Sri Lanka Travel Guide
Tags: Hotel Infinity Pools / Amanresorts / → All Tags
Infinity Pool = Tranquility at Amanwella
Yesterday's British Telegraph newspaper gave us some very handy tips on the best places to stay in Sri Lanka, but the most interesting one was a very positive write-up of the Amanwella resort near Tangalle on the south coast. Amanwella consists of thirty suites each with their own plunge pool, several different locations to eat, sea views galore, and best of all, a magnificent infinity pool.
Yes, maybe in ten or twenty years we'll look back sentimentally on the days when the infinity pool was all the rage, but right now this pool just helps us think Amanwella is a spectacular place. As the reviewer said:
I also liked the infinity pool overlooking the sea - the setting couldn't be more idyllic - and the tranquility it evoked. A couple of days here will relax the most stressed-out of visitors.
A picturesque row of palm trees actually line the space between the pool and the sea, so the image of the swimming pool flowing directly into the sea is somewhat disturbed, although in our imagination we simply have the palms growing in the water.
Just watch the full suite prices when you book into the Amanwella--off-peak rates are $325 per night for a pool-view suite, and $400 per night for an ocean-view suite, but the fine print warns of a 17.65% "statutory levy" plus another 10% service charge, so what you see is not quite what you get. Rates over the Christmas holiday season, until January 20, are exactly double.
[Photo: AJDelhi]
Tags: Cubicle Dreamin' / Budget Luxury / Odd Hotels / → All Tags
Cubicle Dreamin': Sipping Tea at Sri Lanka's Tea Factory Hotel
Cubicle Dreamin' is a feature in which we ask the hotel mavens to take some time out of their busy work day, surf the Internet, and tell us what hotel they wish they could beam themselves to right that very second--all on the slave driving companies dime, of course. Oh, like these people aren't surfing aimlessly anyway--at least now their purposeless clicking will be cobbled together into useful hotel stories--we hope. Have a destination hotel you are just dying to leave your cube for? Send the story our way.
In this episode, Hotel Maven Amanda K heads to Sri Lanka...in her mind. Enjoy.
If I'm dreaming of a really great hotel destination, then the hotel itself has to be a bit special for me. Not designer-toiletries or Michelin-star-restaurant kind of special: I love a hotel that's got a bit of a story behind it. And I particularly like hotels that didn't start out life as a hotel.
Which is why The Tea Factory in Sri Lanka appeals to me. You won't be surprised to know that it was originally a tea factory, and of course it once produced particularly fine Ceylon tea. The factory was built during the 1930s (in grand colonial style) and in 1992, when its future as anything was uncertain, it was taken over by the Aitken Spence group and turned into a luxury hotel.
It is now a 57-room luxury hotel with views over the hills where tea still grows--the rooms were actually the original withering lofts where tea leaves dried before they made it into packets and onto your breakfast table. The rooms sound pretty luxurious with most mod cons (no mention of Wifi though but after all you are in the middle of the Sri Lankan hills) although they do list one worrying sounding facility: all rooms have piped music. I'm starting to picture a tea ad and that supposedly peaceful tea drinking music drifting into my room constantly, and I'm not quite sure that's what I want. But that's nothing that a good cup of tea wouldn't fix.
On top of all that, I don't even need to dream too hard about a stay at The Tea Factory--for all its luxury, the prices are downright cheap: $70 for a double room with breakfast, or $127 if you get all meals (and cups of tea) included.
[Photo: Pink_Buddha]
Related Stories:
· Five Best Factory Hotels [UK Independent]
· Hotels in Sri Lanka [HotelChatter]
· Travel Stories in Sri Lanka [Jaunted]
Tags: Hotel Openings / Exotic Beach Resorts / → All Tags
Find Adam and Eve at Weligama Bay, Sri Lanka
Coming soon to a tip of Sri Lanka near you ... the Weligama Bay Resort near the town of Galle on the southern tip of Sri Lanka. This new resort is due to open in December 2007 with 24 rooms and bungalows, a Bawana spa, a waterfront restaurant and cocktail bar and a nice swimming pool. Basically, everything you need for 5-star luxury and relaxation in Sri Lanka, or at least that's how they're making it sound at the moment.
