Personally I think it’s overrated. Kandy is the ancient capital of Sri Lanka and is steeped in history; with a bio like that it comes with high expectations that it really doesn’t live up to. The city is crowded, the traffic is crazy and there’s not much to do. A visit to the Temple of the Tooth, a walk around the lake and a stroll through the botanical gardens and you’re done. By all means visit, but don't plan to stay.
Instead head east from Kandy for about 30 mins and discover Digana. Located on the banks of the beautiful Victoria Dam. It boasts an 18hole golf course which is ranked amongst the top 100 most beautiful in the world. Of course, don't have to be a golfer to enjoy the rolling lawns, beautiful surrounds, cool climate and wonderful views over the lakes. The Golf and Country Club is open to anyone staying on the property (there are some great Villa's to choose from). With a well stocked bar (try the local Black Opal Arrack just Rs 400 a shot), a good restaurant and fabulous terrace overlooking the course; it's a super place to relax and recover from the hustle and bustle of the Kandy sights.
Where to stay? My research uncovered a myriad of choices. They all looked fabulous. I chose what looked like a Bawa inspired property called Bamboo Villa (+94777008883) with a very modest price tag (around Rs11,500 a night for a double with breakfast). It turned out to be a great choice. We were lucky, as they had no other guests the night we stayed, we had the place to ourselves. The pictures say it all really, it was lovely.
The caretakers are delightful and happy to help in anyway. The Villa isn't licensed, so if you enjoy a beer or a glass of wine, then stop at Arpico in Kandy (on Peradeniya Road). They have a liquor shop where you should find everything you need. Indeed you can pick up a few groceries and Tuan and his wife will be happy to cook for you. We decided to wonder down to the Club for dinner so didn't try out their cooking. Breakfast was pleasant; eggs, toast and fruit with a great outlook! They'll do a traditional Sri Lankan breakfast for you if you'd prefer. Worth trying as the local fare is always so much better when cooked at home (as opposed to a hotel buffet).
So how did the accommodation rate over all? Time to digress for just a moment. I've developed a rating mechanism to score the places we stay. It uses a binary methodology because in my view a sliding scale is wishy-washy. For example, the service is either fabulous or it isn't. Average service doesn't deserve to be rated - so I don't. I also don't rate cleanliness, if the place isn't spotless then it doesn't matter what else is on offer it doesn't get a mention! There are 24 items that I think are important. You may think otherwise. Just take a look at the list and you can work out what is important to you and what isn't and make an informed choice. Below I've scored our stay at Bamboo Villa with an overall rating of 13. As you can see, they let themselves down in the amenities arena - but other than that they did pretty well!
If you want to book Bamboo Villa there are several options. They are listed with a couple of on-line travel agents (OTA's) e.g. agoda, booking.com etc. Please be aware that all hotels, villas, homestays (and any other type of accommodation you can think of) that is listed with an OTA (expedia, agoda, booking.com, hotels.com etc) are charged between 15% and 25% in commission per room per night. Thats a lot! So it naturally inflates the room rate. Go direct to the hotel and they are likely to give you a discount of at least 10% if not more. It makes so much more sense to give the property your booking direct, get a better rate and not feed the very hungry OTA beast!
Bamboo Villa does not have its own on-line booking option, for bookings from overseas they appear to use a local travel agent, Lakpura. I didn't take that option (that commission thing again!) - but here are the details.
+94117488286
+94766312000
I went to the hotel direct, via phone. They were very accomodating, confirmed the booking over the phone and did not ask for a deposit. We paid on check out. Simple!
Of course there are a number of other options (which we didn't have the opportunity to try so I'm unable to rate them for you), here are a few that look interesting:
1. You can stay at the Victoria Golf and Country Resort itself:
www.victoriagolf.lk
enquiries@victoriagolf.lk
+94 81 2376376
2. The Albatross Villa
www.albatrosslanka.com
albatross@ranfer.com
+94 11 4605645
3. Kurundu House
www.kurunduhouse.com
+94 778-685-566
And many more!
And the icing on the cake!
If you'd like to indulge a little, you can take a sea-plane from Waters Edge in Colombo (a lovely lake side event and restaurant complex in Battaramulla) to Victoria Lake in Digana and your hotel will collect you from the lake. Seeing Sri Lanka from the air should certainly be on the bucket list! Admittedly it isn't cheap, Cinnamon Air only offers charted flights to Digana (Victoria Lake) at a cost of USD2000+ for an 8 seater plane. If travel by sea-plane seems tempting however, they also offer twice daily scheduled flights to Kandy (Pollgodda Reservoir) for only USD176 per person including taxes. Take the 10:30am flight from Colombo, have a car collect you from the Reservoir, take in the sights of Kandy and be at the Country Club in time for sunset cocktails! Why spend up to 3 (or more) hours on the road when you can be there in 1/2 hour? It is certainly something to think about!
You can book scheduled flights on line at www.cinnamonair.com or reach them by phone +94112475475.
And so, my first blog is now published. The first of many I hope. Whatsmore I hope my posts will help you discover the undiscovered Sri Lanka, the Sri Lanka everyone should see! If you want help planning your trip I'll be offering an itinerary service in the next couple of months, and I'd be delighted to steer you in the right direction - literally.
I welcome your feedback, your comments and your questions.
Stay tuned for more, there's a whole island out there and I'm planning on discovering it.
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