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The World’s First Tea Bungalow Resort

Ceylon Tea Trails, Sri Lanka’s first Relais & Chateaux resort, comprises four luxurious

colonial era tea planters’ bungalows, connected by walking trails through stunningly

beautiful Ceylon tea gardens.

Each of the four bungalows is different. Summerville with an air of a-country cottage,

Castlereagh with an eclectic style of its own, the high colonial Tientsin, one of the first

planter’s residences to be built in Ceylon and the more modern Norwood; abounding

with 50’s character. 21 exquisite rooms and suites in all. Follow the Tea Trail from one

unique bungalow to the next, staying a night or two at each or just laze in one.

This is the ideal setting for trekking and biking against the breathtaking backdrop of

mountains, lakes, winding roads and waterfalls. If you prefer to unwind, observe life on

a working tea estate while being pampered by your butler, enjoy a spa treatment, croquet

on the lawn or sunbathe alongside the pool. Or explore the lush tea fields & visit a

century old factory for a gentle education in the art of Ceylon Tea.

Rates at Tea Trails are fully inclusive of gourmet meals and drinks, including top shelf

spirits and wines. Even service ‘charges, taxes and laundry are included. We won’t bother

you with bills…

At Tea Trails, we promise you an unforgettable holiday that will rejuvenate your spirit

in the heart of the magical world of Ceylon tea.

Bungalow Ambiance

Summerville and Castlereagh are situated opposite each other on the shores of the

Castlereagh lake, 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 from 4 to 6 rooms each. Master Suites

with a separate living room and private gardens, Garden Suites with verandahs to

private gardens and spacious Luxury Rooms of great character.

Relax in immense four-poster beds, crisp white sheets. 21 elegant and charming rooms

and suites decorated each in a unique style, ranging from neo-colonial to classic English.

Rooms are named after past tea planter occupants. Heritage with a contemporary style

and non-hotel, private house ambiance is the hallmark of the Tea Trails experience.

Life in all its variety is played out in the living rooms. Pale tones and natural wood

create equilibrium in the midst of a hectic life. Each bungalow has many sitting areas,

old wooden desks to write postcards with real stamps and not just email. Silk cushions,

regency stripped footstools, huge spaces warmed by roaring log fires. Mulled wine or

the finest spirits, a drink that thrills the heart. Old books, old prints, antique maps, rooms

filled with flowers in vibrant colours. Wide verandahs. Time for relaxing on cushioned

cane chairs, waited on hand and foot by the discreet butler. Long expanses of slate to

spend long afternoons with a gimlet, white wine and cucumber sandwiches or freshly

roasted cashews, your butler at your beck and call. Watch the lake and study the garden

bees, while reading Somerset Maugham.

The Finest Cuisine

The day at Tea Trails starts with that wonderful colonial institution, Bed Tea. Served

by your butler as part of a gentle wake-up call, this must be the most civilised way to

start the day. Then an early morning walk followed by an English or Sri Lankan

break fast.

A unique aspect of Tea Trails’ cuisine is the use of fresh, home grown herbs, vegetables

and teas from the surrounding estates. Basil, rosemary, thyme, tarragon, sage, parsley

and mint inspire and enliven the chef’s menus every day: Broccoli with roasted almond

soup with blue cheese. Keemun tea and fresh tarragon infused roasted chicken with

braised curly cabbage and baby carrot. Oyster mushroom soup with garden fresh basil

pesto. Moroccan mint tea crusted lamb rump steak with grilled herb polenta and roasted

peppers in tamarind sauce. Zucchini and pumpkin frittata with rocket and pine nut salad.

Desserts are unashamedly luscious: Orange and lime cheese cake with cinnamon

rhubarb. Apple tart with Assam tea cream anglaise. Cinnamon tea poached pears with

butter scotch ice cream. Passion fruit pannacotta with minted citrus fruit salad. Banana

and sultana compote served with Hibiscus sorbet.

Tea Trails is all about the time-honoured planters’ traditions: Roaring fires and the

comfort of a single malt whisky while the mists roll in or a stiff gin and,tonic after a

long day’s walk in the tea gardens, accompanied by the spicy flavours of Sri Lankan

nibbles to stimulate the appetite. A fabulously aromatic, authentic Sri Lankan rice and

curry for lunch — a definite harbinger of the afternoon siesta. Scrumptious afternoon

high teas in gardens curiously English and exotic at the same time. A four-course dinner

that is at once contemporary and colonial with its garden-fresh ingredients married with

choice wines, best shared in good company. Rates include all food & drink, no bills to sign.

Around the Bungalow and Gardens

Sweeping lawns and swimming pools. English gardens filled with roses, dew filled

agapanthus and spring crocus. Tea on the lawn with Dundee cake, scones, strawberries

and cream or lunch alfresco by the pool, a 180 degree view of the viridian lake and

mountains behind, a summerhouse to meditate in or watch the forest wagtail flit from

tree to tree. An in-room pampering spa treatment by expert therapists. Tennis,

swimming, croquet and classic board games all come together for a leisurely lifestyle.

The English love of gardens has left its stamp on the lovely old colonial tea planters

bungalows that dot Sri Lanka’s tea country. Tea Trail’s four colonial bungalows are no

exception to this legacy. Complementing the magnificent vistas of lakes, hills, valleys

and lush tea plantations are the bungalows’ own charming gardens. They are at once very English and yet entrancingly exotic.

Visitors to Tea Trails have the glorious stands of giant bamboo at Norwood to admire,

or the profusion of wild banks of Anthuriums, Agapanthus Salvias, Chrysanthemums,

Daisies and Lilies that tumble down the slopes of Tientsin.

Ceylon Jungle Fowl. Parrots, House Sparrows, Doves, Coucal, Mynahs, Sunbirds,

Honey Suckers, Flower Peckers, Streaked-throated Woodpecker, Rose-ringed Parakeet,

Common Kingfisher, Oriental Magpie Robin are some of the birds found in our gardens.

Activities and Excursions

Ceylon Tea Trails has opened up a world of adventure and discovery in the

Bogawantalawa Valley. The pristine trails through immaculate tea gardens, at an

altitude of over 1500 metres, provide a wide array of walks, adventure trails and

mountain bike rides for different levels of ability. Trained guides are available and most

trails are marked. The unspoiled beauty of the surrounding valleys and hills offer an

unparalleled experience with vistas of mountain lakes, the verdant, beautifully

manicured hillside tea gardens, forests and doll’s house villages.

Tea Trails is the ideal basecamp for a dawn expedition to climb the famed 2250m

Adam’s Peak holy mountain. The Peak has been an object of worship & pilgrimage by

kings and commoners for centuries. Or take a day trip to the UNESCO World Heritage

sacred city of Kandy, the 16th Century capital city, steeped in political, cultural and

religious history. Visit the Temple of the Tooth Relic (the sacred tooth of the Buddha),

a famous pilgrimage site.

Further afield, kayaking or rafting on the white water is popular in Kitulgala. Avid

golfers can play at the 117-year old 18-hole championship golf course in Nuwara Eliya,

also known as “Little England”. The World Heritage Horton Plains National Park is Sri

Lanka’s highest plateau at an altitude of 2300 metres. The Park is home to a wide variety

of flora and 24 species of mammal such as elk, deer, giant squirrel, wild boar, wild hare,

porcupine and the occasional leopard. For bird enthusiasts, there are 87 species.