Le Leopard D 'Argent in Kandy

We were lured here by the attractive photos. We were disappointed as soon as we arrived as the place is a bit run-down - starting from the dropped letters in the "Leo ard d' Ar ent" sign at the entrance and general need for a paint job. The reception hall was shut and we had to call repeatedly to get inside. The grounds still have some charm thanks to luscious vegetation but the resort as a whole has seen better times and the rooms are clean but dark and not particularly attractive. Overall, we found the facilities significantly overpriced for the type of accommodation and service. The location is very inconvenient to reach: it takes a full 45 minutes from Kandy on a road that gets increasingly rough as you approach, with the last few hundred meters being very steep and causing our skillfully-driven van to skid. Once you get there you thus have a sense of being trapped, as the way back to Kandy is long and stressful. This means that you are effectively forced to dine at the hotel, which, perhaps for this reason, offers a a mix of French and local dishes at 3 or 4 times the market price in similar destinations elsewhere. What really put us off is the proprietor, a fellow called Fabrice. He is a truly mean and vengeful person, whose watchful presence spoils the entire experience. He mistreats his Sri Lankan wife, referring to her basically as a servant, and bullied our cheerful driver, expressing contempt for all locals as inferiors. He charged 2500 rupees for accommodating our driver in a dingy room without a lock - something no other property in Sri Lanka had done before. Finally, when checkout time arrived, he demanded to apply a 3.5% surcharge for paying the bill with a credit card - while the booking confirmation stated credit cards are accepted without disclosing surcharges. As an alternative, he accepted to be paid in rupees with a lower surcharge but only after converting the quoted USD amount at an inflated exchange rate.