Sri Lanka is an island I want to travel to. Hire a car with a driver for a week or two to experience the charm of Teardrop Island, off the southeastern coast of India. Traveling Sri Lanka's pockmarked roads, where overflowing buses, bicycles, cows, goats, trucks, tuk-tuks and even elephants compete with cars, can be wearying. You will need sanctuary.
From the water-soaked coasts to Sri Lanka's mild high tea country, here are happy places to relax and recharge while discovering Sri Lanka at your own pace.
Rosyth Estate House, Kegalle
Just two hours from Colombo's busy airport, Rosyth Estate House is a happy landing pad for those flying to Sri Lanka. Owners Neil and Farzana Dobbs will arrange a car for the two-hour drive north to their tastefully expanded 1926 tea planter bungalow. Upon arrival you will be treated to a refreshing cocktail, a cold flannel and a restorative foot massage.
Choose a room in an original bungalow, close to the Glass Pavilion restaurant and swimming pool. Or choose one of the recently built suites with views across the tea tree-covered valley.
Stay for a few days to bathe and feed the elephants at Pinnawala before visiting the Temple of the Sacred Tooth in Kandy.
Return to the Rosyth kitchen and, through a cooking course, learn how to create classic Sri Lankan recipes using herbs, spices and vegetables grown on the farm.
Gal Oya Lodge
Gal Oya, far east of Colombo and Galle, is Sri Lanka's least visited national park. In addition to Wi-Fi and mobile reception, the park is home to Sri Lanka's largest lake, where elephants swim among some of the lake's 47 islands.
Gal Oya Lodge is the gateway to tracking the park's three main species: crocodiles, elephants and leopards. Additionally, through the adjacent Jim Edwards Wildlife Research Center, guests learn how to identify local wildlife, from the numerous gray herons that call the island's maternity home to the rarely spotted pangolin.
Guests stay in separate suites and thatched huts based around traditional rice shops. Each suite is within walking distance of bars, restaurants, library, reception and swimming pool.
A boat safari on the lake with breakfast or lunch picnic or an enlightenment walk with a chief of the Veddha tribe are not to be missed.
The Stafford Bungalow, Ragala
Technically the Stafford Bungalow is a full-service villa, and if it's a bit chilly in the air, your butler will welcome you with hot chocolate and marshmallows. Stafford Bungalows, close to Nuwara Eliya hill station, with white picket fences and immaculate green lawns, pays homage to the golden age of Sri Lankan tea plantations.
It wasn't just the cool temperatures and abundant rain that gave the area the nickname Little England. Planters imported afternoon tea, G&Ts and Marmite to combat homesickness. Having had the President of Sri Lanka as a previous guest, there is a relaxed elegance to the décor.
A walk through a tea plantation is not just an education on how to pick two leaves and buds, or how to prune a tea tree every four years, but also a spectacular bird-watching event if you use the binoculars provided.
As well as local walks, you can walk the recently opened section of the Pekoe Trail or use the Stafford Bungalow as a stopover along the entire 300km route.
Malabar Hill, Never
Nestled between the waves and the forest, Malabar Hill and its 10 secluded villas are perched high on a ridge. Located in Weligama, just three miles from the sandy beach, this luxury hotel is another must-stop destination on your Sri Lanka itinerary.
Malabar is designed to be self-contained, with no television or cell phone reception. The suite's yoga mat and yoga lawn create a tranquil atmosphere. There are scenic cycling trails and walking trails throughout the 33-acre property.
More modern and cosmopolitan in decoration and design than many of Sri Lanka's historic buildings, Malabar combines elements of both Indian and Middle Eastern styles.
This boutique hotel is ideally located for exploring Galle, just a 40-minute drive away, and close to the quaint fishing village of Welligama.
Jetwing Lagoon, Negombo
After your trip to Sri Lanka, it's time to relax on the coast. Jetwing Lagoon, just past the Negombo fishing port and through a tapering peninsula, is idyllicly located between the lagoon and the Indian Ocean. And sadly, when departure time approaches, Colombo Airport is a 30-minute drive away.
The restaurant specializes in local cuisine including curries, sambal and hoppers and offers tranquil views of the lagoon. It's less quiet when jet skiers and water skiers are active.
There's plenty of space to sunbathe with cabanas and sun loungers lining the 100-metre swimming pool.
In the 1960s, the hotel was one of Sir Geoffrey Bawa's earliest architectural projects. Airy spaces and economical use of local materials became trademarks of his pioneering tropical modernism.
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