Ceylon Tea Trails — Bogawantalawa, Sri Lanka

While Sri Lanka is generally associated with palm trees and endless white sandy beaches, further inland, among the surging mountainous landscape, the temperature cools and a curtain of mist blankets a rolling sweep of emerald tea plantations.
Deep within these hills, set over 2,000 acres, Ceylon Tea Trails comprises five colonial-style bungalows scattered along the banks of Castlereagh Lake and down into the Bogawantalawa valley. Each named after past tea planter occupants, the cottages - which were all originally built between 1888 and 1950 - have all been sympathetically restored to provide a total of 26 plush rooms between them.
First opened in 2005, the latest bungalow to join the fold is Dunkeld. Perched on a promontory, with sweeping vistas of the montane forests and the turquoise waters of the lake below, the four-bedroom house, along with a separate two-room owner’s cottage, imbues the atmosphere of a private club, with parquet flooring, roaring log fires, claw-footed baths and cosy four-poster beds.
Legs wearied after a day of outdoor activities including hikes, white water rafting or - our pick - exploring the tea plantation and factory, head back for a soak in the infinity pool and Jacuzzi with a stiff gin and tonic, made by your personal butler, before tucking into a meal cooked to your specifics by the onsite chef.
Launching soon will be the spruced-up Summerville bungalow, and while Dunkeld is our pick, not least for its panoramic views, each cottage has its own unique characteristics, with Tientsin and its enchanting secret gardens coming in at a close second.
ADDRESS
Dunkeld Bungalow
Bogawantalawa
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Lauren Ho is the Travel Director of Wallpaper*, roaming the globe, writing extensively about luxury travel, architecture and design for both the magazine and the website. Lauren serves as the European Academy Chair for the World's 50 Best Hotels.
-
Mercedes-Benz previews its next-gen people mover with an ultra-luxury EV concept
The Mercedes-Benz Vision V Concept is an art deco picture palace on wheels, designed to immerse passengers in parallel worlds as they travel
By Jonathan Bell
-
Visit this Michelin-star New York restaurant that doubles as an art gallery
Artist Mr.StarCity is exhibiting his emotionally charged yet optimistic ‘Bloomers’ portrait series at Frevo, a Greenwich Village hidden haunt
By Adrian Madlener
-
Nina Runsdorf brings classic jewellery back to life to mark 20 years
New York-based jewellery designer Nina Runsdorf celebrates her eponymous brand’s anniversary with a new jewellery collection, ‘Archive’
By Hannah Silver
-
Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico
By Chadner Navarro
-
Martim — Wroclaw, Poland
By Daven Wu
-
Tattersalls Hotel — Armidale, Australia
By Dimity Noble
-
KLoé Hotel — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
By Jennifer Choo
-
Casa Hoyos — San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
By Daven Wu
-
Littlenap — Hangzhou, China
By Daven Wu
-
Casa Santa Teresa — Corsica, France
By Daven Wu
-
Swedish studio Claesson Koivisto Rune designs K5, a new hotel in Tokyo
Step inside Claesson Koivisto Rune’s design as a 1920s bank turns hotel
By Danielle Demetriou