Ceylon Tea Trails

Ceylon Tea Trails occupies five restored planters' bungalows spread across three working tea estates in the Bogawantalawa Valley near Hatton, in Sri Lanka's Central Highlands, set between 1.5 and 16 kilometres apart around Castlereagh Lake. Each has its own character. Tientsin, the oldest, is named after the Chinese village the first tea seedlings came from; Castlereagh, a century old, sits on the lake shore; Dunkeld stands nearest the Dunkeld Tea Factory, looking across to the Great Western range; Norwood has a billiards room and croquet lawn; and Summerville is a waterside cottage with an infinity pool. Suites have period furniture, many with four-poster beds and freestanding baths, and butlers look after each house. This was the first Relais & Châteaux property in Sri Lanka, and food is central: there are no menus or set mealtimes, and each bungalow's chef agrees the day's dishes with guests in advance, using produce from the estate gardens and nearby communities. All food and drink is included. The days turn on tea, from tours of the Dunkeld factory with the resident planter to a tiffin lunch in the fields, with kayaking and nature trails besides. There is a two-night minimum.