Must-see hotels in The Hill Country

  • Tea Trails

    The Hill Country

    Tea Trails comprises a collection of five stunning colonial-style residences built for British tea plantation managers. Completely refurbished, the…

  • Hill Safari Eco Lodge

    The Hill Country

    Located in a tea plantation, this fine mountain lodge enjoys outstanding views – on very clear days you can even see the Dondra Lighthouse on the South…

  • Heritance Tea Factory

    Nuwara Eliya

    High in mist-wrapped hills 13km northeast of Nuwara Eliya, this unique place has been built into and around a century-old tea factory. Blurring the line…

  • Rangala House

    The Hill Country

    Located at around 1000m, this gorgeous former tea planter’s bungalow enjoys a temperate, sometimes coolish climate on a steep forested hillside surrounded…

  • Chill Ville

    Ella

    Totally renovated, this once supremely tacky hotel now has seven perfectly designed, sleek, modern bungalows, each with stupendous valley views from their…

  • Kandy House

    The Hill Country

    Thanks to masses of exotic tropical flora, the air you breathe at this divine hotel, once home to a Kandyan chief, literally tastes perfumed. Now fully…

  • Rainforest

    The Hill Country

    On the edge of the Sinharaja reserve (very rare purple-faced langurs are regularly seen) this is one of the remotest hotels in Sri Lanka. Highly original…

  • Baramba House

    The Hill Country

    The Swiss–Sri Lankan owners of this idyllic little three-room guesthouse have created a small slice of bliss here. There are cool, high-ceilinged rooms…

  • Silent Bungalow

    Uda Walawe National Park

    A welcoming place offering good budget accommodation in simple, quite spacious fan-cooled rooms with cold-water private bathrooms. Breakfasts, indeed all…

  • Waterfall Homestay

    Ella

    A delightfully secluded homestay run by an Australian couple with a flair for art and design. The building melds into the hillside and offers views over…

  • Villa Rosa

    Kandy

    Dotted with antiques, and with stunning views over a secluded arc of the Mahaweli Ganga, Villa Rosa is an inspiring place to stay. Spacious wooden-floored…

  • Clock Inn Kandy

    Kandy

    A lot of know-how has gone into this very well-set-up hostel, with its inviting air-con dorms (all with lockers, comfy bunks and reading lights) and…

  • Chamodya Homestay

    Ella

    One of the best homestays in the Ella region, Chamodya is run by a lovely couple who take very good care of their guests. Guests get to enjoy a glorious…

  • Ferncliff

    Nuwara Eliya

    Set in spacious lawned grounds, this colonial-era bungalow is straight out of a period drama – even the sprucely turned-out staff hovering in the…

  • The One

    Ella

    Owned by a talented musician and master carpenter, these beautifully finished rooms boast gorgeous handmade fixtures and fittings (shelves, clothes rails)…

  • Freedom Lodge

    Kandy

    This popular, well-established guesthouse is owned by a friendly family, one of whom worked in hospitality for years, and is surrounded by towering palm…

  • Jetwing Kaduruketha

    The Hill Country

    In a rural location 2km north of Wellawaya, this fine new hotel has well-appointed, smart and modern rooms that overlook rice fields and across towards…

  • Sinharaja Rain Forest View Villas

    The Hill Country

    These well-constructed wooden forest cabins are delightful, each with a double bed, stylish attached bathroom (with hot water) and veranda. There are…

  • Slightly Chilled

    The Hill Country

    Dalhousie’s best option is Slightly Chilled in name and very chilled in nature. You'll find spacious, comfortable and colourful rooms with polished wooden…

  • Royal River Resort

    The Hill Country

    In a remote rainforest location, 6km north of Kitulgala via a rough road, this hotel is fantastically secluded. It has four timber cottages built around,…

  • Highest Village Bungalow

    Nuwara Eliya

    Run by a very hospitable family, this charming little guesthouse is located up in the hills, 4km northwest of town, in a mountain village said to be the…

  • Clove Villa

    Kandy

    A superb converted villa with seven gorgeous rooms, all with plush, tasteful furnishings and a dash of art, and kitted out with all the mod cons you could…

  • Hill Club

    Nuwara Eliya

    Judged in pure value-for-money terms, the somewhat tired rooms at this quintessentially colonial hotel don't really cut it. However, a stay at the Hill…

  • St Andrew’s Hotel

    Nuwara Eliya

    North of town on a beautifully groomed rise overlooking the golf course, this striking colonial residence was once a planters’ club. Today, it's a…

  • Sinharaja Rest

    The Hill Country

    Brothers Palitha and Bandula Rathnayaka are both certified forest guides, so staying here makes it easy to maximise your time. The rooms at their home are…

  • Madulkelle Tea & Ecolodge

    The Hill Country

    Definitely glamping not camping, this upmarket lodge's luxe tents are scattered around a verdant hillside, and are all equipped with commodious beds,…

  • Bandarawela Hotel

    The Hill Country

    Around 90 years ago, they wisely stopped updating the furniture at this venerable tea planters’ club. Now, in the 21st century, this hotel is a jolly fine…

  • Zion View

    Ella

    A wonderful guesthouse where the rooms have enormous glass-panel windows and terraces strewn with hammocks and chairs. Eating breakfast on the sunny…

  • Planters Bungalow

    Ella

    Ten clicks south of Ella, this converted tea-planters' bungalow is fringed by blossoming, beautiful gardens carefully cultivated by the owners (one of…

  • Athgira River Camping

    Uda Walawe National Park

    This safari camp has comfortable canvas tents strung along the river bank with attached (cold-water) bathrooms and proper beds (with mossie nets). It's a…

  • Elephant Stables

    Kandy

    This stunning villa was once the home of Sir Cudah Ratwatte, the first elected mayor of Kandy. Today, it's been lovingly converted into a beautiful hotel,…

  • Dream Café Guest House

    Ella

    Located above the restaurant of the same name, this hotel's accommodation is immaculate and ideal for families. Many of the offerings are mini-apartments…

  • Grand Hotel

    Nuwara Eliya

    This huge mock-Tudor edifice has immaculate lawns, a reading lounge and an impressive partly open dining terrace. Rooms are comfortable and well-equipped,…

  • Kandy Cottage

    Kandy

    Run by Thomas and Mani, a very welcoming couple, this slightly bohemian place is a great escape from the city, a Sri Lankan cottage tucked away in a…

  • Sharon Inn

    Kandy

    This small hilltop place is one of Kandy’s longest-established hotels and it has excellent views and scrupulously clean rooms decorated with Sri Lankan…

  • Rafter’s Retreat

    The Hill Country

    This old colonial-era bungalow serves as the hub for a rafting and birdwatching outfit that sprawls along the riverbank. The 10 quirky riverside cottages…

  • Ratna Gem Halt

    The Hill Country

    This family-run, eight-room guesthouse north of town has warm hospitality, good Sri Lankan food and fine views of emerald-green rice paddies. The cheapest…

  • Breetas Garden

    The Hill Country

    This converted tea plantation residence is now a tasteful guesthouse and restaurant, with eight spacious, well-presented rooms, many with private…

  • Hotel Gem Land

    The Hill Country

    Away from the bustle of the city centre, this guesthouse has functional rooms with solid wooden beds and furniture; some rooms have balconies. Eating…

  • Nisha Tourist Home

    The Hill Country

    Run by an intelligent, kind host family, the rooms in this family home are kept clean and have hot-water en suites. The location is very quiet, though…