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Pakistan Karakoram Highway Expedition
Pakistan
Camellia Hills is a modern tea estate bungalow, set in the central highlands of Southern Sri Lanka. Surrounded by lush tea plantations and some of the most awe-inspiring scenery, this is a place where you will enjoy the nippy mornings, comfortable afternoons for walking and chilly evenings, to sit beside a log fire with your favourite whisky. But the most exciting part of it all, is reaching here from Kandy to Hatton by a steam engine train – a feast for the eyes.
Perched on an elevated 1,200-metre mountainside, Camellia Hills has just five guest rooms. All are generous in size and have spacious living rooms decorated in contemporary style with open terraces to admire the vista over the rolling hills. The bungalow has a team of butlers and local chefs serve Continental and Sri Lankan dishes. For relaxation, there is an infinity swimming pool and an ambalama (traditional style resting place) located in the front garden.
Hatton is an undulating plateau, covered by wild grasslands, interspersed with patches of thick forest, rocky outcrops and misty lakes. Guests at Camellia Hills can explore the diversity of the landscape offering a wide variety of wildlife (though hidden) and rich birdlife. Popular activity with guests here is visiting tea plantations but other interesting sites include Nuwara Eliya, known for colonial-era bungalows and Tudor-style hotels as well as Adam's Peak, a pilgrimage site.
Amenities
Bar/PubConciergeCribs/Infant Beds AvailableFamily RoomGardenLibraryOutdoor PoolRestaurantSafety Deposit BoxesWi-Fi AvailableStay Camellia Hills in Hatton, Hill Country has just five guest rooms in two categories: Lakeview Bedrooms and Camellia Bedrooms. All are spacious in size and decorated in minimalistic style. Expect wooden floors, open-beamed ceilings, large glass windows and doors that open out onto terraces providing stunning views of the rolling hills and Castlereagh Reservoir. The three Lakeview rooms have great vistas, two of which have a bathtub while the two Camellia Bedrooms are ideal for families.
ChildCare Families with children are welcome to stay at Camellia Hills. The Master Suite has two bedrooms, perfect for guests travelling with little ones. One of the Camellia Bedrooms has a double bed while the other is a twin room. Both rooms come with an ensuite bathroom with shower and are ideal for families. Children will love the wide-open spaces and explore tea plantations, walk to the top of the ridge for great vistas or enjoy a game of cricket on the lawn.
Dine Dining at Camellia Hills is on an all-inclusive basis. The inhouse restaurant serves a fusion of Continental and traditional Sri Lankan cuisines served in the dining room or al fresco in the front garden. There is also a cosy open-plan lounge with fireplace, where pre-dinner drinks are served. Private dining is also available in your private room terrace or in a number of scenic locations.
Relax For relaxation, Camellia Hills has a fabulous 10-metre swimming pool and ambalama (traditional Sri Lankan shelter) located in the front garden and surrounded by tea fields. Guests are also waited on by a team of butlers who pride themselves on their highly personalised service.
Experience Sri Lanka's Hill Country is famed for its mist-wrapped hills, carpeted with tea plantations and graced by dazing waterfalls. Guests at Camellia Hills can take guided tea estate walks and learn about the tea production at one of the many tea factories. This is also a leopard country with a leopard research station, where you can see photographs generated by their camera traps. There are also plenty of walking trails and options for mountain biking and day excursions to nearby cultural sites.
Location Camellia Hills is located in the Bogawantalawa Valley, known as the Golden Valley of Tea. The property overlooks the Castlereagh reservoir in the central highlands in Hatton. Hatton can be accessed by road or by train.
Getting there Fly into Colombo's Bandaranaike International Airport. From there catch a seaplane to Kandy where you can enjoy a scenic train journey to Hatton. Alternatively, the journey time is around four to five hours from Colombo.
When to go Sri Lanka is a year-round destination with consistently warm temperatures and lots of sunshine. However, it barely gets unbearably hot in the Hill Country. The months of December to April are probably the best time to visit, when days are warm (around 28C) with cool nights. During the monsoon season from October to December you can expect heavy downpours. June to September are the driest months here when there’s almost no rain at all.
Destination
Central, Sri Lanka
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