Glenross Living

Style

Tranquillity to a tea

Setting

Secluded in Sinharaja

Set on a former tea plantation and flanked by rainforest, Earth-kind Glenross Living is a feast for the soul — not least for its dedicated butlers, tailored activities and restorative spa. In the main house, trad-colonial touches paint a picture of the past that’s contrasted by modern stilted villas, each with an infinity-edge plunge pool. Tea picking, cinnamon peeling and hiking are as encouraged as poolside basking and meditation classes. We’ll have seconds of everything, please.

Facilities

Rooms

10, including seven villas and three suites.

Checkout

Noon, and check-in is at 2pm. Both are flexible, on request and subject to availability.

More Details

Rates include an English or traditional Sri Lankan breakfast, as well as one free yoga class.

Also

Unfortunately, this hillside retreat has rough and uneven terrain that makes it unsuitable for wheelchair-users and guests with limited mobility.

Fitness Center

Laundry

Room Service

Spa

At the Hotel

Wellness centre, 90-acre grounds, board games, outdoor cinema and charged laundry service. In rooms: free WiFi, TV, Marshall Bluetooth speakers, air-conditioning, ceiling fans, minibar, tea- and coffee-making kit, free glass-bottled water and organic bath products.

Our Favourite Rooms

Honeymooners will want to splash out for a Pool Villa, etched into the valley’s hillside and fitted with a separate living space, valley-facing windowed walls and an infinity-edge plunge pool that seemingly floats over the tropics.

Poolside

If you’re in need of a post-sauna swim, or simply an afternoon lounging, there’s a lap-worthy outdoor pool at the Manor House. Each Pool Villa also comes with its own private plunge pool for more secluded soaks.

Spa

The hotel’s healing spa is one of its keystones. Deft masseurs tailor treatments to you, drawing on ancient Asian therapies — including a Tibetan-rooted warm stone massage, once practised by Buddhist monks — to relax and restore. If you’re here to take your healing seriously, in-house nutritionists are on hand for personalised meal plans; yoga and meditation classes teach the lost skill of serenity, and angampora lessons explore Sri Lanka’s traditional form of martial arts. For a more familiar workout, a gym is tricked out with treadmills and weights.

Packing Tips

Bring your binoculars for an afternoon of bird watching.

Also

There’s WiFi in rooms and the main bungalow, but otherwise your scrolling will have to wait.

Children

Welcome, but not especially catered to; there’s no kids’ club, but there are games available at the hotel, and during August and September, the hotel hosts traditional kite- and lantern-making sessions. Cots are available on request.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

If you’ve bagged yourself a villa, ask for dinner to be set up on your valley-surveying terrace.

Dress Code

Let the scenery do its thing, and keep it simple with effortlessly chic, light linens.

Hotel Restaurant

There’s little need for menus when you’ve a personal nutritionist to hand. Once your bespoke meal plan has been created, chefs prepare your round-the-world plates with locally sourced, organic ingredients. You’re welcome to dine at the Manor Houses's laidback restaurant, but we’d suggest bucking the trend and asking your dedicated butler to set up a table in a secluded spot on the estate, so you can dine under starlit skies.

Hotel Bar

The Colonial Bar is set within the restaurant, and offers a curated selection of classic cocktails, wines, beers and light bites.

Last Orders

Breakfast is served from 7.30 to 9.30am; lunch from 12.30pm to 2.30pm, and dinner between 7.30pm and 9.30pm.

Room Service

Dishes can be delivered to your door between 7am and 10.30pm.

Planes

Colombo Bandaranaike is your closest international airport, around 90 minutes from the hotel by car (private transfers can be arranged for LKR25,000). If you’re arriving domestically, there’s a small local airport in Kalutara, which is a 30-minute drive away from Glenross Living.

Automobiles

There’s free private parking less than a minute's walk from the hotel for anyone bringing a set of wheels.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Most of your adventuring can be done without leaving Glenross’s gates: start your mornings with a restorative stint at the spa, stretching on your yoga mat and meditating as the sun rises. During the day, guided and immersive hikes take you around the estate’s cinnamon fields and rubber trees, where you’ll learn the ancient art of extraction. Mindfulness strolls and forest bathing are available for the holistic healers, and instructor-led angampora classes teach the foundations of Sri Lanka’s ancient martial arts. If you’re venturing further afield, Kalutara Bodhiya is a striking sacred sight, Richmond Castle is worth a visit for its Edwardian architecture and river safaris cruise down the winding Kalu Ganga.

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. .