless, we will be here again shortly. Many thanks for the good times.

~ Ranjit and Kanthi Peries, Rexine Malalgoda, Ranjit and Shilini Kariyawasam, Dehan Dedigama

October 20-23rd 2004

Panthera is a delightful place but where do we start our litany of praise? Perhaps in the following order:

1. Gamini Liyanage – The heart and soul of hospitality. He produced some superlative meals proving that variety is a particularly appealing spice. He is wonderful company as well, lavishing much attention to our comfort.

2. The house and the view from it out towards the lagoon is perfect. It is a practical design with some very interesting features, the open living being one, the indoor fish pond adding a feeling of quiet repose the other.

3. The denizens of the Yala National Park, two lone bull elephants, and a leopard on the prowl, and other creatures great and small.
Thank you to all concerned: proprietors Jehan and Chanaka, anonymous architect and Natures own incomparable designer.

~ Neville and Sybil Weeraratne and Nihal Ratnaike.

August 19, 2004

Overall a great time. I loved the open concept style of “Panthera” much more so than the generic star hotel. The food was excellent and well prepared and the place was always kept neat and tidy. This was a memorable stay and will certainly differ from everyday life in Canada that I am used to (ugh!). Thanks for your hospitality and I look forward to returning soon. PS: The Prince Andrew High School Panther mascot was here and loved it as well.

~ Trevin David, Canada.

April 5, 2004

Thank you Chanaka and Family for a memorable and fun few days. You do have an idyllic place here and don’t let anyone spoil it with grandiose schemes (like radar gates). Shall come back often as we possibly could. Great food and ambience. Thanks again.

~ Tony De Silva, Malraj Herath and Party

Nov 26, 2003

Dear Mr. Kulatunga, I have come to Sri Lanka many times and after visiting a number of destinations and staying at some of the finest resorts, my two nights at Panthera has been by far the most memorable. The design and layout truly reflects what one would expect when coming to Yala – natural style that blends in with the environment. Waking up in the mornings with the first rays of the day reflecting off the lake and clouds in the sky gives you both a sense of peace and inspiration. Our well prepared meals eaten at one of the best dining tables I have ever seen will not be forgotten. The reserved but well attentive staff ensures that you at Panthera are relaxing and homely. Well done on creating a piece of paradise. My special thanks to my In-laws (Dicky and Shanthi Delpachitra) for finding this place. I came with my mom, my sister and grandfather – they would have written something silimar, but we must go! Many Thanks.

~ Phillip Georgiou, Hong Kong

June 12, 2003

It was a very enjoyable stay, great feeling of a safari lodging. The cook was awesome and very pleasant and helpful to the guests. We look forward to visiting the Panthera again. Thanks.

~ The Fernando Family, 2156 Bennyhill Circle, Atlanta, GA.

May 25th, 2003

Dear Owners, this place has been a revelation! We had a lovely time staying here, eating, sleeping and socializing in a beautiful setting. I think the open plan architecture is wonderful and reminds me of an African safari setting. Keep it up. The staff you have our friendly and they cook very tastefully. Once again, thank you.

~ Paul De Kretser, 80 Melford Road, London, England

May 18th, 2003

Beautifully designed bungalow. However, need a few adjustments which we will comment in person. Liyanage and Vasantha are lovely accommodating people. A fantastic place for a family outing. Especially for Children. We infact stayed an extra night. We altogether stayed 4 nights. We will definitely come again and recommend to all we know.

~ Michelle Perera, Randy Welikela, and Winslie Rodrigo families.

Mar 22-24th 2003

Beautiful place and design of the bungalow. We had a pleasant stay; the staff was efficient and cooperative. Well maintained, we will be returning soon.

~ Rahula Dassanaike