A heritage holiday in the hills : Kelburne Mountain View

Stay in Ceylon in today’s Sri Lanka: Kelburne Mountain View

Sri Lanka is unique in being able to offer visitors a taste on holiday, not just of pure Ceylon tea that made this country prosperous when it was a colony but also of the Ceylon tea plantation lifestyle, part of this country’s heritage.

There are several former tea plantation bungalows that now welcome guests, some are reconditioned and luxurious, others simple and charming, but all have amazing views, with meals individually prepared on demand with personalised service, and freedom to relax in scenic splendour.

Since many are beyond the range of Wifi and mobile telephone signals and don’t have television, complete relaxation away from contact with the modern world is assured. And with trekking, bird watching and neighbourhood visiting there’s plenty to do.

One of the pioneers in plantation bungalow holidays is Kelburne Mountain View, in the hills of Haputale, not far from where SirThomas Lipton bought plantations to grow his Lipton’s brand of Ceylon tea. On this hillside, tea estate are four cottages developed from former management bungalows, each with an amazing view from 5,000 feet above sea level, across mist-shrouded hills and dales, to Sri Lanka’s southern coast.

In colonial days in April when the weather was too hot and enervating for the British officials and traders in Colombo, they used to retreat to the hills to cool down. For tourists tired of sunshine and beaches, a few nights in the clouds of Sri Lanka’s chilly hill country is not only a welcome contrast but a romantic and energising experience.

My favourite hill country town is Haputale. It’s a different, gracious and genuine, lifestyle there: no one is in a hurry, people are hospitable and happy to talk, and they don’t regard tourists as targets. And that’s where you’ll find the four separate cottages that comprise Kelburne Mountain View Resort.

I first stayed there 25 years ago and have returned about fifteen times since then. My most recent visit was in April 2019 and, to my astonishment, the place has got even better over the years.

The original staff who were recruited from plantation bungalows and had been trained by the British tea planters and their wives have long gone, but the spirit of service, attention to detail, courtesy and willingness to please, as well as classic colonial cottage comfort, remains.

While Kelburne Mountain View has the focus selling-point of its deep panoramic views and utter tranquillity in the midst of tea bushes, it also has a new, recommendable quality that surprised me: fantastic food. I guess I have become so accustomed to the bland tourist pap dished up by hotels here, that to have fresh, wholesome and delicious cuisine served in the privacy of our own dining room was a wonderful experience.

For our first night dinner, the chef’s pumpkin soup flavoured with lemongrass intrigued us all. This was followed by honey-roasted chicken, a revelation on how to make chicken interesting. The hand-cut chips (OK, “French fries”), made from local potatoes, were chunky and crisp and had a proper, natural taste of the earth. And the salad of vegetables from hill gardens, with slivers of pineapple, was sensational.

Another treat was breakfast the next day. The “Full Sri Lankan” – egg hoppers (a rice-flour crepe with a poached egg in the centre) with local beef curry, lentil curry, senni sambol (a sweet onion chutney) and other relishes, and – on request – milk rice.

I and my three friends (a Maldivian couple and a Sri Lankan), enjoyed the ideal holiday at Kelburne. The peace and comfort of Wildflower Cottage was totally relaxing. It’s a steep climb down rugged steps to stay in isolation amidst tall trees, jungle noises at night, in this charming cottage with wide doors that open onto a veranda with a view, where we had breakfast, and evening drinks. A log fire blazed in the parlour at night adding to the blissful cosiness.

Kelburne Mountain View Cottages replicates the days of old, with modern amenities (like hot water shower, fine cotton duvets) complemented with caring, traditional service. We stayed two nights; it simply wasn’t enough time away from city stress, coastal heat and the fake hospitality of tourist resorts.

Getting to Kelburne Mountain View Haputale

From Colombo: Take the Badulla/Bandarawela Road through Ratnapura (A4). At Haputalé Town cross-road, take the right turn on the Dambettene Road (approx. 1 mile). Turn at the Kelburne Mountain View Board.

From Kandy: Take the Peradeniya/Badulla Road (A5) to Welimada. Turn right on the Welimada/Bandarawela Road to reach Haputalé. Turn left at the crossroad.

From down South: Take the A2 road to Wellawaya and turn left onto the Koslanda/Beragala Road, join the A5. Or, go straight to Ella on the A23 and drive to Bandarawela/Haputalé.

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