Perhaps one of the most obvious and desirable things to do when traveling to Sri Lanka is to to visit the tea country. As TeaAuction.com writes:
“The Sri Lankan tea industry is the country’s largest employer providing jobs directly and indirectly to over a million people. It also contributes a significant amount to Government revenue and to the gross domestic product. Sri lanka is the 3rd biggest tea producer with a market share of 9%. The total land used for tea cultivation is approximately 187,309 hectares. Sri Lankan tea has unique characteristics and reputation as arguably the best teas in the world. The ideal climatic conditions of the plantation give the teas a variety of rich flavours and aromas, which indicate high quality.”
But with such a huge variety of choice and large distances to cover, where should the luxury traveler go to get a taste of the “Ceylon tea experience” while at the same time being able to relax and travel in style? We recommend Tea Trails…..
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Written by Antonella on March 30th, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Filed under Boutique Hotels, Ceylon, Eco-friendly, Luxury Travel, Tea, Tours
Up in the leafy hills of Kandy in the central part of the country, you’ll find the most extraordinary hotel- a technicolor vision of the old-world-meets-Goth, called Helga’s Folly. It’s a hotel and restaurant you’ll either love or hate – where literally every inch of space is painted or decorated with bright colours, fantasy murals, dripping candles and glitzy accessories crossed with the traditional – old paintings, antique furniture, stuffed animal heads and a wind-up gramophone playing Ella Fitzgerald.
Helga’s Folly is presided over Helga herself, a glamorous Anglophile in Jackie O sun glasses, with a tendency towards the eccentric:
“This is my home and I want everyone who visits it to feel at home. That is the point. I call it an Anti-Hotel! We give our in-house guests complimentary afternoon tea and before dinner serve cocktails and canapes. I try to make it feel like home. The main thing is that people must come back! And we are lucky enough to have a few that do return!”
Helga was described by the Times as “a benevolent Cruella deVil, complete with pet dalmatian” and the hotel was the home were she was raised. In those days, guests were people like Sir Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh and the Ghandis. These days it is fashion/rock star-types (Paula Yates reportedly loved it) and travellers looking for something different. Very different indeed! Helga comes from an illustrious family, and is the mother of British designer Selina Blow. Her history and exciting life is seen throughout the house, which is full of interesting memorabilia in every room.
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Written by Antonella on March 16th, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Filed under Boutique Hotels, History, Hotels, Kandy, Restaurants, Travel
Whenever I come back from a trip to Sri Lanka, my family and friends have now come to expect something special from Barefoot – a wonderful shop of rural handweavers that make and sell the most delightful toys, home ware, clothes and art. In fact, last Christmas we gave Barefoot presents to nearly everybody – lovely hardbound notebooks and photo albums covered in a rainbow of patterns, chic hand-painted candlesticks and cushion covers, brightly colored dolls and teddies, rucksacks in the amusing shape of fish and elephants for the children (which will definitely last a lifetime) and much more- all so unique and special.
The things at Barefoot are certainly not cheap, and the reason for this is that they are all painstakingly handmade and of high quality. From the dyes used, to the weaving process, (Barefoot admonishes use of machinery), Barefoot does it all themselves and what’s interesting is that the work is not done in a factory but from a cottage industry where the people take the work home and do it in their own time. More »
Written by Antonella on March 2nd, 2009 | Comments Off
Filed under Arts, Colombo, Crafts, Eco-friendly, Galle Fort, Shopping
