Jaytee Kanwal
Sample Itinerary
Day 1
REEF VILLA & SPA
Upon arrival at the airport, you will be met by your driver/guide and transferred to your beach hotel. Enjoy a full body Ayurvedic massage and let the weariness from your long flight melt away.
The hotel is set in the coastal town of Wadduwa, among pristine beaches, with an array of restaurants and activities in the vicinity.
Reef Villa is a luxurious boutique hotel with plenty of charm and a fantastic team of friendly and attentive staff. Set in three acres of beautiful tropical gardens with the Indian Ocean as its backdrop, Reef Villa is brimming with antiques, handmade furniture, and stylish touches. Each of the seven spacious suites has wooden four-poster beds, elegant sitting areas, and bathrooms with free-standing bathtubs and Venetian-style mirrors. The private terraces, complete with Indian swings, are a real treat and provide an ideal spot from which to admire the gorgeous landscape, Sundowner in hand.
There is an almost overwhelming amount to do here, from simply kicking back on the beach, to working up a sweat on tennis court, enjoying complimentary mango sorbet by the pool, and exploring the cultural highlights of the area by tuk tuk. Unwind with a Hatha yoga class or a tension-melting treatment at the spa. Tempting fresh seafood is offered from the barbecue or alternatively you can try an authentic dish from the Tandoori oven.
Overnight Reef Villa & Spa
Day 2
REEF VILLA & SPA
After breakfast, enjoy a variety of optional activities throughout the day. We recommend a visit to the ancient trading post of Galle, said to be the famous Tarshish of the Bible. Historically, this World Heritage fortified town has a rich trading history. Narrow streets are lined with old houses,and the community within the fort is a bustle with daily life – a living, breathing town hidden within the fortified walls of this ancient, maritime citadel.
Visit the Lunuganga Estate – the country home of the renowned Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa. As one of Sri Lanka’s most prolific and influential architects, the garden at Lunuganga remained his experimental laboratory for new ideas. The gardens are now open to the public and the buildings are run as a country house hotel.
You may also visit a rural primary school and interact with the students and teachers. You are welcome to donate notepads, pencils, pens, or crayons, although this is not a prerequisite.
Overnight Reef Villa & Spa
Day 3
REEF VILLA & SPA
After breakfast you can enjoy a variety of optional activities throughout the day from the activities listed below.
Pool: After an exhausting day resting on a palm shaded hammock or taking a lazy stroll along the beach, cool down in the infinity edge pool and Jacuzzi under gentle swaying coconut trees while gazing out at the Indian Ocean.
Spa: While the sun, sand, and ocean breezes soothe the spirit, treat your body to a session of revitalization and relaxation. Be pampered at the utterly tranquil and totally private Reefresh Spa.
Beach: Stroll across the garden to the palm-fringed beach, and bathe your toes in the sparkling sea.
Games: The hotel stocks a wide range of board games, including chess, Monopoly, backgammon, Scrabble, dominoes, and many more.
Yoga: Hatha Yoga is available on request in the Yoga Pavilion. Wake up and stretch with some gentle exercises or enjoy your yoga practice in the evening as the sun goes down.
Reading: There is a small library in the main house where you can curl up with a good read on ample sofas. The staff will be pleased to serve you traditional English afternoon tea.
Tennis and Ping Pong: Play tennis on the hard-court, year-round tennis court, or play ping pong in the shaded table tennis pavilion.
Jogging: Follow the jogging track (700m) around the extensive landscaped tropical gardens and lily ponds. Crossing the stepping stones, you will find that turtles, butterflies, dragonflies, kingfishers, and other birds (and a few other weird, friendly creatures) have made the garden their home.
Water Sports: Reef is ideally placed for water sports in Bentota – approximately 25mins away. Watersports available include windsurfing, water skiing, sailing, deep sea fishing, fresh water fishing, canoeing/kayaking, snorkeling and scuba diving. The season for diving in Bentota is mid-November to the end of March with ideal conditions around the 20th of December until about the 15th of March.
CMAS and PADI instructors are available. The average water temperature is 30°C in all depths.
