DESTINATIONS SRI LANKA INDIAN OCEAN Lanka Sri
LEFT: Rosyth Estate House
RIGHT: Ranawara Villa
BELOW: Cape Weligama
w SPLURGE Big spenders are spoilt for choice, as luxury hotels have been popping up all over Sri Lanka in the past five years. Cape Weligama sits high on a cliff near Galle. Its 39 spacious rooms are spread over villas that cluster around swimming pools, crowned by the 60-metre crescent-shaped infinity pool at the cliff edge. The diving centre offers whale watching on a private catamaran, and there are outdoor movie screenings and in-villa spa treatments. From the freshest catch of the day to Ceylon high tea, dining is taken seriously. Rates start from £337 with breakfast, afternoon cream tea and one activity a day. Sister property Tea Trails is
the world’s first tea bungalow resort, with five bungalows and one private cottage set in 2,000 acres of tea plantations in the central highlands. Days start with
It’s all about reading on the veranda, playing croquet or taking a hike – followed by a G&T
Bed Tea served by your butler, then it’s all about reading on the veranda, playing croquet on the lawn, or taking a hike – followed swiftly by a stiff G&T. All-inclusive rates start from £513 per night. Tri is a sustainably-focused boutique with a real sense of zen overlooking the calm waters of Lake Koggala. Rooms are dotted around the private gardens, with living roofs and glass walls, and furnished with local textiles. Yoga lessons take place in the treetop studio, and a rotating calendar of health practitioners
and Ayurvedic specialists boosts the hotel’s wellness programme. Rooms start from £231 per night half-board. The opening up of Yala
National Park has made leopard spotting and safari-style stays a big draw for Sri Lanka. At Chena Huts by Uga Escapes, 14 sleek, luxury pavilions with private plunge pools are directly on the beach, but just five minutes from the park entrance. Rates including food, drinks, game drives and laundry start from £778 per night with Travel Gallery. For a more rustic look, the Luxury Lodge Tent at Noel Rodrigo’s Leopard Safaris is a good alternative, with a four-poster bed, plus there are standard tents too. Rates, inclusive of food, drinks and two game drives a day start from $895 per night in a standard tent and $1,250 for the luxury option. Sometimes size does matter,
and the biggest room in Sri Lanka is the Dubu Suite at Kahanda Kanda, just inland from Koggala, which starts from $420 per night (B&B). It’s more than a room – an entire reconstructed traditional timber Javanese house with a wrap-around balcony, two bathrooms (one indoor and one outdoor) and its own pool, set 100 metres away from the rest of the hotel for total privacy, but with all the benefits of the facilities, which include a spa, gym and restaurant. That has couples covered, but
large families and groups will be better at Ranawara Villa, east of Tangalle, set on the beach and within private 23-acre grounds. With five bedrooms in the main house and two cabanas in the garden, there’s also a large pool, open-air dining pavilion, and a team of staff including a chef. A night at this secluded hideaway starts from $550 for three rooms and up to $950 for the whole lot.
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travelweekly.co.uk 1 March 2018
PICTURES: OLIVIA BONNAL SANSONI; TOM PARKER
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