Photograph · AI-enhanced
Occidental Paradise, now run by Browns Hotels as The Paradise Dambulla, is a 67-room family resort in the forest at Kubukkadanwala, 14 km from Dambulla. Its rooms have wooden floors and a terrace each, and the grounds hold a freshwater pool, a Balinese spa, an Ayurveda centre and an outdoor adventure course, with Sigiriya about half an hour's drive away.
The resort has three kinds of room, and the names below are the ones you will see when you book. Every room is air-conditioned, with a flat-screen satellite TV, a telephone and free Wi-Fi.
Families who want room to spread out usually choose the Duplex or the Garden Suite. If you need connecting rooms or a particular bed arrangement, tell us when you book so we can ask the resort.
The main restaurant, the Orchid, serves a mix of international dishes and Sri Lankan food with views over the garden. Pizzeria Al Forno is the resort's pizza restaurant, and the Blue Elephant Bar mixes cocktails. In a quiet corner of the grounds a traditional mud house is used for Sri Lankan meals, and the resort will also set up private dinners in a setting of your choice or serve meals on your terrace. Room service runs 24 hours.
Besides the freshwater swimming pool and the gym, there is a Balinese spa for massages after a day of sightseeing, and the Ayuwása Wellness Centre offers Ayurvedic treatments and programmes. Children and adults can try the outdoor adventure course in the grounds, with a high rope course, a Tarzan swing, a Burma bridge, a balancing log, tree abseiling and a zip line. The resort also runs a two-and-a-half-hour guided cycling tour through the surrounding villages and paddy fields, a village walk ending with a traditional lunch in the mud house, and a sunset hike up nearby Mount Ederagala for views towards Pidurangala and Sigiriya.
The resort sits in the middle of the Cultural Triangle. The Dambulla cave temple is in Dambulla town, and the resort puts the rock fortress at Sigiriya about 30 minutes away by car, with Pidurangala Rock beside it. Excursions arranged by the hotel include canoeing on Kandalama and village fishing on Thalkotte Lake beneath Sigiriya and Pidurangala. For elephants, the national parks at Minneriya and Kaudulla are within reach for an afternoon safari.
The resort gives the distance from Bandaranaike International Airport at Katunayake as about 142 kilometres, a drive of several hours inland through the countryside. The easiest way to arrive is a private transfer from Colombo airport to Occidental Paradise, which takes you straight to the resort.
It suits families and groups who want a resort base for the Cultural Triangle with space for children, a pool and activities on site, rather than a small boutique hotel. Plan on two or three nights to see Sigiriya, Dambulla and a safari. For other options nearby see our places to stay in Dambulla, or the other Browns Hotels & Resorts properties.
Bookable activities, tours, and tickets within a 25 km radius.
from LKR 56,960
from LKR 2,400
from LKR 3,274
from LKR 8,000
from LKR 8,800
from LKR 19,096
from LKR 1,637
from LKR 1,637
Pre-book a private vehicle for arrival, departure, or onward travel.
