Sri Lanka Hotel Guide

Location of Amaya Lake Hotel
Kandalama Lake, Kandalama, Dambulla, Matale District, Central Province of Sri Lanka
Amaya Lake is located at Kandalama, Dambulla 102 km away from Colombo. The eco-oriented hotel is an ideal base for those looking to experience nature attractions as well as cultural attractions of Sri Lanka Holidays Cultural Triangle. The World Heritage sites Golden Dambulla Rock Temple & Sigiriya Lion Rock Citadel are within the distances of easy access.

Setting of Amaya Lake, Kandalama, Dambulla
The eco-oriented Amaya Lake hotel sits on the banks of ancient Kandalama man made rainwater reservoir that irrigate the agricultural zone of Dambulla. The 40-acre wooded sanctuary of the Amaya Lake hotel takes you closer to the nature.

Star Rating & Type of hotel: 4 star luxury chalet style hotel

Sri Lanka Holidays Sustainable tourism (Green i.e., eco) credentials of Amaya Lake, Kandalama: to be edited

Architecture and Interior Décor of Amaya Lake, Kandalama: Amaya Lake resort is built in traditional Sinhalese architecture and interior decor.

Accommodation at Amaya Lake, Kandalama, Dambulla
40-acre wooded sanctuary is home to ninety-two elegantly furnished Sinhalese chalets scattered amongst the trees. Each chalet consists of a bedroom, a spacious bathroom with shower & bathtub. Lounge area is provided with sofa & plasma screen TV. Rooms are decorated with local murals and sculptures and are furnished to a high standard. A small sitting area is separated from the bedroom, which is slightly raised, and each chalet features a terrace with a traditional long seat for relaxing.

Dining at Amaya Lake, Kandalama, Dambulla
High wooden ceilings of the open-air restaurant surrounded by the nature, lays out buffet of Sinhalese & international cuisine.
Bars: Two bars of Amaya Lake provide grand views of Kandalama Lake. The open-air bar is located in the lower deck of the lobby. The nearby pool serves a full range of tropical juices, cocktails, beers & spirits.

Nature activities at Amaya Lake, Kandalama, Dambulla
Jeep driven safaris to Minneriya National Park & Kaudulla National Park
Bird watching, jungle treks, elephant safari in the surrounding areas.

Excursions off Amaya Lake, Kandalama, Dambulla
UNESCO World Heritage site of Rangiri Dambulu Rajamaha Viharaya (Sinhala: Golden Dambulla Rock Cave Temple) at Dambulla.
& UNESCO World Heritage site Sigiriya Lion Rock Citadel located within Sri Lanka Holidays Cultural Triangle.

Deer Park, Giritale, Sri Lanka Holidays

Deer Park, Giritale, Sri Lanka Holidays

Deer Park, Giritale, Sri Lanka Holidays

Sri Lanka Holidays Sustainable tourism (Green i.e., eco) credentials of the hotel To be edited.
Riolta Remarks: Deer Park is a superior luxury eco resort.

Location: Sri Lanka Holidays Angsana Deer Park hotel is located at Giritale, Polonnaruwa 202 km away from Colombo. The eco-oriented hotel is perfectly located for those looking to experience nature attractions as well as cultural attractions.

Setting: Sri Lanka Holidays Angsana Deer park rise to its name in all aspects. The eco-oriented hotel that sits on the banks of Giritale man made rainwater reservoir is sanctuary of serenity with the soothing sounds of birdsongs & rushing water. The tranquil property is a veritable jungle hideout. Nature & cultural attractions: Hotel’s three surrounding wild life sanctuaries, namely Minneriya Giritale Sanctuary, Wasgomuwa National Park are home to elephants, leopards and deer and an abundance of bird life. The largest ancient rainwater reservoir of the island, Parakrama Samudra & ancient capital of Polonnaruwa too are in close proximity.

Accommodation: 88 cottages of Sri Lanka Holidays Angsana Deer park hotel are all furnished with a blend of vibrant colours and Asian crafts. Each room consists of a living and dressing area. Traditional cottages are equipped with modern amenities: a/c and ceiling fans and satellite TV. 61 cottages have open-air garden bathrooms. Superior standard of boutique accommodation is the hallmark of all the cottages. There are five room types: Superior Cottage, Deluxe Cottage, Deluxe Duplex Cottage, Angsana Cottage and Deluxe Pool Suite. Six delightful and spacious Angsana Cottages overlooking the Giritale reservoir. feature water lily ponds and private gazebos where you would sip Ceylon tea, the finest Black tea in the world. The Deluxe Pool two-bedroom suite is equipped with mod cons (DVD player etc.) and a private patio and pool at Sri Lanka Holidays Angsana Deer Park.

