About this hotel
General information
Ceylon Tea Trails is a collection of five restored tea planters’ bungalows spread across three working tea estates in the Bogawantalawa Valley, south of Hatton in Sri Lanka’s Central Highlands. Nearly 1,400 hectares of tea, patches of forest and Castlereagh Lake surround them. Norwood, Tientsin, Castlereagh, Summerville and Dunkeld each keep their own character and share 27 rooms and suites between them; every bungalow has its own lounges, library, dining room and bar, period furniture, tended gardens and a pool.
The estate is a member of Relais & Châteaux. There are no menus or set mealtimes: each bungalow’s chef plans the day’s dishes with every guest, and a butler looks after the rest. The rate is fully inclusive, covering drinks such as wine, beer and spirits as well as meals. At more than 1,200 metres days are mild but nights can fall to around 10 °C, so every bungalow has fireplaces and the bedrooms have no air conditioning. Stays are for two nights or more.
Location
The bungalows sit in the Bogawantalawa Valley, known as the Golden Valley of Tea, in the Dickoya area south of Hatton. They lie 1.5–16 km apart, with complimentary transfers between them, and a ten-minute boat crossing links Summerville with Castlereagh and Dunkeld across the lake. Colombo’s international airport is 137 km away (3.5–4 hours by road), Colombo 127 km, Kandy 82 km (about 2.5 hours), Nuwara Eliya 1 hour 45 minutes and Galle 190 km. Hatton, with the nearest railway station, is 20–45 minutes away depending on the bungalow. The hotel arranges road transfers as well as helicopter flights and a seaplane that lands on Castlereagh Lake itself.
Spa
Spa treatments, tea-infused scrubs and aromatic baths are given in the privacy of the guest’s own room. The bath blends include cinnamon spice, green tea, black pepper and orange, jasmine, and bergamot with geranium.
Sports & leisure
Tea sets the rhythm here. At the Dunkeld Tea Factory the estate’s resident tea planter explains how tea is grown, processed and blended, on a complimentary tour held privately in the morning or shared later in the day; a naturalist follows it with a talk on the Peak Ridge Forest Corridor for highland leopards, and a private tasting goes deeper still. Also on offer:
- 14 Bungalow-to-Bungalow trails, self-guided or with a naturalist, plus access to stages 6–9 of the long-distance Pekoe Trail
- mountain bikes at the bungalows, and guided walks or rides through tea fields and forest patches home to endemic amphibians, birds and leopards
- two-person kayaks on Castlereagh Lake and a lake cruise with breakfast or lunch on board
- a clay tennis court at Tientsin, croquet lawns at Norwood and Summerville, and a billiards room at Norwood
- a pre-dawn climb of Adam’s Peak (Sri Pada), white-water rafting on the Kelani River at Kitulgala (about 1.5 hours away), and day trips to Kandy, with the Peradeniya botanical gardens and the Temple of the Tooth, and to Nuwara Eliya
For children
Junior Tea Planter is a programme for children aged 6–16: with one of the estate’s planters or naturalists they learn how climate and altitude shape tea, pluck leaves in planter jackets with cane baskets when the weather allows, and take home a handbook, a certificate and a tea-making kit. Junior Chef sessions for different ages cover coconut and treacle pancakes, coconut and cinnamon cookies and fresh fruit juices.
Restaurants & bars
Each bungalow has its own dining room, bar and chef, and meals are reserved for resident guests. Dishes are agreed in advance rather than chosen from a menu, built on produce from the estate gardens and nearby farms, with high tea on the lawn and a signature tea-infused dinner, such as Earl Grey-cured salmon or lamb in a Moroccan mint crust. Away from the bungalows there are barbecue lunches with Champagne in the tea valleys, the Tea Planter’s Tiffin Lunch served in tiffin boxes on the hillside above Dunkeld, garden picnic breakfasts, and breakfast or lunch on a boat out on Castlereagh Lake.
Swimming
Every bungalow has a large outdoor pool: those at Dunkeld, Summerville and Castlereagh look over Castlereagh Lake, while Norwood and Tientsin face tea-covered mountains. Dunkeld and Summerville have infinity-edge pools, Norwood, Castlereagh and Dunkeld add a jacuzzi, and the Owner’s Cottage has its own heated outdoor jacuzzi.
Rooms
The 27 rooms and suites are shared between the five bungalows, five or six in each. Guests can ask for a preferred bungalow, split a stay between several, or book a whole bungalow for their own party.
Butler service, a bathroom with bathtub, walk-in rain shower and twin vanities, bath products, a writing desk, safe, Wi-Fi, complimentary laundry, mosquito nets and tea-infused repellent; there is no air conditioning, and many rooms have a fireplace.
Luxury Room
A cosy room with a king bed or two twin beds, a sunlit writing desk, a fireplace and a bathroom with freestanding bathtub and walk-in rain shower. Sleeps up to 3 with an extra bed.
Garden Suite
A suite with a king bed and a verandah opening onto its own manicured tropical garden, a bathroom with freestanding bathtub and rain shower, and a fireplace in some. Sleeps up to 3.
Master Suite
A suite with a four-poster king bed, a separate living room with open fireplace and work desk, and a verandah leading to a private tropical garden. Sleeps up to 4 (three adults and a child, or two adults and two children).
Owner’s Cottage
A detached cottage above Dunkeld bungalow among the tea fields, with a four-poster king bedroom, a living room with fireplace, a large verandah and a garden with its own heated outdoor jacuzzi. Meals are served in the main house or on the verandah; sleeps up to 4.
Estate Suite
A suite in Dunkeld bungalow with two king bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, joined by a private corridor and living area, plus a garden and terrace looking over the tea. Sleeps up to 6 (four adults and two children, or six adults).
Photos are for illustrative purposes only. Actual room layout, furnishings, décor, views and amenities may differ from those shown and may vary between rooms of the same category. Hotel and room descriptions are based on information provided by the property and are believed to be accurate at the time of publication, but are not guaranteed. The hotel may renovate or change its rooms, facilities, restaurants and services at any time without notice. The final details of your stay are confirmed at the time of booking. See our Terms of Use.