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We forever agonies over our selection of recommended hotels.
And, we are the first to admit, we change them regularly.
This is not just that in Sri Lanka you are so spoiled for choice.
It is because only you know exactly what you are looking for.
Your priority might be a beautiful location, five-star facilities
or merely a hotel that appreciates the simple things in life.
You will find all the properties listed below – and countless
more -- in our regional sections, and we hope you find time
to take a good look.
But in the meantime, because we couldn’t resist, here
is our latest list of favourites. We offer it without fear or
favour. But it might change by the morning.
| Aditya, Rathgama |
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 Aditya,
a 12-suite hotel completed in early 2006, is bound
to become a must-have property in the increasingly
impressive boutique market. It sits on a secluded
stretch of beach in Rathgama, midway between the
hedonistic beach resort of Hikkaduwa and the historic
old town of Galle, and oozes class and style. A
triumph.
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| Ceylon
Tea Trails, Hill-country |
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 The
Tea Trails are a wonderful collection of four tastefully
refurbished tea planter's bungalows: Castlereagh,
Norwood, Tientsin and Summerville. The four properties,
which opened in 2005, are situated in Dickoya, a
beautiful lakeside location in the heart of Sri
Lanka's tea-growing highlands. The Tea Trails offers
the highest standards of old-world luxury and is
sold on a full-board basis. |
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| Club
Villa, Bentota |
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 Club
Villa, an elegant 19th century villa, with 17 bedrooms,
rests in a small coconut plantation, close to the
broad, sandy beach of Bentota. It is a calm and
intelligent base from which to enjoy the golden
west coast beaches.
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| Dutch
House , Bandarawela |
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 Designed
along the lines of the early 18th century Cape Dutch
bungalows, the Dutch House is a brand new luxurious
villa with magnificent views of the Bandarawella
town and the mountains beyond. Centrally located,
this is an ideal spot from which to explore the
scenic southern highlands.
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Ellerton –
Kandy
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 Ellerton
is an exciting discovery: a splendid hill-county
property blessed with magnificent hill-country views.
The 100-year-old planters' bungalow recently refurbished
by its British owners, sits amid a nine-acre organic
tea and spice estate in Gampola, about half an hour
from Kandy, just off the Nuwara Eliya road, it is
a perfect stopping off point en route to Nuwara
Eliya, or serves as an ideal hill-country location
in itself.
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| Fort
Printers, Galle |
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 Fort
Printers is a small boutique villa-cum-hotel, converted
in 2005, which can be booked either exclusively
or by the room. It lies in the heart of the Dutch
forth and has five strikingly stylish rooms combining
a wealth of Asian, European and Oriental styles.
A small property that bears comparison with the
best that Galle can offer. |
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| Fortress,
Koggala |
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 The
Fortress is a new boutique hotel with a prime location
on the broad sands of Koggala, only a few miles
south of the historic city of Galle on the southern
coast of Sri Lanka. The hotel, which opened in 2006,
is managed by the world-renowned Per Aquum Resorts
& Spas, a group most famous for their luxurious
properties in the Maldives and Seychelles. |
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| Frangipani Tree,
Thalpe |
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 Frangipani
Tree is a the latest boutique hotel to enhance Sri
Lanka's Galle coast. It is set on the edge of a
secluded beach in the fishing village of Thalpe,
15 south of Galle. Four villas have a total of ten
luxurious suites. Villas can be rented exclusively
or by the room. hotel |
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| Galle
Fort Hotel, Galle |
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 The
renovation of Galle Fort Hotel, which began life
as an 18C Dutch villa, is a triumph. The hotel evokes
a subtle sense of colonial grandeur, skilfully updated
for the modern age, and offers magnificent accommodation
in the heart of one of Sri Lanka’s most historic
locations. A Conde Nast Hot Hotel of the World 2005. |
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| Galipita
Eco Retreat, nr Buttala |
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 Near
the pilgrimage site of Kataragama, in Sri Lanka's
south-east, lies Galapita Eco Retreat, on the banks
of the Gem River. A spartan lifestyle for committed
eco-lovers. Galapita has been praised as both well
managed and "dreamlike." Life does not
get much more natural than this.
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| Last
House, Tangalle |
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 The
Last House, so-called because it was Geoffrey Bawa's
architectural swansong, is positioned on an idyllic
strip of land - lagoon on one side, beach on the
other - on the outskirts of Tangalle. It has long
been one of best villas in the south coast and now
the owners have opened as a small boutique hotel
as well, selling individual suites in the Main House
and Annex.
