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Boutique Beauty in Sri Lanka

Galle Lighthouse

innamon and cashew nuts, mango and banana trees, lush green tea estates and golden coast its easy to wax lyrical about Sri Lanka. This island evokes images of tea plantations, glorious beaches and the bygone era of the British Raj. Im a hopeless romantic for tales of colonial Asia, which Ive always been enthralled with. While I know theres so much more to this country, my dreams still explore these stories.

farmland, rice paddies and muscular water buffalo. The further I got from the city, the greener and more lush it became as the road weaved between rolling hills while palm trees stretched up into the sky and rivers flowed to the nearby Indian Ocean. Rolling further south along the coastal road, I looked out at the waves crashing against a narrow sandy shore, mere feet from the road, while the early afternoon light glimmered on the waters surface.

A Colourful Scene
It was late morning when I arrived, and as I travelled through the streets of Colombo, tuk tuks zipped past and children waved or gathered for games of cricket in the side streets. People in suits, saris and saffron robes strolled by, sheltering under colourful umbrellas from the already hot sun. Travelling south from the capital, I passed ramshackle villages,
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Kahanda Kanda Hill Top Tea Estate

A few kilometres from Galle, above the small village of Kahanda along a narrow red-earth street alive with fruit sellers, tuk tuks and mopeds you ascend a steep road running through a tea estate. On top of the hill the boutique hotel Kahanda Kanda has sweeping views of the lush surroundings.

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In Sri Lanka, Lauren Hill stayed at four boutique hotels that combine luxury and style with local experience and mouth-watering cuisine. Each makes a statement of their conscientiousness for the environment and the local community. They reveal different sides of Sri Lanka from the capital Colombo to the sultry south coast.
Photos Lauren Hill
A fruit-seller in Galle

English interior designer George Cooper came to Sri Lanka in 1999 spurred by his curiosity to visit a tea estate that had been owned by his great grandfather. He came across the property that is now the location for this hotel that continues to be a working tea plantation. From this vantage point the hotel has views of the tea estate, Koggala Lake and the wild jungle beyond.

Enjoy the Luxury

You can take in the view from the infinity pool, which is alongside the open-sided living and dining pavilions, and backed by high walls the colour of Sri Lankan monks robes. The pavilions are surrounded by sprawling gardens
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Colombo

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The infinity pool at Kahanda Kanda

of frangipani, mango, cashew and coconut trees, in which eight bedroom pavilions are privately situated; each decorated in a unique style. I stayed in the opulent Garden Suite, filled with antique and contemporary furniture and paintings. The veranda looks onto the garden, benefiting from a breeze that blows across the hills, in the shade of trees creating dappled sunlight. Here there is nothing but the sound of bird-song and leaves rustling in the breeze.

own veranda, includes Western options as well as typical Sri Lankan hoppers.

Experience
Guided bike tours take you along winding paths through tea plantations, past paddy fields, down country roads and through villages while the local guide informs about the flora and fauna along the way. The tour finishes at Wijaya Beach, which after riding through country lanes is an
Breakfast at Kahanda Kanda

The Food
Kahanda Kanda uses locally grown organic ingredients to create their fusion of Sri Lankan and Thai cuisine. Fresh spices, chilli and tamarind; cashews, coconuts and fruit such as mango and papaya are taken from the trees, and fresh seafood are used. The chef combines fresh spices and coconut milk for an array of curries. My favourites included the creamy cashew nut curry, sticky-sweet pineapple curry and any that used the days fresh fish. You can savour these in the gorgeously candle-lit outdoor pavilion as insects chirp and music lulls the starry night. Breakfast, also enjoyed in the outdoor pavilion or on your

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Casa Colombo

unexpected sight of endless golden sand and graceful palm trees that lean gently over the limpid blue sea. The beach bar is an ideal spot to sit back and watch the waves come rolling in. Kahanda Kanda has a spa, gym, home cinema and can arrange a variety of activities and excursions, including tours of Handunugoda Tea Estate, giving you the opportunity to see how the tea is harvested and treated. Then you can try their specialty teas.

The Food
Sri Lankan chef, Sharif Karim, creates simple honest dishes that are influenced by his time in The Maldives and Middle East. One favourite is the slow-roast beef that is a reminder of European cuisine, but which uses cinnamon and other Sri Lankan spices. In the restaurant, HVN, the menu consists of typical Sri Lankan dishes and European cuisine with an Eastern influence. The Zaza Bar has a tapas menu.

Experience Ethos
Kahanda Kanda supports local community projects, Tittagalla Sunday School Project for the construction and development of a Sunday School for the surrounding villages and Talathaduwa Monastery Koggala Island Sacred Grove Carbon Project in which they endeavour to protect the local ecosystem and support the local community. Casa Colombo is an ideal base for Colombo exploration. Willem insisted I take a tuk tuk and jump out whenever I saw anything that looked interesting, telling me that this is the best way to discover Colombo. The Fort is a colonial area that was built by the Portuguese and the Dutch, while the British contributed the cinnamon gardens along with many of the museums and Town Hall. Casa Colombo can arrange walking tours with Colombo City Walks if youd like a guide. After dark, make your way to Zaza Bar if youre in the mood for tapas and cocktails and upbeat music that goes late into the night.

