LUXE CEYLON

09/10/2024

Ceylon Tea

For centuries, Ceylon tea has been known as the finest tea around the world. Tea was first introduced to Sri Lanka by James Taylor in 1867, and the rest, as they say, is history! Ceylon tea consists primarily of black tea, however green tea and other types of tea are also grown. Although Sri Lanka is a comparatively small country, it has a wide range in elevation, which results in the flavours of tea being produced varying greatly depending on the part of the country they originate from. The main differences in flavour are a result of the climate, soil, sun, precipitation, and plant varietals. Although there are regional nuances, Ceylon tea is classically known for bold, full and brisk flavour. A majority of Ceylon tea is picked by hand, which makes it a brisk and bright tea.

09/10/2024

Hakgala Botanic Gardens
Botanic Gardens at Hakgala were established in 1861 for the purpose of experimentation and promotion of Cinchona cultivation in Sri Lanka. The gardens lying in the hill country among Sri Lanka’s tea plantations in the Nuwara Eliya district are located along the Badulla Road, 9.5 km South-east of Nuwara Eliya, the popular holiday resort.

07/10/2024

Known as the ‘Lord of the Jungle’, the Sri Lankan Leopard (Panthera parades kotiya) is one of the eight recognized subspecies of Leopard and is indigenous to Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan Leopard, the smallest of the ‘Big cats’ is still the only large mammal predator in the country and relatively bigger in size than its relatives living elsewhere. It is rusty yellow coloured with its characteristic dark spots and lithe elongated bodies. It is stocky in build, with a shoulder height of about 45 to 80 centimeters with males weighing around 56 kg and females around 29 kg and lives up o 20 years. They are highly graceful and agile animals are predatory carnivores making them excellent hunters who pursue different prey such as small mammals, birds, reptiles, wild boar, sambur and barking-deer of which the spotted deer makes a larger part of its diet. They hunt mainly during the nights and are best observed during dawn and dusk and sometimes during the daytime as well.

07/10/2024

Adam’s Peak, mountain in southwestern Sri Lanka. It is 7,559 feet (2,304 metres) high and located 11 miles (18 km) northeast of Ratnapura, the capital of Sabaragamuwa province. It is well known for the Sri Pada (Sinhala for “Sacred Footprint”), a hollow that is 67 inches (170 cm) long and 18 inches (46 cm) wide and resembles the print of a human foot. The Sri Pada is venerated by Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, and Muslims. Many pilgrims of all faiths visit the peak every year.

30/09/2024

Gadaladeniya Rajamaha Viharaya with an ancient monastery is found on the flat rock at Diggala in the district of Kandy. According to an inscription, this temple was built by King Buwanekabahu IV in the year 1344. The chief architect of this temple has been a South Indian called Ganesvarachari. Therefore this temple is essentially built following the Indian Vijayanagar architectural style.

The vihara complex in Gadaladeniya is built over a rock plateau spreading from north to south. According to the Gadaladeniya inscription by Dharmakirti, the Devala at Gadaladeniya had been constructed for the protection of the vihara.

The main shrine room has a seated (in Vajrasana) Buddha Statue under a Makara Thorana and four standing Buddha images. The makara thorana is decorated on both faces with gods such as Brahma, Suyama, Santhusuta, Natha and Maithree, and two attendants.

30/09/2024

Whales and Dolphins watching in Sri Lanka.
The ever smiling, mischievous dolphins will put on a show while some of the oldest and the largest sea creatures, the humpback and the blue whales, will nonchalantly glide past you, when you embark on a whale/ dolphin watching excursion off the Southern, Eastern or the West coast of Sri Lanka. The ideal locations for whale watching would be Dondra Point (accessible from Galle, Hikkaduwa and Mirissa) and Trincomalee while the sea off Kalpitiya teems with an abundance of dolphins.

27/09/2024

Granbell Hotel, Colombo is set minutes away from the Central Business District and overlooking the scenic Port City. Elegant interiors matched with unhindered views of the azure coast and its surroundings, from your bedroom or the rooftop pool and bar, our city hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka promises you a relaxed island escape.

27/09/2024

The Colombo Museum as it was called at the beginning was established on 1st January 1877. It founder was Sir William Henry Gregory, the British Governor of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) at the time.

The Royal Asiatic Society (CB) was instrumental in bringing to the notice of Gregory on his appointment as Governor in 1872 the need for a public museum with much difficulty the approval of the legislative council was obtained within a year. The Architect of the Public Works Department, J.G. Smither was able to prepare the plans for new structure on Italian architectural style. The construction was completed in 1876 and the Museum commenced it functions in the following year.

The Authorities of the museum took various steps to display the cultural and natural heritage of the country for this purpose.

With the development of the museum to international level, it earned the status of a national museum during the period of Dr. P. E. P. Deraniyagala. He was able to open up branch museums in Jaffna, Kandy and Ratnapura and a full - fledged Department of National Museums was established in 1942 under the act No. 31. The extension of the number of branch museums has now increased to nine and in addition a school science programme and a mobile museum service are also in operation.

08/06/2024

Colombo had always been a welcoming hub for international trade where Arabs frequented and populated enormously. They had to perform their five-times compulsory daily rituals. For that reason, the Indian Muslim Community was commissioned to put up a mosque in Pettah. Works commenced in 1908, the construction of the Colombo Red Mosque (Jami-Ul-Alfar Mosque) was finished in just a year. Habibu Labbe Saibu Labbe was the chief designer of the building who relied on Indo-Saracenic and Neo-classical architectural styles. In 1975, the Mosque’s capacity was extended as much as 10,000.