Overnight Reef Villa & Spa
Day 4
CEYLON TEA TRAILS
After a leisurely breakfast, proceed to Hatton, passing beautiful waterfalls en route to the home of the famous Ceylon Tea. The rolling mountains are a carpet of velvety green tea plantations, interspersed with gushing streams and tumbling waterfalls, which provides a memorable experience.
Check in at your hotel for lunch.
The rest of the day can be spent enjoying the true Relais-Chateau experience you are about to discover. Tea Trails will serve you not only the three meals but also snacks during the day with unlimited beverages, including wine and liquor.
Located in the heart of the Bogawantalawa valley, the four planters’ bungalows of Ceylon Tea Trails are the ultimate luxury colonial experience for those visiting the hill country. They have recently been awarded prestigious Relais & Chateau status. Built between 1890 and 1939 each bungalow is unique, but they all combine classical and contemporary styles offering a taste of gracious living complete with butler service and authentic period furnishings.
Each bungalow comes with its own manager, chef, butler and houseboys and from 4 to 6 rooms, each with a beautiful master suite with a separate living room and private terrace. All of the bungalows have swimming pools, and some have tennis courts and games rooms. All guests are invited to take a tour of Norwood tea factory with Andrew Taylor, Tea Trails’ resident planter and a descendant of James Taylor, who first brought tea to Ceylon.
Overnight Ceylon Tea Trails
Day 5
CEYLON TEA TRAILS
After a relaxing breakfast, you’ll be personally guided on a “Tea Experience” to visit tea plantations, a factory, and try your hand at plucking tea.
Professional tea puckers will accompany you and show you which leaves to pluck. You’ll find that it takes a bit of practice to make sure the leaves end up in your basket. Next, visit the nearby Mini Tea Factory nearby and learn the whole process of tea making, from the initial drying (withering) of the leaves, through rolling, fermenting and sifting, to produce the different types of tea.
You can spend the evening indulging in the amenities available within the hotel. Enjoy scenic walks and hikes in varied landscapes, exotic flora, abundant birdlife and the sweet rhythm of life in a tea garden. Take in vistas of mountain lakes, manicured tea gardens, forests and doll’s house villages.
Enjoy mountain biking through beautiful trails, playing croquet on the lawn, spa treatments and luxury baths, and tennis on the fast clay court.
Staying at Ceylon Tea Trails is a true luxury experience and a delight for all the senses.
Overnight Ceylon Tea Trails
Day 6
THE KANDY HOUSE
After breakfast, travel to Kanday. En route, stop at a traditional gem shop, where you will be given a beautiful gem for a once-in-a-lifetime experience of gem cutting and polishing with the help of a gemologist. Your cut and polished gem will be placed on a ring, for you to keep as an incredible honeymoon memory.
Kandy was the last bastion of Sri Lankan political power against colonial invasion. This hill station is remarkable for the natural beauty of its setting in a peaceful, wooded valley overlooking a vast lake. The palace, shrines, and British period buildings give it a special character while the Buddha’s Tooth Relic lends a religious importance to the historic highland capital.
Upon arrival, check in at The Kandy House – Boutique Villa in Kandy. A 200-year-old manor, Kandy House is a chic and charismatic boutique hotel. Set in a lush tropical setting away from the bustle of Kandy, the house is close enough to be able to explore the town’s fascinating temples and cultural sights. Light and spacious with high ceilings, arched verandas, and a beautiful jungle garden, it is a real treat. Fresh and delicious fusion cuisine is served on the verandah. At least twice a week, a highly acclaimed feast of ten traditional Sri Lankan curries is also served. The infinity pool overlooking the paddy fields is a fantastic place to cool off and unwind. You can also arrange a private yoga session or a rejuvenating massage.
Overnight The Kandy House
Day 7
THE KANDY HOUSE
After breakfast you can enjoy a variety of optional activities throughout the day.
Enjoy a panoramic tour of the UNESCO World Heritage city, via the upper lake drive, stopping at the market square and the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens.
Participate in a special blessing for your marriage. As part of the blessing, seven betel leaves are offered to the gods with a request that protection is provided to the seven generations that will originate from the marriage.
