Sri Lanka and its three houses
The island keeps its best addresses far apart, and each is a different country.
Luxury hotels in Sri Lanka
3 hotels
Ceylon Tea Trails
Five-star · Tea Country: Hatton
Restored planters' bungalows along a valley of the tea country, each with its butler, far from anything modern.
From $900 per night
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Wild Coast Tented Lodge
Four-star · Yala & the South-East Coast
Sri Lanka's coast meets the tented safari camp: cocoon tents between a beach and the wild Yala National Park.
From $800 per night
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Amangalla
Four-star · Galle Fort
Aman's restoration of the colonial-era New Oriental Hotel, a house inside the walls of Galle Fort.
From $900 per night
Any mandatory hotel fees are shown before you confirm.
The island keeps its best addresses far apart, and each is a different country. Three houses: planters' bungalows restored along a valley of the hill country, where the tea fields climb above a lake; a tented lodge on the south-east coast between a beach and the wild Yala National Park; and a colonial-era hotel inside the walls of Galle Fort, restored by Aman. Colombo is the gateway to all three — two hours to Galle by expressway, four to the tea country by road or a seaplane, five to Yala.
“Because the island's interior, and especially its spectacular tea country, has stayed relatively untouched, leaving a lush and unspoiled landscape for planters' bungalows lovingly restored in a colonial-contemporary style and scattered widely along the valley, each divided into a few suites or available whole — an entrée into the romance of Ceylon tea, or an escape at some four thousand feet with few signs of encroaching modernity.”
From our editors · Ceylon Tea Trails
The neighborhoods
Tea Country: Hatton
The tea district around Hatton and Dickoya, with the planters' bungalows above Castlereagh Lake. Up in the hill country, tea fields and factories spread around them, Adam's Peak stands on the skyline and the air stays cool at more than a thousand meters.
Yala & the South-East Coast
The dry south-east, home to Yala National Park and its leopards, elephants and birds. It takes in the beaches of Palatupana and Kirinda, the rock temple of Sithulpawwa and the road west to Tangalle's bays.
Galle Fort
The Dutch-built fort on the south coast, with ramparts to walk at sunset and the lighthouse. Church Street keeps its colonial houses and cafés, and the beaches of Unawatuna, Mirissa and Weligama lie within an hour.
Good to know
Which are the five-star hotels in Sri Lanka?
One. The five-star house we list in Sri Lanka is Ceylon Tea Trails, the restored planters' bungalows along a valley of the tea country near Hatton, run all-inclusive with a butler in each. Two more houses hold four-star standing: Wild Coast Tented Lodge, the architect-designed tented camp between the beach and Yala National Park; and Amangalla, Aman's restoration of the colonial-era New Oriental Hotel inside the walls of Galle Fort.
Where should I stay — the tea country, Yala or Galle?
The tea country around Hatton for cool air, walks through the tea fields, the planters' life and the lake below the bungalows; Yala and the south-east coast for the leopards and elephants of the national park with a beach at the door; Galle Fort for the ramparts, the lighthouse, the Dutch streets and the beaches of the south coast within an hour. A classic route takes all three, Colombo to the hills to the park to the fort.
When is the best time for Sri Lanka?
Two monsoons share the island: the south-west coast, Galle and the hill country are driest from December to April, the east coast from May to September; Yala's park closes for part of the year in most years, so the lodge is the one to ask before fixing dates. The tea country sits high enough to be cool all year, with mist and afternoon showers in the wet months.
How do I get to the tea country, Yala and Galle?
Fly into Colombo's Bandaranaike airport, north of the city. Galle is about two hours south by the expressway; Hatton and the tea country about four hours by road through the hills, or a seaplane to the lake by the bungalows; Yala four to five hours by road, or a flight to the south coast. The houses collect their guests, and the bungalows and the lodge include the transfer in their all-inclusive rates.
How do I reserve a stay?
Search your dates on the hotel's page to see reference rates, then send the concierge a request. The concierge confirms exact rates and availability with you before anything is booked, and any payment and its timing are set out before you confirm.
