Thotalagala

Style

Steeped-in-history bungalow

Setting

Aromatic tea plantation

Hillside tea-planter’s bungalow turned boutique hotel Thotalagala is a colonial-style, seven-room stay, decorated with original 19th-century furnishings and odes to the heritage of Sri Lankan Hill Country. Take alfresco breakfasts on the emerald-green lawn and look out over rolling tea plantations as you nibble baked goods and sip locally grown tea; in the evenings, dine in old-world splendour at the long antique dining table. Spend your days exploring the grounds, climbing up to nearby Lipton’s Seat, or simply lounging on the cream-coloured sofas in-between tea times.

Facilities

Rooms

Seven, including four suites.

Checkout

11am; earliest check-in is 2pm.

More Details

Rates include breakfast; all-inclusive rates also include lunch and a three-course dinner; afternoon tea; pre-dinner cocktails; wine and spirits (excluding premium wines, champagne and some spirits); guided tour of Dambetanne Tea Factory; and high tea.

Also

The architecture of this historic home and the surrounding hills may make this stay less suitable if you have limited mobility.

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Pool

At the Hotel

Manicured gardens, cigar room and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: Spa Ceylon bath products.

Our Favourite Rooms

Each of the seven rooms is individually decorated with antique furnishings – a roll-top desk here, an artfully arranged taxonomy of fragrant plants there – and named after a historical figure with a tea-country connection. We especially like the stunning four-poster bed in the Rev Walter Senior room.

Poolside

The adults-only unheated pool has views of the rolling green plantation and poolside sunloungers on which to lie and sip tea (or G&Ts).

Packing Tips

Bring your hiking boots and binoculars: Haputale is ideally located for trekking and birdwatching.

Also

High Tea is included in your stay. Take yours – with tiered plates of scones, cucumber sandwiches and cakes – outside on a table-for-two with views of the rolling hills (weather permitting), or in the antique-dotted living room.

Children

Over-8s are welcome to stay in suites for US$60 a day; cots and extra beds aren’t available, but there are sofa beds in three of the larger suites.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Be sociable and share your day’s experience with the other guests, or ask for a more private table outside. The terrace is tops for alfresco lunches.

Dress Code

There may be a little chill in the air, so pull out a cosy jumper or cardigan. Add ornate cufflinks, an antique broach or a string of pearls.

Hotel Restaurant

The large, colonial-style dining room has a one long table that seats up to 14 guests. Choose between Sri Lankan and western-style dishes on the evenings set menu, or the á la carte menus; the set menu changes daily, based on what’s available locally, and the chef discusses options with guests at the start of each day. Expect to see an assortment of curries served with Sri Lankan roti and spicy sambal sauce; if it’s on offer, don’t pass on the lentil dhal. In warmer months, elaborate candle-lit barbecues can be arranged for alfresco dinners. Dessert options range from banana fritters and cinnamon ice-cream to chocolate tarts and fresh fruit.

Hotel Bar

There’s no dedicated bar, but G&Ts aren’t hard to come by, and a fireside armchair in the teak-panelled cigar room is the perfect place for a post-dinner cognac.

Last Orders

Meals are arranged at times that are most convenient for guests; if you fancy breakfast at 11am or dinner at 5pm, just ask.

Room Service

You're made to feel at home here, and room service can be arranged at any time.

Planes

It's a five-hour drive to Thotalagala from Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport. SriLankan Airlines flies direct to Colombo from Sydney and a handful of European destinations; one-stop operators include Emirates and Singapore Airlines. Call our Smith24 team to arrange flights and transfers.

Trains

Haputale Railway Station is 15 minutes away by car; let the hotel know when your train is due, and they’ll arrange a free pickup (and drop-off) for you.

Automobiles

It’s best to leave driving to the professionals in Sri Lanka, but if you are careening around on your own set of wheels, there’s limited free public parking down the street; however, it’s not monitored and spaces aren’t reserved for guests.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Enjoy leisurely walks around the estate’s gardens or lounge with a book on one of the cream-coloured sofas. Ask nicely and hotel staff will rustle up breakfast picnics and afternoon teas. Tour nearby Dambatenne Tea Factory, then take a page from Sir Thomas Lipton and hike up to his favourite look-out spot; you’ll be rewarded with a panoramic view of the surrounding hills and tea estates. To get there, it’s an eight-kilometre trek through lush tea plantations, but it’s also possible to hail a tuk-tuk up to Lipton’s Seat, if you’re after a more leisurely outing. Just three kilometres west of Haputale, Tudor-style home turned Benedictine monastery Adisham welcomes tours through its library and English-country-style gardens. After you’ve poked around this former home of tea-planter Sir Thomas Lester Villiers, swing by the shop for a jar of monk-made pineapple jam or mango chutney.

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. .