Uga Chena Huts

Style

Wonder domes

Setting

Elephant-patrolled outpost

Uga Chena Huts resort – in Yala National Park on Sri Lanka’s southern coast – brings The Jungle Book to life (with a little less singing): elephants frolic on the beach, flamingos flock in the lagoon and, come summer, baby turtles hatch and shimmy into the Indian Ocean. Lavish mop-topped huts are a little more ‘born with a silver spoon’ than ‘raised by wolves’ – each has a private plunge pool, freestanding bath tub and climate control – but, set in seclusion amid the trees, the call of the wild can be answered swiftly. Even more enticingly all meals are included (from the breakfast muffins to the coconut sambals for dinner) and you'll get a free game drive each day.

Facilities

Rooms

Fourteen pavilions.

Checkout

11am, but flexible, subject to availability. Guaranteed early check-in or late check-out will be charged as an extra night. Earliest check-in, 2pm.

More Details

The room rate includes all meals; morning and evening game drives; entry to the National Park with snacks and drinks, and transport in a shared vehicle; selected wine, beer and spirits; laundry; and snacks and soft drinks from the daily restocked minibar.

Also

The resort can be navigated by wheelchair (although outside may be trickier), and there's one accessible room.

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Pool

On-Site Restaurant

At the Hotel

Private beach, seven acres of wilderness, lagoon, 24-hour guest assistance, free minibar (excluding alcoholic drinks), on-site security, free WiFi. In rooms: Panasonic flatscreen TV and DVD player, Geneva sound system with Bluetooth connection, tea- and coffee-making facilities, minibar, air-conditioning, bottled water.

Our Favourite Rooms

Each palm-thatched, domed sanctum is equally desirable – there’s little deviation from the stylish mod-safari decor. However, Pavilions 1 and 2 nabbed the best views and are a little closer to the restaurant.

Poolside

The hotel’s outdoor pool (open 10am to 8pm) is camouflaged in jungle greenery and set a little inland, so you’ll hear the trickle of its waterfall before you spy its glimmering jade-toned tiles. A small bar is tucked away under the waterfall, and loungers around the sides are shaded by trees.

Spa

Chena Huts Spa, set by the pool, has two thatched treatment rooms for soothing body-buffing rituals, massages and facials.

Packing Tips

Bring mosquito repellent to keep away the critters you don’t want to see, and binoculars for spotting the ones you do.

Also

The resort’s ingenious design ensures the flora and fauna remain undisturbed: buildings are spaced out to let wildlife roam freely, paths are raised over vegetation to let it grow, and elderly tree trunks pierce some of the structures.

Children

The resort is suitable for snack-size little ones. Extra beds can be added for children aged 4 to 11 for an additional cost ($209) For over-12s, extra beds can be added for $305 (subject to availability)

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Ask staff to set up a table in romantic seclusion by a beach bonfire under the stars.

Dress Code

Khaki king (and queen).

Hotel Restaurant

Named after the Great Basses Reef Lighthouse visible from its terrace, Basses restaurant is a laid-back eatery atop a raised platform on the beach. Maps and hurricane lamps add a nautical tinge to recycled-wood furnishings and a palm roof. Open walls and alfresco tables allow guests to gaze over the ocean, and meals showcase local ingredients in fish curries and coconut sambals, with a few modern European picks on the menu. The breakfast menu will lure you like a leopard to its prey with pineapple and cinnamon muffins, French toast with caramelised apples, kiribath (a treditional Sri Lankan dish made with rice) and an omelette station.

Hotel Bar

Sundowners are mixed and sipped in the resort’s sunken ocean-facing bar, leading off from the restaurant. Fashioned from local wood (in eco-friendly style) and filled with pouffes to plonk down on to, you can listen to the waves murmur as you sip a cocktail, cool glass of wine or fresh watermelon juice.

Last Orders

Breakfast from 6.30am–9.30am, lunch from noon–2.30pm and dine from 7.30pm–10.30pm.

Room Service

None. The bugs and beasts might want to join in…

Planes

Fly in to Colombo Bandaranaike Airport then either hop on a connecting flight to Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, an hour’s drive from the resort, or Mawella Lagoon domestic airport, a two-hour drive away. Cinnamon Air flies to both, once a day. With three days’ notice, private transfers from Colombo, roughly a five-hour drive, can be arranged with the hotel from US$240 a car. Call our Smith24 Team on 03300 376 891 to arrange flights and transfers.

Automobiles

First-timers in Sri Lanka may feel more comfortable hiring a local driver, as traffic can be a nail-biting affair; the hotel can help you to arrange this. Self-drivers can hire a car at the airport; you’ll need an international licence and recognition permit (available from the AA office in Colombo, +94 11 242 1528) From the capital, choose either the six-hour inland route via Ratnapura’s waterfalls, or the five-hour coastal route with a pitstop in colonial city Galle. From Tissamaharama town follow the B422 and B499 roads south, then turn right onto Chaaya Wild Yala Hotel Road to reach the resort.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Most of your time will be spent watching the greenery for a glimpse of the local wildlife. Yala National Park is a ravishingly beautiful, lavishly biodiverse expanse of grassy plains and dense jungle: leopards, elephants, white-tailed deer, crocodiles, sloth bears and colourful flocks of birds co-exist peacefully here (food-chain withstanding) – grab your zoom-iest camera for a morning or evening game drive, included in your room rate with a picnic. Bundala National Park, renowned for its theatrical feathered friends and prehistoric relics, is an hour’s drive away. For closer-to-home exploration, ask a member of staff to take you on a tour of the property; it’s possible to spot crocodiles and buffalo by the lagoon, or elephants taking a break on the beach – in summer, baby turtles hatch and make a dash for the surf. If you’re staying a little longer, visit the Great and Little Basses reefs, best reached from Mirissa town (around a three-hour drive), where dolphins and whales frolic, and divers can explore Portuguese wrecks. Kataragama, an hour’s drive north, is home to an ancient Hindu forest shrine (thousands of pilgrims descend on the town in July and August for holy festivities).

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .