Aarunya Nature Resort

Style

Tea-lightful villa hideaway

Setting

Restful mountain ridge

Once a growing ground for tea and spice, Aarunya Nature Resort is now all things nice: a boutique collection of sweetly simple villas plugged into the hillside facing spectacular mountain scenery. The Knuckles range is your constant companion, from mist-rolling sunrise to tranquil dusk. Wander the gardens, bike the trails and give yourself an Ayurvedic onceover, before hitting the tea pavilion for a pot of Ceylon – or the bar for something with a little more kick.

Facilities

Rooms

Eight villas.

Checkout

11am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 2pm.

More Details

Rates include breakfast, and for stays from 10 to 20 August annually and over Christmas and New Year, a two-night minimum applies.

Also

One of Aarunya Nature Resort villas is wheelchair accessible, as are certain communal parts of the resort. However, the mountain terrain and stepped access to some areas of the hotel mean the resort’s not ideal if you have mobility issues.

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Pool

On-Site Restaurant

Room Service

At the Hotel

Nine-acre garden estate; mountain bikes to borrow; free ironing service; paid laundry service and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: LED TV with satellite channels, Bluetooth speaker, air-conditioning, hairdryer, coffee- and tea-making kit, free bottled water, free minibar (excluding alcohol), free fruit platter with homemade chocolates, on-call butler service and bath products.

Our Favourite Rooms

Aarunya Nature Resort's extra-special, top-of-the-world Sky Tented Villa takes first place for us, amid admittedly stiff competition in this incomparable location. You’ll sleep under its safari-tent-style canopy in king-size comfort, bathe outdoors in a mountain-backdropped bath tub, and bob contentedly in your own private pool. The fantastic views carry over to the open-air bathroom, where windows frame the valley in glorious snapshots.

Poolside

The outdoor, chlorinated infinity pool at the central bungalow is for adults and children aged 12 and up. Relax on a sunlounger and take in the Unesco-listed Knuckles mountain range: nothing short of spectacular.

Spa

At Aarogya Luxury Spa & Wellness Center (open 9am to 9pm daily), a menu of restorative treatments awaits, based on Balinese or Ayurvedic therapeutic techniques. Try a stress-release or hot stone massage, a calming scalp ritual, or a green tea sea-salt scrub. Traditional Ayurvedic treatments include the Shirodhara, performed using warm oils on the forehead, and the Pinda Sweda, a combination of massage and sweat therapy designed to relieve aches. There are four treatment rooms, including one for couples, plus an infrared sauna, herbal bath, body steam chair and outdoor bathhouse. Longer retreat packages, tailored to you, are available, too.

Packing Tips

Take a swish sarong for temple-bound trips, and robust covered shoes for leafy mountain ascents.

Also

In-room check-in or check-out is available if arranged ahead.

Children

Families are welcome to stay at Aarunya Nature Resort, but there are no childcare facilities or services on site, and the main pool is for over-12s only. You can request an extra single bed for your villa (US$30 a night) or a cot (for free).

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Poolside at night is atmospheric. But if you want those views to yourself, dine at your villa.

Dress Code

You’ll be given a traditional dress for the Aahaara dining experience: cool, comfortable cover-ups work for everywhere else.

Hotel Restaurant

The Verandah restaurant is in the estate’s central bungalow, and serves a range of international dishes with Sri Lankan flair, to be savoured overlooking the infinity pool and those mountains. Its decor (wood-vaulted ceiling, sturdy columns opening to the terrace) is simple, making the natural environment the rightful focus. Try the Native Lunch Experience, taking your pick of 10 dishes and condiments. Or perhaps an afternoon tea of sandwiches, bakes and Ceylon tea, to be taken here or at the charming Aahasa Tea Pavilion, is more your style. This is also the ideal spot for sunset-accompanied drinks.

Aahaara (meaning nutritious food in Sinhalese) is the fine-dining option at Aarunya: don your complimentary traditional garment and meet at the central bungalow bar for an Arrack cocktail; then it’s through the gardens to a communal table for a garden-to-table feast crafted with locally sourced ingredients wherever possible. Chat to the chefs as they conjure flavour-packed plates to the sounds of live Sri Lankan music. Menus range from a traditional rice and curry spread to a sumptuous nine-course belt-loosener.

Hotel Bar

Part of the Verandah restaurant, the Aarunya bar is a relaxed affair serving refreshing sweet-and-sour cocktails made with local spirit Arrack.

Last Orders

Times for all meals, including afternoon tea, flex to meet your needs, although it’s usual for the kitchen to close each day at around 10pm.

Room Service

The iPad in your villa gives you around-the-clock access to the on-call butler service, meaning you'll never go hungry (or thirsty).

Planes

Bandaranaike International Airport (Colombo) is around three hours away by car. The hotel can arrange airport transfers from around US$120 one way.

Trains

Kandy Railway Station is around 40 minutes’ drive away. You can book a hotel transfer for US$40, excluding taxes and service charge.

Automobiles

There’s a car park at the resort with free valet parking.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Something that’s definitely worth getting out of bed for at Aarunya Nature Resort, and rather early in the day at that, is watching the sunrise – ideally enjoyed from your mattress, coffee in hand, to see the mountain mists roll in and the valley slowly light up as day breaks. Head to the Aarogya Spa for a yoga or meditation session or take off around the trails on one of the hotel’s mountain bikes. There’s also a little library where you can pick out a book for the day. Or learn to cook a traditional Sri Lankan curry on an Aarunya cookery course.

A drive away, the city of Kandy has lots to offer. Join a Batik workshop, a Pooja ceremony at the Temple of the Tooth (you’ll need covered knees and shoulders at the temple) or a waterfall hike. The ancient rock fortress of Sigiriya is around two hours away by car, and the super-scenic 18-hole course at Victoria Golf Resort is around an hour away. Hotel staff can help you to organise excursions and tours, as you wish.

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. .