Time will tell, of course, but the location is a good start, in a quiet spot with the Sinharaja rainforest nearby as well as Weligama Bay for a spot of sailing. The bonus is that they say the Adam and Eve story originated here and you can make a pilgrimage to Adam's Peak if you feel so inclined.
Right now we're relying on unusually-shaped computer-generated images to see what Weligama Bay is going to look like, and basically it looks like there'll be plenty of wood in the room decor; stay tuned to see if it turns out looking good or more like a hardware store. You can get opening packages like 4 nights in a superior room for $1220 including two guided tours, breakfast and dinner and two spa treatments.
Related Stories:
· Sri Lanka Hotels [HotelChatter]
· Sri Lanka Travel [Jaunted]
Tags: Eco-Hotels / → All Tags
Eco-Luxury in Mud Huts at Galapita, Sri Lanka
With the late 2004 tsunami in Asia starting to fade in our memories, this week's UK Guardian lodge review brings it up again, with a reminder that we should support locally owned and run accommodation if we travel to Sri Lanka.
In particular, writer Richard Hammond highlights the Galapita Eco Lodge in the jungle heart of Sri Lanka, ranked amongst the ten best eco-lodges in the world, according to the owners. Tree houses and mud huts form the accommodation here, right next to a natural outdoor spa and close to a national park where elephant-viewing is possible. Herbal baths and massages are available at the lodge, along with freshly-caught seafood meals. Or the sweet story of Galapita's development might be reason enough to visit:
When two friends, on a pilgrimage to the sacred site of Kataragama, went exploring off the beaten track in south-east Sri Lanka, they discovered two large rocks with a natural pool and a waterfall on the banks of the Gem River - and Galapita on a rock was born. They began by visiting, sleeping on mats under the stars. Eventually they built a hut so thier families could join them for weekends. Then they rebuilt it bigger and better, so that friends could join them for weekend escapes.
And now it's an eco lodge for normal people like you and me to drop by. Plus you can feel like you're helping the local economy.
Related Stories:
· Galapita Eco Lodge [TripAdvisor]
· Clean Break [Guardian UK]
Tags: Hotels / → All Tags
Going to Sri Lanka is So Hot Right Now
Travel + Leisure has gone and checked out what's been happening with the Amanwella Resort which was largely destroyed by the tsunami a little over a year ago.
But it seems to have recovered nicely. The Amanwella is a boutique hotel with just 30 "minimalist" suites. It is run by the Aman Hotel chain, which has locations throughout the world in areas that seem to promote danger. Their website homepage has an immediate update that their Jakarta hotel is not in a danger zone at this time. All this interests us, it feels that staying in Amanwella or in Sri Lanka alone, is very adventurous..
A closer look at the amenities leaves us convinced we need to go:
All 30 suites of this contemporary beachfront resort feature their own private swimming pool and terrace.
Alright, perhaps it's a little less adventurous and a little more luxurious.
The only major objection we have is that there is no WiFi available throughout the hotel. They do mention that internet access is available in their library, which is strange because we thought libraries were only availble on the internet these days.
Related Stories:
· Next Great Beach Resorts [Travel and Leisure]
· Amanwella Resort Reviews [TripAdvisor]
Tags: Tips / → All Tags
Sri Lanka Hotels: The Rebound Continues
The anniversary of last year's tsunami is almost here.
One year later some hotels have made a swift recovery, and tourists are gradually returning to the hardest hit regions. The Blue Water Hotel in Wadduwa, Sri Lanka was structurally damaged, but renovated quickly. The property forged partnerships with Sri Lankan Air to entice would be tourists with great air and stay deal. By the end of this year the property hopes to be turning a profit again.
It has been difficult for storm damaged resorts to convince world tourists to return to their properties. Many resorts, like the The Beach Hotel spent part of the year inviting tour operators and foreign journalists to their properties to prove that their resorts had not been hit by the tsunami.