The couple’s fingers are tied together with a gold thread to symbolize the bond, and holy water is then poured over the fingers. After the blessing, a coconut is broken as a symbolic gesture to drive away evil spirits. A brass oil lamp is lit by the couple to ensure a bright, new future together.
Overnight The Kandy House
Day 8
Check out this morning and drive to Dambulla. En route, visit a fair-trade spice garden in Matale to see the many different types of spices Sri Lanka is famous for. Matale spice gardens are among the best on the island. You will be introduced to different spices and shown how some of these spices are grown and processed.
Visit the Dambulla Rock Temple – a cave turned temple, with frescoes that are over 2000 years old. Another highlight is a colossal figure of the recumbent Buddha carved out of the living rock. The caves have a mixture of religious and secular paintings and sculptures with ceiling frescoes depicting scenes from the Buddha’s life and Sinhalese history.
In the evening check in to your hotel and relax.
Located in an excellent place for exploring the World Heritage Sites of the cultural triangle, and surrounded by paddy fields, lakes and picturesque mountains, Kalundewa Retreat is perfect for those looking for privacy and seclusion. The property is fully staffed and meals prepared by your private chef can be enjoyed anywhere in the grounds or villa.
Overnight Kalundewa Retreat
Day 9
KALUNDEWA RETREAT
After a relaxing breakfast at your hotel, spend the rest of the morning at leisure enjoying the surroundings.
In the late afternoon, travel to Minneriya National Park for a game drive. Minneriya, a sanctuary since 1938, is home to large herds of wild elephants. The wetland supports paddy fields, herds of wild elephants, and many aquatic birds. During July and August, elephants gather in the park, and over 300 can often be spotted during safari.
In the late evening, travel back to your hotel and relax.
Overnight Kalundewa Retreat
Day 10
MUD HOUSE
After breakfast, check out from the hotel and proceed to visit the World Heritage giant Rock Fortress of Sigiriya, built in the 5th century as a bastion and palace of King Kasyapa. The most impressive facets of the unique complex are the geometrically laid Water Gardens, the frescoes of beautiful maidens, and the Mirror Wall with ancient graffiti.
Continue to Anamaduwa and check in at your hotel for a late lunch.
The Mud House finds joy in simplicity. It lies in a remote rural village, off a gravel road amidst a jungle thicket shaded by Tamarind trees. In this simple settlement, guests stay in wattle and daub huts, eat traditional Sri Lankan rice and curry cooked over a hearth, bathe at the well, and share the wilderness with birds and butterflies. All the living and dining areas were built using indigenous materials and traditional village construction methods. Walls and floors of clay and tree barks are used as columns to support the roofs thatched with coconut palms. A few essential pieces of furniture are available, some made of driftwood. Mud House has no electricity. The glow of lanterns and candles helps to light up the huts and the pathways. The surrounding wilderness is a naturalist’s dream. Many hours can be spent in a hammock or lounging by the river – a tranquil setting enlivened only by the sounds of nature. The Mud House is a true experience of typical Sri Lankan village life where the hosts welcome you with open hearts, share their simple lifestyle, and impart their knowledge of this ancient land with pride.
Mud House was also voted among the top 100 romantic spots in the world by Guardian UK.
Overnight Mud House
Day 11
Mud House
After a relaxing breakfast, enjoy the property and its surroundings.
If you’re up for an adventure, Enjoy a 4×4 drive into Wilpattu National Park. The unique feature of this park is the existence of “Willus,” which are natural, sand-rimmed water basins that fill with rainwater. Wilpattu is among the top national parks world renowned for its leopard population.
You may also pay a visit to the sprawling ancient city of Anuradhapura, which is full of dreamy stepped pools and bell-shaped stupas, some as large as 60 metres high and 340 metres in circumference. Located in the north central part of the island, Anuradhapura was the first capital and undoubtedly the grandest city of ancient Sri Lanka.
Overnight Mud House
Day 12
Departure
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. Transfer from Anamaduwa to the airport in time to connect with your international flight for departure or for your extended beach stay.
