Didn’t we just promote Sri Lanka recently?
So worth it! A couple’s deal at 3999 for a 5-night stay in a heritage hotel, including breakfast and dinner.
Our habit is to strongly recommend products that we have personally experienced ourselves. So we went to Sri Lanka and stayed at all five of the recommended heritage hotels.
In short, two words: amazing value!!!
Originally, I planned to write a review covering all five heritage hotels together, but then I thought that wouldn’t do justice to the Kandalama Heritage Hotel, as I really loved it too much.
Therefore, today, I will write a dedicated post about the Kandalama Heritage Hotel.
As for the upcoming popular products from the heritage hotels, just stay tuned for us. After this trip to Sri Lanka, we communicated with the vendors and upgraded our previous routes, making them more suitable for those hoping to explore Sri Lanka in-depth.
First of all, I want to say that the last promoted package of 3999 for a 5-night stay is truly incredible value.
If you look at the Kandalama Heritage Hotel’s pricing calendar, it’s over 1500+ for one night, which only includes breakfast for two. If you include breakfast and dinner, it’s at least 2000+ per night.
And the entire package is only 3999; you can imagine how high the cost-performance ratio is.
When did I fall in love with the Kandalama Heritage Hotel? It was the next morning when I was awakened by the sound of elephants trumpeting. When I stepped outside, I saw a wild elephant bathing and grazing by Kandalama Lake.
This scene was an unprecedented experience, and the hotel’s ecological environment is unbeatable.
I highly recommend the Kandalama Heritage Hotel for three main reasons:
1) It is the pinnacle work of Jeffrey Bawa, a national treasure-level architectural master in Sri Lanka – there is no other.
2) It is a palace in the jungle, with the entire hotel embedded in the rocks, providing a stunning ecological environment.
3) It has been named one of the top 50 hotels in the world by National Geographic magazine.
Oh, and you can also enjoy a view of Sigiriya Rock from the hotel.
The Kandalama Heritage Hotel is an architectural miracle.
If you don’t look closely, you might not even realize this is a hotel. The entire hotel is embedded in the rock, surrounded by a tropical rainforest, blending seamlessly with the forest.
I found a picture of a cross-section of the Kandalama Heritage Hotel. You can see that the hotel is built according to the natural slopes, representing a perfect combination of nature and architecture.
Here are some details:
The rocks are part of the hotel itself, and the rocks are the “natives” here; the hotel is merely a “newcomer.” Everything artificial must yield to the rocks.
During construction, they didn’t blast the mountains; they embedded the foundation piles into the rocks, making them part of the hotel.
The hotel has a swimming pool that is a rock pool, with the bottom made of irregular rocks. This pool is indeed very natural.
The hotel’s exterior is covered in vines, making it feel like the hotel is almost being devoured by the forest.
This is quite good since Sri Lanka is hot. The vines around the balconies add a bit of coolness to the rooms.
Most of the hotel’s public areas face Kandalama Lake. The hotel itself is perfectly “hidden,” but the views from inside are stunning.
The hotel also features an infinity pool overlooking Kandalama Lake.
Bawa’s design of the stairs is also remarkable. Once you visit more of his designed hotels, you will find that each staircase is completely different.
Also, some thoughtfully chosen décor items inside the hotel were selected by Bawa himself.
The Kandalama Heritage Hotel opened in 1995 and was renovated in 2001. It’s not exactly a new hotel; it’s definitely an older hotel. For a hotel designed 30 years ago, I have to give a thumbs up to Bawa.
The hotel has “guests” other than humans; there are quite a few monkeys that are permanent residents.
These monkeys coexist peacefully with humans.
In the rooms of the Kandalama Heritage Hotel, there are warnings about keeping windows and doors closed to be careful of monkeys. If you leave them open, the monkeys will surely come in and rummage through your things.
The welcome fruits provided by the hotel were also used by me to feed the monkeys. As soon as I left them on the balcony, they were immediately taken away by the monkeys.
Apart from monkeys, you can also see plenty of other animals, especially birds. The environment here is just too good.
Therefore, the Kandalama Heritage Hotel has won countless awards. The hotel has a room specifically dedicated to displaying the awards it has received.
However, it must be said that as a hotel that has been in operation for nearly 30 years, most of its awards were received before 2010.
I looked around the trophies and certificates, and the most recent significant one should be the 2023 Agoda score of 8.9, which is considered a high score for hotels.
Now, let’s talk about the rooms.
The rooms at Kandalama Heritage Hotel are not very large, with the standard room being 32 square meters. Considering it has been a hotel for almost 30 years, I think the maintenance of the hotel is quite good.
The bathroom is a “highlight” because while you’re showering, there’s a high chance of being spied on by monkeys.
Each room has a balcony wrapped in greenery and vines.
As for dining, you must choose a package that includes breakfast and dinner at Kandalama Heritage Hotel; otherwise, you will have to buy food on the spot, and there is no commercial establishment within radius aside from the hotel.
The hotel’s all-day dining restaurant offers unobstructed views of the lake, and you can also dine on the outdoor rooftop (though you might encounter monkeys trying to steal your food).
The food ranks among the best in the five heritage hotels, with many dishes being cooked by chefs on-site.
Of course, among the five heritage hotels in Sri Lanka, the Kandalama Heritage Hotel has the second-highest price (only following the Nuwara Eliya Tea Factory Heritage Hotel).
With higher room rates, the meal standards for breakfast and dinner are also elevated.
Breakfast also features local specialties.
In addition, Kandalama Heritage Hotel has a sense of elegance. Every evening, musicians perform on the rocks.