Other places such as the Culture Club Resort, Dambulla, which does not solely rely on foreign business were less effected by the disaster. As always, the easiest way to help this region recovery is to resume traveling to the area and its resorts.
Related Stories:
· Recovering But Slowly[The Star]
Tags: Hotel Heaven / → All Tags
Post-tsunami Boutique
Where: 28 Church Street, Sri Lanka
Post-tsunami Sri Lanka has been furiously converting palaces and plantation houses into boutique hotels. And when you combine a beautiful, unique, setting with top notch service, guests usually follow.
Galle Fort Hotel was once a 117th-century fort
A recent Kiwi visitor confirms:
We really fell in love with the place as well as its two owners who give a personal attention and connection with the Fort that larger hotels can never match. They even took us shopping and on a short tour of the major historical sites.
Related Stories:
· Galle Fort Reviews [TripAdvisor]
Tags: Miscellaneous / → All Tags
Amazing Race 6 Hotel Report: Hotel Sigiriya Sri Lanka
This weeks Amazing Race episode took place in tsunami ravaged Sri Lanka, though the episode was obviously filmed well before last months devastation the scenery still left you with an eerie feeling.
At the end of the episode the contestants were asked to race up the steep stairs of Lion's Rock, grab a set of binoculars, and spot the pit stop. Next, racers rushed to the pit stop on foot, jumped in, and swam the length of a swimming pool, and checked in with Phil. We are 99.9% sure that this weeks pit stop was the Hotel Sigiriya in Sri Lanka. Hotel Sigiriya is an ecotourism resort surrounded by beautiful gardens, and of course, the looming glare of Lion's Rock.
The hotel will arrange elephant safari's for you as well, though we aren't sure elephant polo will be an option.
If you check in to Hotel Sigirya you will get an air conditioned room, for somewhere between $44 and $100.
Note: We were unable to determine whether or not Hotel Sigiriya was damanged by the December 26, 2004 tsunami, if anyone knows, leave a comment on this story.
Related Stories:
· Amazing Race 6 Hotel Report: Hotel Roha in Ethiopia [HotelChatter]
· Amazing Race 6 Hotel Report: Hotel La Prieta [HotelChatter]
· Amazing Race 6 Hotel Report: Gus In Budepest [HotelChatter]
· Amazing Race 6 Hotel Report: Go Avante-Garde? [HotelChatter]
· Amazing Race 6 Hotel Report: Stockholm Sheraton [HotelChatter]
· Amazing Race 6 Hotel Report: Hotel Ice Bar [HotelChatter]
· Amazing Race 6 Hotel Report: Norwegian Wood [HotelChatter]
· Amazing Race 6 Hotel Report: Check out the 101 [HotelChatter]
Tags: Miscellaneous / → All Tags
Nate Berkus's Stardust Beach Hotel Story
Where: Sri Lanka
We aren't big Oprah watchers, forgive us if we are usually working weekdays at 4 PM, however, yesterday we set our Tivo's, after a reader informed us that designer Nate Berkus would make an appearance on Oprah, and recount his tsunami experience on the show. Oprah showed incredible exclusive footage, shot by hotel guests, during the tsunami, who were staying at different hotels in and around Sri Lanka's Arugam Bay. Arugam Bay, is home to world class surfing, and now the former home of many bohemian beach hotels, which have been subsequently wiped out by the storm. Only three hotels remain standing in Arugam Bay, two of which, the Siam View Hotel and the Hideway, have turned themselves into Red Cross headquarters.
Nate was vacationing at the Stardust Beach Hotel when the tsunami hit, and the Stardust was one of the many Sri Lankin hotels that was pummeled into oblivion by the big wave. The Stardust's owner, Dane entrepreneur Peer Goodman, drowned along with his hotel, and was buried in a lagoon near the remains of his hotel.
No doubt many, many, tsunami survivors have absolutely incredible stories, and many tsunami vicitims will never be able to tell their stories, however, it was powerful to listen to Nate tell his, and look at the absolutely incredible devestation to Arugam Bay Sri Lanka.
If you are looking to help the check in here. (Of course there are plenty of other places).
If you are looking for hotel damage reports, go here.
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