Theva Residency, Kandy
Theva Residency is a very modern boutique hotel with astonishing views over Kandy from its hilltop location, and is a drive of about 15mins from the city centre. All the rooms are individual and are simply but luxuriously decorated with splashes of red, yellow and blue – colours often seen at the Kandy Perahera. All the rooms have huge windows to make the best of the views over Kandy. In addition, the Superior Rooms have their own balcony and a private outdoor bathtub! The Suites have more privacy and even better views of the valley from their outdoor Jacuzzi. Meals can be served either in the restaurant, outdoor terrace (from where there are fabulous views of the hills), or in your own room. The infinity pool also enjoys the same views – there are no gardens as such.
The Richmond House in Kandy
Richmond House is a small boutique guest house set on a hill about a 20 minutes’ drive from the centre of Kandy in the picturesque Sri Lankan Hill Country.
It has a feel of a colonial style villa with an impressive staircase. All the rooms are rather eclectic and furnished with traditional Sri Lankan style furniture. All rooms have their own private balcony with views out over Kandy. The views can also be enjoyed from the enclosed small restaurant.
The Lavender House, Pussellawa
This boutique hotel is a stunning old tea planter’s bungalow which is surrounded by the Helboda Tea Plantations, some 45 minutes’ drive from Kandy in Central Sri Lanka. Its hilltop location is sublime- looking past the infinity pool, you can see the mountains covered in tea plantations and the Kotmale reservoir in the distance. The bungalow has been lovingly restored showing off its old world charm with highly polished floors and many fine antiques. It does though have an intimate, cosy feel to it, so feels more like a private home. All the rooms have their own individual character and have open log fires which can be lit on cool nights. There is no AC here (it isn’t necessary as it is higher up in the hills). You can eat wherever you wish – in the hotel’s sumptuous dining room, lounge, terrace or by the pool. It is perfect for those that want to experience something of the old Sri Lankan colonial life. It certainly deserves the TripAdvisor Award of Travellers Choice 2013.
The Kandy House, Kandy
The Kandy House is located some 30mins from the centre of Kandy in a secluded situation. It is a beautifully (and very sympathetically) converted ‘Walauwa’ (colonial manor house) which having been brought into the 21st-century with all modern facilities required by a luxury boutique hotel, is still able to show off its original architecture (with polished wooden floors, elegant antiques and beautiful fabrics. There are two different grades of room – Ultra and Deluxe. All the Ultra-rooms are larger (than the Deluxe Rooms) and have access to their own verandah. You can take meals on the verandah, which overlooks the fabulous gardens and on the lower terrace, the stunning freshwater Infinity pool. This has to be one of the best hotels in Kandy!