14/12/2023

23/06/2023

Turyaa Kalutara Hotel, Sprawled across six acres of ocean-front land, Turyaa Kalutara features well-appointed sea view rooms, dining spaces, large pool, spa and sauna, gymnasium, night club and more! With a total of 109 complete with private balconies, Turyaa Kalutara offers exceptional comfort throughout. Sporting interests are cared for with a host of recreational activities spanning across playing sets of badminton or shooting a cue ball across the pool table.

In terms of gastronomic variety, the Hotel hosts two restaurants (Svar and Pink Lobster) and two bars (Taaza and Twist) with each venue offering exclusive menus to flatter an assortment of tastes and culinary preferences. The conveniences at the hotel extends to doctor on call, and currency exchange services. Lose yourself in the live music and band repertoires in the lobby area or simply let the rhythmic beat of the ocean waves immerse you in our Sri Lankan beach paradise.

Be it on a brilliantly sun-bathed day, or on a seductive star spangled night, the Turyaa Kalutara hotel is a seaside sanctuary to lay back and breathe in the magic; where day upon day of seamless leisure conjures.

23/06/2023

Serene Pavilions Hotel Wadduwa, With a commanding backdrop of the ever-changing Indian Ocean, Serene Pavilions stands majestic and proud amidst a lush and verdant garden of tropical palm trees and an artist’s palette of vivid greens. Opulently created Balinese-style Pavilions await those who value luxurious relaxation as a priority, and where ones’ privacy is of paramount importance. Serene Pavilions quietly boasts an exclusive oasis of serenity, luxury, and indulgence, and truly defines the epitome of elegant living.

31/05/2023

The Kandy House, The house comprises nine individually decorated bedrooms, authentically reflecting the house’s history and antiquity alongside modern amenities and fresh designs. The four largest Ultra rooms each come with their own personal butler.

Guests can lose themselves in the lush gardens of the property and cool off with a dip in the infinity pool overlooking paddy fields or unwind with a traditional Ayurvedic massage in the elevated ambalama with views out to the hills.

The bedrooms are named after Butterflies which thrive in Sri Lanka and are styled individually incorporating local fabrics, elegant furniture of various generations and modernized amenities.
Fresh fusion best describes our fare, stirring up traditional Sri Lankan delicacies and ingredients with modern international dishes and flavours. At least twice a week, we serve our highly acclaimed feast of ten traditional Sri Lankan curries.

The house can also be booked as a whole for important celebrations with friends up to 18 pax, or just for the peace of mind of a group having total privacy away from the public eye.

31/05/2023

Dutch Hospital Colombo, The building was built as a hospital by the Dutch; it has been used for several different purposes, over the years. It is believed to have existed since 1681. The Dutch established the Colombo Hospital to look after the health of the officers and other staff serving under the Dutch East India Company. The hospital's close proximity to the Harbor allowed it to serve Dutch seafarers.

Post-Independence
The building was the Colombo Fort Police Station from the early 1980s to 1990s, prior to which it housed the Colombo Apothecaries.

Architecture
The building reflects seventeenth-century Dutch colonial architecture. The building has five wings forming two courtyards. It is designed to keep out the heat and humidity and provide a comfortable environment within.

In 2011, it has been transformed by Urban Development Authority into a shopping and dining precinct, where the historic architecture has been preserved.

31/05/2023

Manor House Kandy, Sri Lanka, Back in 1884 there stood in the pristine pride, the Nugawela Walauwa – the ancestral home of the Kandyan chieftan, of the Kandyan court. This traditional stately house, a mixture of British & Sri Lankan architecture showcased the traditional Srilankan luxury in a tranquil setting.

The original roof tiles had come from India. The masonry columns was of European influence and so was the ornate burnished copper ceiling in the grand hall. List of personages of power & eminence who had dined at the Hall is hung in the Dining room. As a structure it was so unique. There was solidness that could not be denied.

Originally this grand establishment stood on 9 acres of land with paddy fields around. Later the land around was distributed among his children, leaving one acre of land for the main house. After the Adigar’s death, and after its occupation by different owners the house was a wreck. Her pride had been stripped, not even the land around her remained. The lawn and flower garden was divided and sold. The 1884 colonial structure stood fast, but over the course of ensuring decades the majestic Walauwa began to crumble through neglect and she slowly lost her majesty and its glory, but not its use.

A leap to 2004 presented a condition of enormous despair! Even more than a century of weathering had not broken the Manor’s brave spirit. A voice of some secret wraith spoke out of the crumbling ruins, calling for a return to life.

13/05/2023

12/05/2023

Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, is a captive breeding and conservation institute for wild Asian elephants located at Pinnawala village, 13 km northeast of Kegalle town in Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka. Pinnawala has the largest herd of captive elephants in the world.

11/05/2023

The Ministry of Crab as a celebration of Sri Lanka’s seafood, particularly of the wonderfully sweet and succulent crabs. The menu is specially prepared by Dharshan with his culinary expertise and the most important ingredient it includes is – crabs. The Crabs are the ‘stars of the show’ at Ministry of Crab, with signature dishes such as Chilli Crab, Pepper Crab and Baked Crab on the menu. Other highlights are the amazing King Prawns from the rivers of Sri Lanka while a selective range of delectable accompaniments (including a selection of rice and vegetarian dishes) are provided. Ministry of Crab is a culinary experience in its entirety.