MEMORIES OF CEYLON

Arriving into Colombo, you’ll take a seaplane to Kandy to start unravelling Sri Lanka’s fascinating history. Beginning in the living breathing cultural heart of the country, you’ll find that Kandy is full of the friendliest of locals and overpowered by a swirl of sensory treats. Staying at the colonial-era hotel, Kandy House, you’ll be welcomed into this vibrant yet gentle city, and capture exotic photos amongst the ornamented elephants, colourfully-cloaked monks, antiques markets, and women carrying parasols.

During your three nights here, you’ll be taken on a private tour around the headily-scented botanical gardens with a botanist, explore the sacred Buddhist Temple of the Tooth, have lunch with a local tea planter who’ll entertain you with stories of the past, and spend an afternoon with a renowned photographer to look at and learn how to take incredible snapshots of Kandy’s history.

Having explored sultry and bustling Kandy, the lush tea country up in the hills is the perfect refresher: reached by a luxury steam train which winds its way past the undulating tea plantations, vast reservoirs, and colourfully dressed tea pickers. Your journey will have already made you feel as though you’ve stepped back in time, and the nostalgic experience continues at the Ceylon Tea Trails colonial bungalows. Here you’ll stay two nights in one of the beautiful bungalows, which are dotted around Castlereagh Lake, and harp back to a gentler age as you’re treated to the service of your own personal butler.  

During your stay here, you’ll be taken on a tea factory tour, which starts with a walk through the plantation, observing the crop being harvested, before learning about how tea is cultivated and examining the incredible machines that wither, roll and dry the tea. You can then spend a leisurely day cycling or walking the tea trails by yourself, with a sumptuous picnic lunch on the way, followed by traditional afternoon tea and sunset G&Ts back at your luxury bungalow.

From Hatton, you’ll then take a seaplane flight to your next hotel, the Kahanda Kanda, which overlooks the calm and beautiful waters of Koggala Lake. Set on top of a hill in the middle of its own low-lying tea plantation, this boutique hotel is ideal for a few days of relaxation, where you can unwind in the dining pavilion and bar, by the infinity-edged pool or on your private veranda, fragranced by the aromatic gardenia bushes and frangipani trees.

You’ll be taken on a Story of Cinnamon tour, to witness just how important this spice is to Sri Lanka. A local cinnamon planter will take you to a vast plantation and walk you through the process of how cinnamon is created, before you tuck into a cinnamon-inspired four-course lunch. 

For the finale of your Sri Lankan holiday, you’ll make the short journey to the Dutch colonial peninsula of Galle, and have a truly unique experience at the historic Amangalla retreat. Sitting proudly within the ramparts of Galle’s 17th-century fort, Amangalla is a graceful hotel that’s filled with antiques, murmurs with history, and evokes a refined era akin to the days of the Raj. 

Accompanied by a local researcher and building archaeologist, you’ll learn about the area’s past as you stroll around Galle Fort. Amble along the winding streets amongst brightly-painted bullock carts, spice warehouses and craft markets, or simply sit back with a glass of arrack - a traditional local drink - and watch the locals play cricket in the afternoon.