Bandarawela Hotel, Bandarawela
Sri Lanka, Kandy & Hill Country

A good value option in the hills, the Bandarawela Hotel is an interesting alternative to the plantation bungalows for the colonial tea country experience. A former planters club, the ambiance is much as it was in bygone eras the doorman still dress in white shorts and stockings, the barman with white gloves. There are boarded floors and ceilings, antique brass beds with checkered blankets and hot water bottles. The rooms are cosy, with attached bathrooms and original bathtubs.

The thirty-five bedroom hotel has two large bars, one more than a 100 years old, and a large lobby room to relax and read the papers over a cup of locally produced tea. The menu reflects the colonial ambiance - steak and kidney pie, yorkshire puddings, scotch eggs and salted beef. Afternoon tea and sandwiches are still a ritual here. A well kept garden with plenty of outdoor seating areas adds to general laid back atmosphere of the hotel.

Bandarawela is a bustling little hill station with a lot of character in the southern steeps of the hills. Excursions from the hotel include Ella and little Adams Peak, Horton Plains & Worlds End, golf & tennis, Dunhinda and Diyaluma waterfalls, Bogoda wooden bridge and Uda Walawa national park. There are many excellent walks in the surrounding hills. The Woodlands Network can arrange guided walks and wonderful half day cookery classes in Bandarawela too.

Experience Travel offer competitive rates at all properties, expert knowledge and the ability to tailor the tour to suit your budget and personality. Enquire here.

Value - This is our lead in category. There will generally be a no frills approach and while some will be characterful, some will do exactly what it says on the tin – provide a clean, comfortable and good value place to spend the night. These places are normally 3* hotels, but in areas where there is little choice or if it is a very good place, it may be what would generally be described in Asia as a 'guesthouse'.

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