Colombo Downtown Monkey

The hostel is located in an old building and shows its age. However, the host is so kind and prepares a delicious breakfast every day, making it feel like a visit to my grandmother's old house. It’s a great place for a short stay. This hostel is located in an old building and it shows its age. However, the host is so kind and prepares a delicious breakfast every day, making it feel like a visit to my grandmother's old house. It’s a great place for a short stay.

Monkey Hostel in downtown Colombo is the perfect base for backpackers! Its excellent location, adjacent to Fort Colombo Railway Station and Secretariat Station, makes it within walking distance of Colombo Fort, offering extremely convenient access. While the entrance is somewhat hidden and the building is old, the interior is clean and tidy, and the air-conditioned dormitories are a lifesaver in the hot weather. The staff is outstanding – the motherly ladies will offer you hot tea, help you navigate complicated train timetables, and even prepare breakfast for those catching early trains. Dormitory beds cost around $7-10 USD, excellent value for money, including a simple breakfast (toast, eggs, and fruit). Rooms have fans, individual power outlets, and free towels, and the bathrooms, though basic, are clean. Note that it can be noisy near the railway tracks; light sleepers are advised to bring earplugs. Some beds may creak, and you'll need to bring your own padlock to use the lockers. Overall, while not a luxury hotel, it's honest, reliable, and has a friendly atmosphere, making it the perfect starting point for solo travelers or those on a budget exploring Sri Lanka. It offers a home-like experience and is highly recommended!

This hostel boasts an excellent location, right next to the train station and within walking distance of Colombo Fort, offering exceptional convenience. The price is highly competitive, making it an ideal choice for backpackers on a budget. The staff are warm and friendly, often offering hot tea and breakfast, which is very welcoming. However, the facilities are somewhat old, the proximity to the tracks causes significant noise, and several reviews mention mosquito and bedbug issues, raising concerns about hygiene. The rooms are basic but generally clean, and include a simple breakfast. It's suitable for travelers with modest accommodation needs who are looking for value for money, especially those on layovers or traveling alone. Those who are light sleepers or have high hygiene standards should consider this option carefully. The entrance is difficult to find, so it's advisable to contact them in advance. Overall, it offers good value for money as a temporary accommodation, but long-term stays require careful consideration of the pros and cons.

Very good rooms, nice staff and amazing location! Nila and Indhira were warm and welcoming. Price is very reasonable

As a hostel its condition and service is also good. But the main and major problem is the bedbugs problem. At night they are biting continuously. They need to manage this by paste control or anyhow should solve the issues. I can't sleep well.

I don't know why so many Chinese people are booking this hostel. Is it okay? Don't come here, you'll definitely regret it. The standards are far below the minimum. There was bird droppings on the bedding, it seems they used industrial disinfectant that wasn't properly washed, it made my skin itchy, and there were bedbugs everywhere. I immediately cancelled the second and the rest. Staying in Kislanka is much cheaper than staying at home for around $30, it's so much better for your health. I don't know why there are no reviews of the real situation; I was misled by the comments. I've been to over 50 countries and have never seen anything like this provided to guests. It's a standard Indian meal. You can find the location yourself; it's in the parking lot. It's terrible. I immediately sent all my clothes to the dry cleaners. If you have skin allergies, don't go there! The bedding was seriously disinfected but not properly washed.

Great!!

To preface, I don't know when my money was stolen out of my wallet, but from the ATM to realizing I was missing 40,000-45,000 rupees (12 hours later), the only time my wallet was not in my front pocket was when I took a shower at the hostel... I had placed my bags in the front where they were in view of the camera, however, the staff told me not to put my bags there and to instead put them on a separate shelf which was not in view of the camera... I was reluctant but obliged. A few hours later as I was on the bus to Ella I noticed my wallet was light... I asked the staff to simply review the footage to see if anyone walked down the corridor where my bag was and they were extremely unhelpful... They took almost 1 week to get the manager to review the footage, and then he simply sent a screen shot of me in the lobby. He told me he would send additional footage of the corridor to where my bag was left, but he sent it for a different time period and despite asking several times he has not sent me footage from the time period where I believe the money was stolen... Again, l am unsure if the money was stolen here, but it is suspicious they made me move my bag to an area which did not have the camera, and then have been very difficult to work with to review the footage... Additionally, when I got in my bed to go to sleep I looked to my left and the wall had a bunch of markings on it. Upon closer inspection it looked like someone had wiped bloody boogers on the wall... Absolutely disgusting... Do not recommend staying here based on my experience

The train tracks are nearby and you can hear quite a lot of noise late into the night. My bed was clean, but I woke up with four mosquito bites and it was itchy. Breakfast was simple.

The breakfast and location are fantastic; if you're the type to sleep anywhere, it's fine for one night.