Ceylon Tea Trails Castlereagh

Introduction

Castereagh, one of five luxurious bungalows in the acclaimed Tea Trails collection, nestles in a wooded dell close to a lake in Sri Lanka's breathtaking hill country. This century-old bungalow offers unrivalled water views and superb garden suites. Elegant parquet floors with open fireplaces in the dining and drawing rooms evoke recollections of a bygone colonial era.

The Ceylon Tea Trails Experience:

In central Sri Lanka, lies the Golden Valley of Tea. This is home to old Ceylon. Here, five classic colonial bungalows, built for British tea estate managers in the days of the Raj, have been caringly restored by Dilmah Tea with the cooperation of Bogawantalawa Tea Estates. Each bungalow is different: Summerville has the air of a country cottage, Castlereagh has an eclectic style, Tientsin is unashamedly colonial, Norwood is more modern, abounding with 1960's character. Summerville and Castlereagh are situated opposite each other on the shores of the Castlereagh lake. Dunkeld is 30 minutes from Castlereagh, Norwood is at the other end of the valley about 15 minutes away by car and Tientsin is about 30 minutes away in the next valley. Each house comes with its own manager, chef, butler and houseboys and between four and six luxurious suites. And when Tea Trails say all-inclusive, they mean it. No properties in Red Dot's extensive portfolio are more consistently praised for their excellence.All five bungalows are listed as Relais & Châteaux properties.

Accommodation

Castlereagh has three types of suites: luxury rooms, garden suites and master suites, all named after former planters in the estate. Rooms are sold on an all-inclusive basis, including breakfast, lunch, an afternoon cream tea, dinner (inclusive of wine),and soft and non-premium alcoholic drinks.

Facilities

The bungalow includes a swimming pool, croquet lawn, library and various indoor games. Delicious meals will be served up by a butler in your room, in the dining room, or on the terrace overlooking the pool. The grounds are extensive and include summerhouses where Ceylon’s finest tea will be served.

Why We Like It

The unrivalled views of the lake and the stroll through the dell to go kayaking on the lake.

Sustainability

Resplendent Ceylon, the hotel group who own all five Ceylon Tea Trails bungalows, are running a variety of sustainability initiatives. In Hatton, Resplendent Ceylon ensure that the infrastructure of their tea estates is set up so that all workers are supported throughout their working life, through initiatives such as retraining ageing workers who are too elderly for manual labour and providing scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Location

Castlereagh, lies among the rich green hills of the Dickoya region in central Sri Lanka. This super-luxury bungalow was originally built for British tea estate managers in the days of the Raj and lies more than 4,000ft above sea level, 45km south of Nuwara Eliya. Around five hours from Colombo, or consider air taxi options. You can also head to the south coast via a daily sea plane service between Hatton and Koggala.