Location of Heritance Kandalama
Heritance Kandalama Hotel is located 160km away from Colombo, in the village of Kandalama of Dambulla [11km]. Dambulla is the heart of Sri Lanka Holidays Cultural Triangle, a major transportation hub of North Central Plains of the island.
Distances from Heritance Kandalama to surrounding Sri Lanka Holiday attractions
UNESCO World Heritage Site of Sigiriya Lion Rock Citadel: 28km
UNESCO World Heritage Site of Golden Dambulla Rock Temple: 10km

Setting of Heritance Kandalama
A magnificent setting: overlooked by the Knuckles hills, by the side of scenic ancient Kandalama irrigation reservoir, the grand hotel emerging from a light tropical jungle, adorned with carefully nurtured yet lush foliage, twists its way 968m along a rocky outcrop. In spite of the modern architecture, we are next to nature. The hotel symbolizes the best in Sinhalese ecological design you would witness throughout Sri Lanka Holidays.

Sri Lanka Holidays Sustainable tourism (Green i.e., eco) credentials of Heritance Kandalama Hotel: Aitken Spence, the owning/managing company of Heritance Kandalama Hotel claims.

When the project was first mooted and proposed in the early 1990s, it wasn’t many who believed 152 room hotel could be built with minimal impact upon the zone whose stability of the environment was essential to the climatic conditions of the agricultural district of Dambulla. Yet Heritance Kandalama was to prove that it was possible for large hotels to testify to allegiance to green concepts or the eco-orientation as the small hotels.
The entire building is constructed upon a platform held aloft by reinforced concrete columns so that the natural drainage of rain water of the Dambulla agricultural zone during the rainy seasons wouldn’t be fouled up.
Furthermore, Heritance Kandalama claims that it harvests rainwater and recycle water for gardening.
Heritance Kandalama hotel was awarded the “Green Globe 21 Certified Hotel” status, the first of its kind in Asia.

Type of the Hotel and Star rating of Heritance Kandalama Hotel: A 5 star eco –oriented luxury hotel

Architecture & Interior deco of Heritance Kandalama
Architecture of Heritance Kandalama is succulently summed up by Geoffrey Bawa Trust, the custodian of the architectural conceptions of Sri Lanka’s foremost architect.
“Bawa’s work is characterized by sensitivity to site and context. He produced ‘sustainable architecture’ long before the term was coined, and had developed his own ‘regional modernist’ stance well in advance of the theoreticians. His designs broke down the barriers between inside and outside, between interior design and landscape architecture and reduced building to a series of scenographically conceived spaces separated by courtyards & gardens.
Geoffrey Bawa’s conceptions of adapting architecture to suit the environment has been most eloquently exemplified in Heritance Kandalama at Dambulla. Dambulla is home to Sri Lanka Holidays attraction of Golden Dambulla Rock Cave Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site protected by UNESCO sponsored Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle.

Accommodation at Heritance Kandalama
Heritance Kandalama consists 152 luxury rooms: Superior Rooms in the Dambulla wing; Luxury Rooms in the Sigiriya wing & Deluxe Rooms [some of the rooms bring in views of Kandalama lake and the low hills of Kandalama]
Suites that are ideal for the families provide all with ample space for relaxation.

Facilities at Heritance Kandalama
Dining: restaurants & bars
Kanchana Restaurant: buffet of wide range of wide range of Sri Lankan food, as well as the best of international cuisine.
Kaludiya Restaurant: fine dining: a global a la carte dinner in sophisticated ambiance.
Kachan Café and Kachan Bar offer a range of snacks, beers, spirits and wines.

Leisure and Recreation at Heritance Kandalama
Kachchan Pool is built in way so as to be seen bordering the ancient Kqandalama irrigation reservoir.
Kaludiya Pool is built upon the dark bed rock on which the structure of the building itself is built.
Activities in the area surrounding Heritance Kandalama
Nature trails, eco park, cycling, trekking
Hot air balloon trips, boat trips in the Kandalama lake.

Excursions off Heritance Kandalama
Rangiri Dambulu (Sinhala: Golden Dambulla) Rock Cave Temple at Dmbaulla located 10km east of Heritance Kandalama
Sigiriya Lion Rock Citadel located 28km north of Heritance Kandalama
Both of above Sri Lanka Holidays cultural attractions are UNESCO World Heritage sites located within Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle.