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| The
Heritence, Ahungalla |
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 The
Heritence stands alone on a prized expanse of sandy
beach at Ahungalla, midway between Bentota and Hikkaduwa,
on Sri Lanka's west coast. It set new standards
in Sri Lanka by becoming the first five-star hotel
outside Colombo. More than 20 years on, its values
remain high. |
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| Horathapola,
Kanadanagedara |
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 Horathapola
made us cry with delight when we first set eyes
on it. It is a renovated planters’s house,
only 45 minutes north-east of the airport, hidden
in an undiscovered rural setting, a resting point
perhaps en route to Kandy or the ruined cities. |
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| Illuketia,
nr Galle |
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 Illuketia
is an impressive and spacious estate house set amid
hillside palm trees and bamboo groves, barely 10
minutes inland from Galle. It began life as a plantation
house more than a century ago and was meticulously
restored. in the early 1990s. |
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Heritance Kandalama, Dambulla |
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 Mean,
moody and magnificent – Kandalama symbolizes
the best in Sri Lankan ecological design. It snakes
along a rocky outcrop, in a light tropical jungle,
overlooked by Kandalama reservoir and the Knuckles
hills. Slightly formal, richly elegant. |
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| Kandy
House, Kandy |
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 The
Kandy House is what the hill-country-capital has
been waiting for so long: a brilliant small boutique
hotel capable of offering stylish and private accommodation,
personal service
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| Kelbourne
Cottages, Haputale |
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 Kelbourne
"Mountain View" Cottages, which date from
the turn of the 19th/20th century, are three sought-after
bungalows perched on a lush escarpment, near the
hill settlement of Haputale. More cottagey than
boutique, perhaps, but the Southern Highlands landscape
stirs the senses. |
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| Rainforest Edge,
Waddagala |
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 Rainforest
Edge offers designer-rustic high above the beautiful
rolling hills of Waddagala, only five miles from
the northern entrance to Sinharajah rain forest.
A chanxe to relax in an isolated, pollution-free
environment, free from televisions or phones, while
retaining good levels of comfort. |
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| Sri
Villas, Induruwa |
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 Sri
Villas is a collection of three boutique, privately-owned
villas located 90 minutes (69km) from Colombo on
Induruwa beach, a beautiful and unspoilt stretch
of coastline. The property has three elegant two-storey
villas that can be rented separately or together
and comfortably accommodate up to 18 guests. While
the villas are equipped to cater to the expectations
of modern living, much of the design is based on
traditional Sri Lankan homes. High vaulted ceilings,
tall louvered doors and windows shading large open
spaces provide wonderful ventilation and allow the
cooling ocean breeze to permeate the property. |
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| Shunyata,
Induruwa |
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 Shunyata
offers some of the best-value beach accommodation
on the island, whether in one of its four rooms
in the main villa or in an adjacent beach bungalow
ideal for small families. It is blessed with a glorious
beach front position on Induruwa beach and offers
modern, stylish accommodation at exceptional prices. |
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| Sun
House, Galle |
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 The
Sun House, built in the 1860s and renovated at the
start of the 21st century, has been praised as a
"six-room jewel of a hotel.'' It overlooks
the harbour of Galle, the fortified south-coast
town that is fast gaining a reputation as a haven
for the discerning traveller. |
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| Taru
Villas, Bentota |
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 Taru
Villas, conceived by Taru, one of Sri Lanka’s
foremost fashion designers, is a delight. Its nine
simple yet stylish rooms, secluded garden and gorgeous
beach front aim to dissipate the stress and tensions
of contemporary living. A wonderful addition to
Sri Lanka’s growing choice of boutique hotels.
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| Thambapanni,
Unawatana |
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 Thambapanni
Retreat, built into a steep, wooded hillside, has
an eco feel more attuned to the hill country, yet
lies only 300 metres away from the sandy bay of
Unawatana. That rare thing: a natural, wooded setting
on a beautiful coastline. |
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| The
Beach, Negombo |
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 The
Beach, Negombo’s first 5-star, is a chic and
stylish hotel offering great luxury and a warm and
attentive level of service. For those seeking a
luxurious base in one of Sri Lanka’s youngest
and most vibrant coastal resort. Enhanced by a new
watersports centre which is certain to quicken Negombo's
recovery. |
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| Villa
Talangama, Talangama |
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 Set
on a quiet lakeside, it's hard to imagine that Villa
Talangama is located within a suburb of Colombo,
just a 20 minute drive to the heart of the city.
The property - sold by the room - is an ideal first
stop on your holiday itinerary, a place where you
can relax and unwind after a long flight. The villa
setting is best described as a 'village in the city'
surrounded by paddy fields, lotus filled lakes and
birds everywhere perched on the veranda, on trees,
and even on the buffalo that relax on the lakeside.
Villa Talangama is a luxurious Sri Lankan home meticulously
layed out from its architecture and furnishings
to the caring service of its staff.
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Vil Uyana, Sigiriya |
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 Vil
Uyana is a brand new /lifestyle hotel located just
minutes away from the Sigiriya rock fortress, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site dating back to the 6^th
century A.D. Situated on the flatlands immediately
to the west of the Sigiriya rock, the hotel is envisaged
as a natural extension to the efforts of ancient
Sinhala kings who developed and irrigated this area.
Vil Uyana, spread over 24 acres of land, also includes
a wetland system consisting of paddy fields, marshes,
and waterways newly introduced to this area by the
hotel. Individual dwellings, luxuriously appointed
within, and blending seamlessly into the rural landscape,
are located over lakes, marshes, and paddy fields. |
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| Yala
Village Hotel, Yala |
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 This
is not just a good base for a Yala safari, but a
wonderfully relaxing hotel in its own right. Its
40 stylish cabanas blend subtly into scrub forest,
close to Yala game park in Sri Lanka’s south-east
corner. Make the journey worthwhile – spend
time here. |
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And don't forget that we also offer an excellent range of villa
properties, offering luxurious and intimate surroundings that
bear comparison with villa properties anywhere in the world.
«
Villas »
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