DESTINATIONS SRI LANKA INDIAN OCEAN LEFT: Amangalla
RIGHT: The Fortress, Galle
BELOW: Tri Lanka
afternoon tea on the veranda. Excellent, less pricey options include Tamarind Hill on the outskirts and The Fortress, a half-hour drive away. South and east of Galle, the beaches offer more surfing, wreck-diving and snorkelling. Dilmah Tea’s Relais & Chateaux resort Cape Weligama is the premier option on the headland with its standalone villas and pools, and sweeping sea views. Alternatives include Lantern
Hotel and Casa Mirissa at whale- watching hub Mirissa, but the latest newcomer to nearby Lake Koggala is the boutique luxury sustainable resort Tri Lanka, which opened last November. Its 11 standalone suites are arranged in a spiral pattern, reflecting the mathematical golden ratio commonly found in nature, and offer either sunrise or sunset views, private gardens and a
Sri Lanka’s classic hill country unfolds with a landscape of tea estates, waterfalls and colonial-era hotels
choice of terrace or plunge pool. At Tangalle, suggest Aman
Resorts’ Amanwella, another quiet hideaway with a pretty private beach, or eco-friendly resort Buckingham Place. From here, many continue on
to Sri Lanka’s national parks, to trek in Sinharaja Forest Reserve or see Udawalawe’s elephants, sloth bears, giant squirrels and crocodiles. For birdwatchers, Sri Lanka has more than 230 resident bird species and 500
migratory ones. Accommodation in this area includes the comfortable Grand Udawalawe Safari Resort or Master Campers’ tented camp. At Yala, Sri Lanka’s oldest
national park, leopard sightings are a common occurrence, and there is well-appointed accommodation at wildlife resort Cinnamon Wild Yala or Uga Escapes’ latest property, Chena Huts, which opened in December.
w INTERIOR: TEA TIME As you head to the central province, Sri Lanka’s classic hill country unfolds with a landscape of tea estates, waterfalls and colonial-era hotels. The plains or patanas end and the misty mountains begin with Horton Plains National Park’s cloud forests, Adam’s Peak and Knuckles mountain range. The ultimate treat is a high-altitude
stay at the luxury bungalows at Ceylon Tea Trails, Sri Lanka’s first Relais & Chateaux resort, which added a fifth bungalow earlier this month. Excellent alternatives include Stafford Bungalow near Nuwara Eliya and Jetwing Warwick Gardens. The winding roads of the
high tea country make the low tea country a better option for some. Suggest Estate House at Rosyth near the town of Kegalle, a former colonial tea planter’s bungalow transformed into a boutique hotel with a pool and spa, all set on a working tea and rubber plantation. Food is as revered as tea, with cooking lessons from the resident chef and dishes such as egg hoppers (fermented rice-flour pancakes with a fried egg), string hoppers (rice noodles), buffalo curd with honey, and custard pudding watalappan.
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travelweekly.co.uk 25 February 2016
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