Day One: 1,868 meters above sea level

Saturday, 24 January 2015 02:20 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Sarah Hannan Returning after a decade to this beautiful township in the hill country, I was quite taken aback to see the amount of holiday homes and bed and breakfast places that have mushroomed around town. The ride towards the area too kept me questioning as to how the wayside vistas have been altered by the general populace. Starting off our journey at about 6 a.m. from Mount Lavinia our goal was to reach the destination for lunch. We embarked on our mini road trip to the Hill Country to our destination 1,868 meters above sea level. Nuwara Eliya which is also known as Little England is considered to be the holiday destination for many of us during April. The most popular attractions while traveling to Nuwara Eliya down the A5 are the countless waterfalls which flow down the valleys of the lush green tea plantations. The first notable waterfall moves in to the scenery soon after you drive through the Ramboda Tunnel and on to your right you will spot the waterfall. Coming up next are the winding elbow bends that would make a person car sick, one will pass 18 such bends.

Berries galore http://admastrawberry.lk/ While one would pass many pit stops for refreshments, nothing would attune you to the cool climes of Nuwara Eliya than some freshly picked strawberries. Adma Agro Strawberry Farm Shop is located in the Labookele Tea Estate stretch. The outlet is perched at the foot of a mountain you will see a beautiful waterfall in the background. Despite the chills that we were experiencing we opted for a strawberry milkshake topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The pricing starts from Rs. 320 for drinks and goes up to Rs. 890 for Fresh Strawberry Pizza. Adma Agro Strawberry Farm shop has three outlets including the one mentioned above, one on Battaramulla Parliament Road and the other in Nuwara Eliya – Mahagastota. Glendower Hotel http://www.hotelglendower.com/ After a six-hour journey with pit stops for breakfast and strawberries we reached Nuwara Eliya town. We were headed towards Grand Hotel and the vehicle turned to Glendower Hotel which was our designated accommodation for the night. Built as a Tudor style English Manor the hotel is adorned with antiques and features a cosy fireplace. We walked in to the hotel and were given warm face towels to refresh ourselves. Glendower is more of a boutique style hotel which has only nine rooms. However the hotel has its own pub known as the 19th Hole Pub, A Billiard Room and a beautifully landscaped garden. Though it is an English style hotel, it is best known for its Sri Lankan-Chinese rice which can also be ordered as take-away for lunch and dinner. Rain or shine the hotel’s chefs are ready to fire-up the BBQ pit and kick-start the action stations for anyone who walks in for cocktails at the pub in the evening. But for breakfast they go all English. Glendower is the cosiest hotel I have stepped into so far. Friendly staff is always available to assist you. The garden and hedge of Glendower have won many accolades during each April season and the trophies are propped on a table at the waiting room. I took a stroll in the garden and spotted a hedge which had a tusker on top of it. A well- trimmed garden and meticulously designed landscape awaits you at the back of the hotel. On a sunny day you can read a book or enjoy your cuppa or play some garden croquet. Grand Hotel http://www.tangerinehotels.com/grand-hotel-nuwaraeliya.html The very famous Grand Hotel has witnessed Nuwara Eliya’s transformation for centuries and the hotel itself has transformed during the past 10 years. The first thing I noticed was that the Grand Boutique had been converted into a Coffee Bar and the patisserie shop next to it has become Grand Indian Restaurant. Despite being November the hotel was bustling with life as we wandered off to the centre of the hotel. Again we were offered warm face towels to refresh ourselves and get comfortable. We continued to the ground floor of the hotel to the Grand Thai Restaurant of the hotel for lunch. This restaurant has been in operation since April 2014 and if you crave Thai food in Nuwara Eliya this is the place to be. The lunch menu is named after Chef Boonsong and can be enjoyed under Rs. 3,000 per person plus you get a glass of wine along with it (they have a vegetarian menu as well). The outer appearance of the hotel has been maintained, but when you walk towards the left side of the hotel you would notice the refurbishments pretty easily. There is a Dilmah Tea Centre for tea enthusiasts and you can choose to have tea inside or in the picturesque garden. Speaking about the garden, the hedge is pretty tall and is adorned with all sorts of creatures. End of day one Our day ended at Glendower with cocktails, BBQ and some entertainment by a calypso band. Our host, Jaysons Group of Companies Business Development Director Vivek Jayasuriya, joined in with his acoustic guitar and harmonica towards the latter part of the night. The 19th Hole Pub has a British air and the brassware that adorns the pub wall has a story of its own. Gun and dagger replicas are neatly set on the wooden wall and the beams are adorned with brass tea pots and coffee pots. A stairway leads to the hotel’s billiard room which houses the oldest billiard table in the country. I will share day two of this journey on a different day. Pix by Mirshad Buckman