Sigiriya Village, Sigiriya Lion Rock Citadel, Sri Lanka

Sustainable tourism (Green i.e., eco) credentials of the hotel.
The restaurant of Sri Lanka Holidays Sigiriya Village offers organic & local food: all meals are prepared using fresh produce directly from the hotel’s extensive organic farm. SigiriyaVillage takes pride in offering guests their own home grown fruit and vegetables.
All the herbal oils, scrubs, and wraps used at the on-site Ayurvedic  Centre for the therapies are prepared using herbs from the hotel’s own garden. Do not miss the opportunity to experience the indigenous, ancient healing wisdom of Ayurveda, which provides the most natural methods of relaxing one’s body and mind.

Location: Sri  Lanka Holidays Sigiriya Village is located 169 km from Colombo & 165 km from Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB), Katunayake Airport, the hotel is close to the Lion Rock Citadel Sigiriya.

Setting:   “back to the nature style”. With a view of Lion Rock Citadel Sigiriya, Sri Lanka Holidays Sigiriya village is comprised of small duplexes designed to blend it with their natural environment. The earth-toned cottages in clusters set in parkland so even during the high season, the gardens retain the serene atmosphere, mingle into the environment. Ideally, you too may avoid bright colours & wear cloths of matching colours & blend into the environment. Now, that cannot get any better.

Accommodation: 120 individually designed earth-toned cottages of Sri  Lanka Holidays Sigiriya Village brings in enchanting rural atmosphere, each with a bedroom, en-suite bathroom, and private verandah overlooking carefully nurtured gardens & ponds, are decorated carefully with themes symbolic of rustic life.

Facilities: Recreational facilities at Sri Lanka Holidays Sigiriya Village include a swimming pool with separate children’s pool The hotel further offers guests mini-golf, badminton, tennis and board games on the premises. Mini golf – Badminton – Tennis – Jogging track

Meals are served at the main dining area overlooking the swimming pool and the magnificent Lion Rock citadel Sigiriya which looms over the treetops. Traditional Sri Lanka rice and curry is a speciality here. Buffets – with Western and Eastern food — are served for breakfast and lunch. There is also an a la carte menu and room service menu.

Leisure: Bird-watching, Elephant ride & ttraditional dance and music troupes provide nightly entertainment within the main restaurant area.

Excursions: Lion Rock citadel Sigiriya (UNESCO World Heritage Site) (You are right there); Golden Dambulla Rock temple (UNESCO World Heritage Site) (round trip 48 km); Anuradhapura, (UNESCO World Heritage Site) (round trip 164 km); Polonnaruwa (UNESCO World Heritage Site) (round trip 134 km).

Sigiriya Hotel, Sigiriya Lion Rock Citadel, Sri Lanka

Sustainable tourism (Green i.e., eco) credentials of the hotel
To be edited. Link to the hotel website still to be provided.

Location
Sri Lanka Holidays Sigiriya hotel is located close to Habarana Road in the cultural triangle 62 km north east fromBandaranaike International Airport (CMB), Katunayake & 170km north east of Colombo.

Setting
Sri Lanka Holidays Sigiriya, a tranquil hotel amidst rich foliage is built with possibly the best view of Lion Rock Citadel Sigiriya, a UNESCO world heritage site in Central Province of  Sri Lanka. The property is an ideal blend of nature & culture yet without a compromise of comforts of a luxury setting. There is a good range of wildlife in & around the cool woodland gardens

Accommodation

Hotel Sigiriya consists of 80 well furnished A/C rooms each with balcony & terrace with direct access to enchantingly landscaped garden with greenery all around. All rooms are provided with hot & cold water, telephone, piped music, fire place, cable TV, shower & bath tub & laundry facilities.

Facilities

Among the main facilities are King Kassapa Cocktail Bar (A/C), Wild Otters restaurant, Ayurvedice Health Centre & Freshwater swimming pool with children’s pool bordering the jungle & offering a panoramic view of the Lion Rock Citadel Sigiriya.
The Interpretation Room is well equipped books (on culture, nature & historical attractions for your to engage in research), TV & DVD, a telescope for star gazing

Leisure

Treks on elephant back, Bird watching trails – easy, medium & difficult trails. The hotel has been recognised as a bird-friendly one by the Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka

Elephant observation Safaris
A jeep safari at Minneriya National Park with abundance of wild elephants.

The recent brand ratings evaluated by Brand Finance Limited (Pvt) Ltd. and published in the LMD issue of April 2008, rates Sigiriya Hotel, among the top 100 Brands in Sri Lanka.