When it comes to luxury and pampering, you probably won’t find anything that can beat what Heritance Kandalama has to offer. This hotel is located in an area which has been dubbed as the Cultural Triangle of Sri Lanka. With five UNESCO World Heritage Sites located nearby, the moniker is but understandable. Heritance Kandalama, the hotel, itself is hailed by many as an architectural masterpiece attributed to Geoffrey Bawa.
The idea behind the whole complex is for it to blend as seamlessly as possible with the amazing natural formations in the area. The hotel is situated in between two natural rock formations and is designed so that it resembles the wings of a bird spread out in flight. With its size – an astounding 1.8 kilometers from one end to another – one might think that it is impossible for the edifice to blend with nature. However, the opposite is true: one look and you will wonder at just how natural everything seems to be! Even more amazing is the design itself, which allows the natural waters from the mountains to flow underneath the building, which is raised using platforms and columns. One should not be surprised to find out that animals range freely underneath the building as well.
The environment-conscious visitor will love the Heritance Kandalama for all its efforts to conserve energy. It has a very comprehensive program geared towards saving energy. The hotel makes use of auto-power controls, energy efficient lighting systems, and solar energy to heat the water supply. More so, the hotel does NOT make use of surface water to meet its needs. The water supply is a mixture of deep well water (using tubes going as deep as 200 feet) and rainwater.
For the ultimate pampering experience, one will not go wrong with the Six Senses Spa, which has won numerous awards from all over the world. The philosophy of the spa focuses on the five senses – finding the perfect balance among them. Think of a pyramid with the base constituted of sight, sound, and touch; and taste and smell constituting the middle portion; for the apex, think of a symbolism of the entire sensory experience.
The Six Senses Spa follows ancient Asian traditions geared towards rejuvenating the mind, body, and soul. They make use of indigenous herbs as well as tropical fruits and natural oils. Combined with steam, scrubs, massages, and other techniques, these herbs, fruits, and oils, are certain to please any visitor.
While a visitor would probably be more than content to spend time at the spa and lounge around the premises relaxing, the hotel also offers other activities to engage the active guest. There are three swimming pools – each of which offers a unique attraction. The Infinity Pool blends with Kandalama Lake. The Nature Pool shares the same bedrock which the hotel is built upon. The Rashmi Pool is the largest pool in the hotel and is naturally warmed by the sun.
Indeed, the Heritance Kandalama is the ideal place to go for a period of total relaxation.
Written by Georgie on February 27th, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Filed under Eco-friendly, Hotels
In our opinion, there are few hotels more luxurious than those of the Aman group, and luckily in Sri Lanka, you have a choice of two fantastically luxe places to visit. Previously, we talked about the colonial-inspired gem that is Amangalla in Galle Fort, and now we bring you another slice of Aman-heaven, this time in minimalist splendor on the pristine beaches of Tangalle.
Guests staying at Amanwella will enjoy the way the modern design blends seamlessly with the eco-friendly surroundings (think of sea turtles, waterfalls and coconut groves) creating a comfortable feeling of tranquility with stone, timber and clay touches.
The restaurant, for instance, is perched eight-meters above sea level and thus has excellent views toward the ocean and the coconut trees by the idyllic pool. Inside there is also a grass-covered courtyard awash with frangipani trees and reflecting pools – the perfect setting for a meal any time of day. If al fresco dining is more your style, you can also opt to dine in the Beach Club area, where homemade churned ice cream and coconut charcoal barbecues are a specialty.
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Written by Antonella on April 29th, 2009 | Comments Off
Filed under Aman Hotels, Beach Holidays, Eco-friendly, Hotels, Sri Lanka, Tangallle
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
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
