Kahanda Kanda

Style

Serene Sri Lankan

Setting

Tranquil tropical gardens

Join the monkeys, mongooses and bright-feathered birds at Kahanda Kanda, set in a lush green tea plantation on a quiet Galle hillside. British owner George has styled this eight-room residence: expect stately teak furniture, blue-white china, and plenty of homely touches, including squashy chairs and tome-stuffed bookshelves.

Facilities

Rooms

12 suites, each in a separate building.

Checkout

Noon but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 2pm.

More Details

Rates usually include breakfast (Continental and full English). Guests can add half-board dining for an extra US$35 a person, each night; full-board is US$60.

Also

Take part in a cookery class at the hotel, so you can treat the folks back home to Sri Lankan feasts. Just let the chef know what you want to cook (perhaps one of the curries that you had for breakfast). British owner George is an interior designer and it shows: he's responsible for the rooms' colonial elegance, and chose all the antiques and nick nacks.

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Pool

On-Site Restaurant

Spa

At the Hotel

Gardens, library, mini gym, home cinema, free WiFi throughout. In rooms: radio, iPod dock, minibar, air-conditioning, bathrobes, slippers.

Our Favourite Rooms

Peacock, Tamarind and Mango each have a veranda surveying the garden. Ornithologists should book the former, which is named for the attention-seeking birds that strut down to the balcony, hoping for a feathered female audience (roosting parakeets and peacocks like Tamarind and Mango’s balconies, too). Honeymooners should opt for the Dubu Suite, set on a hillside all by itself and with its own large lawn (ok, you might have to share it with the monkeys, too) and private pool, perfect for parties or horizontal sunset smooching. Dubu is the only room with a TV.

Poolside

The inky-green rainwater infinity pool curves around an ancient tree in the gardens, overlooking Koggala Lake and flanked by sleek black sun loungers.

Spa

Be rubbed with scented oils in the plantation-spying massage pavilion, set in the pretty gardens. Have your knots worked out with a deep tissue massage, or go for a soothing head or foot massage. Mani-pedis can also be arranged on request. All spa therapists are male, but if you prefer a woman's touch, please let the hotel know and they'll try to arrange a female therapist for you (for an extra US$30).

Packing Tips

This is the perfect place to quietly learn a new skill (aided by G&Ts, of course): bring bridge, a pack of cards or a Sri Lankan phrase book. Come with cat treats in your pockets for Rosie, the sociable resident tortoiseshell.

Also

The hotel can arrange a free tuk-tuk shuttle for guests who want to dine at sister property KK Beach. There's a compulsory gala dinner for all guests staying on 24 or 31 December, costing US$75 and US$100 a head respectively.

Children

It's over-12s only at Kahanda Kanda, but once Smiths hit that age mark, they're very welcome. Extra beds are $60 a night.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

As close the pond as possible.

Dress Code

White linen; leather sandals.

Hotel Restaurant

Sit and admire the lily pond and its darting mandarin-coloured fish from the open-air restaurant, which serves up fragrant, spicy dishes featuring fresh produce from the gardens. The chef often rustles up Sri Lankan curry buffets, so guests can gallop through a range of different local favourites. Should you be after something more familiar, Western options can be requested.

Hotel Bar

The airy Lounge Pavilion is open all day: start with tea here and return for something more potent, an Arrack Sour perhaps (a local twist on a whisky sour, featuring arrack, lime juice, sugar syrup and soda water). By night, the bar flickers with candlelight.

Last Orders

You have until 9.30pm to order dinner; the restaurant closes at 10.30pm. Drinks are served in the bar until 11pm.

Room Service

Dishes from the restaurant menu can be brought to your room between 7am and 11pm.

Planes

Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport is 150km away from the hotel; Sri Lankan Airlines is the only carrier that flies direct from Sydney and select European destinations. Call our Smith24 team to arrange hotel transfers (US$95 each way for up to three guests).

Trains

Galle station is 15km away, with services connecting to major cities including Kalutara and Hikkaduwa. The three-hour rail ride from Colombo’s Fort Station to Galle is a lesson in cultural immersion, both inside the carriages and out.

Automobiles

Galle is a 25-minute drive from Kahanda Kanda. Don’t worry about wheels, though: the hotel has a car to get guests around in, and a tuktuk.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Borrow bikes and go free-wheeling around the tea plantation, or also borrow Alex, who will take you on a guided ride to or from Wijaya: start with a swim and lunch at Wijaya and cycle back to Kahanda Kanda, or start at the hotel and finish with cocktails and a swim at Wijaya. Go on a Koggala Lake boat trip: you’ll start by visiting Talathuduwa Temple Island, and can go on to visit Spice Island, where you’ll learn about how spices grow and are used in Ayuverdic treatments. You can continue on to an island where cinnamon is harvested, and then visit the sanctuary on Bird Island. Learn about tea by going tea-leaf plucking with the female pluckers, before visiting the local tea factory to see how tea is made, and then on to Kahanda village to drink tea the traditional way, at one of the tea plucker’s houses. If you want to explore Galle fort, staff will give you a map and a list of the best local restaurants. Go looking for blue whales and spinner dolphins (January until April).

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. .