Casa Colombo City Escape

Casa Colombo is a boutique urban hotel that stands out for its exceptional modern design. The old, white, colonial houses interior has been transformed by designer and hotelier Lalin Jinasena. Today, it is a beautiful renovation of a 200-year-old Moorish mansion with contemporary rooms that still have original features gracefully incorporated. Lalin designed each room using Sri Lankan materials to create a dcor that is unique to Casa Colombo. Each of the 12 expansive suites are designed with their own individual look and have all the technology and amenities you could ask for. Manager Willem Fokkenrood explains, The design makes people feel excited and makes them smile, but its almost casa because this is a home environment.

Ethos
Casa Colombo hires local staff, works with local producers and supports smaller traders. The hotel donates money to social clubs and a charity that provides books for schools in Colombo.

Casa Colombo

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From the moment you wake up you are greeted with bird song, the sea breeze and monkeys crashing through the trees. After a yoga session of stretching and meditation you can revive with a coffee and breakfast before lying in the shade of trees, taking a dip in the pool or walking along the deserted beach as the calm water laps against the sandy shore.

The Food
All of the food at Talalla Retreat is sourced locally. They use Sri Lankan tea and coffee, locally Talalla Beach caught seafood and organic fruit and vegetables from the area. The local chefs cook up traditional Sri Lankan curries, but also provide Western and South East Asian cuisine. At breakfast, lunch and dinner there is a hearty buffet of freshly cooked Sri Lankan and Western food, including plenty of fresh seafood.

Talalla Retreat Beachside Seclusion

Further along the south coast, a short drive from Matara, is the remote beach Talalla. Yogis and surfers come for the secluded boutique resort Talalla Retreat. Inspired by the yoga and surfing retreats of Bali, the Australian owner began to build his own resort in Talalla. The plans were put on hold when the Tsunami hit Sri Lanka, but before continuing with his project, he returned to Australia to raise funds to provide the local village with fishing boats and community buildings.

Experience
The resident yoga instructor leads yoga classes each morning and afternoon, as well as regular yoga retreats. Talalla Surf Camp is run out of the hotel to take surfers to the local beaches, suiting the surfers needs and experience. Since May 2012, health retreats have also been featured, with the expertise of a physiotherapist and a nutritionist. You can go snorkelling from Talalla beach and if youre lucky, you can catch the whale-watching season

A Serene Session
After the fundraising work on the resort was resumed and finally finished. Now the retreat consists of tropical, leafy-green gardens centred around a 20m cool-blue swimming pool. The garden is over looked over by an open-sided restaurant, a yoga pavilion, a spa and eight villas, each with four rooms and their own balcony or veranda.

Ethos
As well as fundraising post Tsunami, the retreat supports the community by employing people from the surrounding villages and sourcing all of their food locally.

The Sun House Historic Coastal Town

This eight-roomed boutique hotel exemplifies colonial chic dating back to the 1860s when it was home to a Scottish cinnamon merchant. In recent years it has been renovated by hotelier Geoffrey Dobbs. The new dcor combines colonial elegance with modern comfort and exudes utter sophistication. Hours could be wiled away exploring the living and dining areas that are stuffed with antiques, books, paintings and ornaments collected by Geoffrey Dobbs. The hotels sun house looks out on the frangipani garden with its red brick path leading to the pool. Cosy Dicks Bar looks out on the mango garden that has a view of Galle

Talalla Retreat

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Travel Within Sri Lanka

Before travelling to Sri Lanka I was advised to arrange a driver to take me between destinations. This is the most convenient way to get around Sri Lanka and can easily be arranged through most hotels. However, its also worth taking a train for the significant price difference and the sheer experience of train travel through the countrys scenic landscape. On the train from Galle to Colombo, the old-red train clattered along palm-lined tracks, rushing by emerald green hills, dusty villages and along the coast where I looked out at the gloriously blue sea. Fans whirred furiously overhead and local music played over the tannoy. Passengers dozed in the heat, or leaned out the open windows. As I took in this exhilarating scene, I was reminded that sometimes the journey itself can be one of the most memorable travel experiences.
The Sun House Dining

The Sun House

harbour. Both gardens are havens for wildlife, so bird song is the soundtrack during breakfast.

The Food
The Sun House is famous for its outstanding cuisine and has been celebrated as the best fine dining in Sri Lanka, particularly since Rick Stein stayed at The Sun House to cook with the chef, while filming his Far Eastern Odyssey series. All the spices, fruit and vegetables are locally grown and the fish is the days fresh catch from the local market. The restaurant is primarily a fish restaurant with Sri Lankan curry night each Sunday. Dicks Bar offers a menu of lighter meals and signature cocktails that you might want to enjoy as a sundowner.

street of Galle, it is just a five-minute stroll to Galles historic fort, the Galle coast and the local fish, fruit and spice sellers. During the hottest hours of the day keep cool in the cafs around Galle Fort. With an invigorating wind blowing inland, the sea-wall is landmarked by its white lighthouse and Flag Rock, a cliff-top look-out, where at dusk people wander through the long grass to gather before the pink glow of sunset. The Sun House is also a good base for exploring tea plantations, beaches and national parks along the south coast.

Ethos
The charity Adopt Sri Lanka, for childrens education particularly, was founded by Geoffrey Dobbs. The Sun House also supports Children in Crisis and aims to be ecologically minded, as well as supporting the community.
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Kahanda Kanda www.kahandakanda.com Talalla Retreat www.talallaretreat.com The Sun House thesunhouse.com Casa Columbo www.casacolombo.com

Experience
From its hill-top location along a leafy

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