Goatfell Hotel Nuwara Eliya

Located amidst the Concordia Estate, and within strolling distance to Finlay’s Tea Factory, Goatfell Hotel in Kandapola’s elevated surroundings basks in glorious hill country views. The enveloping tea hills, waterfalls and heart-stopping panoramas are a walkers’ paradise.

Nuwara Eliya is a market town carved out of a bowl-shaped valley beneath the dramatic Pidurutalagala Mountain, Sri Lanka’s loftiest peak.

Often referred to as Little England, the town dates back to the mid-19th century and is where British tea planters would converge to socialise, relax and indulge in cooler-climate country pursuits such as deer hunting, golf, polo and cricket.

Many of Nuwara Eliya’s buildings, such as the Post Office, stay true to their colonial heritage while the Nuwara Eliya Race Course still hosts meetings a few times a year. Sights in Nuwara Eliya’s outskirts include Hakgala Botanical Gardens and the Sita Ella Hindu Kovil.

Although Nuwara Eliya is a prime tea-producing region, this is also Sri Lanka’s garden city. Surrounding the town, on terraces and in small home gardens, are neatly arranged vegetable plots sprouting leeks, carrots, beans and cabbages for consumption across the island.

This is also the island’s prime milk producing region. Ambewela’s vivid green mist-cloaked pastures are sprinkled with grazing Friesian herds.

Accommodation
Formerly home to the Managers of the Concordia Estate, this century-old bungalow is now a boutique hotel in Kandapola with four atmospheric bedrooms styled for the discerning modern traveller.

Furnished with a mix of hand-sourced antique and custom-designed contemporary pieces, bedrooms have plush beds, sitting areas, private garden and estate-view terraces and ensuite bathrooms with bathtubs for warm relaxing soaks.

The three spacious Concordia Double Bedrooms, each with king-sized beds, encourage you to sleep serenely, and wake up to stunning tea garden views.

The Concordia Twin Bedroom is furnished with cosy twin beds and may be interconnected with a Concordia Double Bedroom to form a Family Suite. Bedrooms are equipped with heaters, rugs, blankets and hot water bottles for cooler Kandapola nights.

Concordia Double Bedrooms
All three Concordia Double Bedrooms are contemporary in arrangement yet allow the heritage charm of the bungalow to shine through a mix of antique and modern furnishings.

Sleep in indulgently dressed king-size four poster beds, curl up in an armchair with a much-longed-for book or step onto your private veranda to breathe in the fresh mountain air. Bathrooms have bathtubs for warm evening soaks after invigorating tea country walks.

Kandapola is a large, private bedroom to the front of the bungalow and opens directly onto the lawn and infinity swimming pool through a set of French windows. Ragala, located to the right of the bungalow, is generous and indulgent, with views of the bungalows beautifully manicured gardens and surrounding tea estate.

Tucked off the central hallway, Summerhill bears similarities to the Ragala Bedroom yet has the option of being connected with its neighbouring twin bedroom, Park, to make a Family Suite.

Concordia Twin Bedroom
Our heated Concordia Twin Bedroom, Park, is cosy and chic and tucked off the central hallway. Laden with period charm, the bedroom is furnished with four poster twin single beds adorned with warm duvets, an armchair, desk and walk in wardrobe, as well as a table and chairs on a private veranda for absorbing the fresh air and garden views.

The bathroom has a bathtub for long soaks. This room has the option of interconnecting with a neighbouring Concordia Double Bedroom to make a Family Suite.

The Dining Room
The kitchen at Goatfell promises locally sourced, freshly cooked food, served to you in an upcountry tea bungalow atmosphere. Our butlers make you feel at home by mixing your favourite drinks, serving afternoon tea in the garden and gourmet meals in our cosy indoor dining room or outside on the veranda.

Rates are all inclusive, so expect to tuck into a hearty breakfast followed by a ‘Planter’s Lunch’ – a selection of daily curries – before moving onto afternoon tea and later, an a la carte dinner.

Snacks and drinks, including your favourite tipples, best-enjoyed beside the warm crackling fireplace of our comfortable sitting room, are also included in the daily rate.

Experiences
The cool, fresh mountain climate of Kandapola makes this a superb destination for exploring outdoors. The bungalow’s own tea estate provides a good introduction, and you can stroll along hedge-lined estate roads flanked by waist-high tea bushes either on your own or with one of our butler guides.

Finlay’s Tea Factory, an authentic working tea factory, is within walking distance of the bungalow and you can learn all about the production of the world’s favourite brew on an absorbing manager-guided tea factory tour.

Our curated experiences of things to do in Nuwara Eliya take in the region’s main attractions. Explore the sights of the colonial-era hill station of Nuwara Eliya or visit Horton Plains to peer down from dramatic World’s End and stroll through the reserve’s plains and high altitude cloud forest.

Tothupola Kanda, Sri Lanka’s third-highest mountain, is also found here, and is a much less visited peak whose path to summit travels up through lichen-clad woodland to reveal panoramic views across Horton Plains, towards Nuwara Eliya and even as far as Adam’s Peak.

Other highlights include picnics in scenic locations, visiting the Hakgala Botanical gardens and swimming in cool waterfalls.

Website: www.teardrop-hotels.com

Rooms: 4

Price: from 384 EUR per night