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Monday Nov 18, 2024
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Jungle Beach in Kuchchaveli, the small luxury hotel by Uga Escapes, was selected as the ‘Best Luxury Hideaway Resort in the Indian Ocean’ under the ‘Continent Winners’ category at the prestigious 2013 World Luxury Hotel Awards. The World Luxury Hotel Awards is a globally recognised organisation providing luxury hotels with recognition for their world-class facilities and service excellence. The annual awards are presented to luxury hotels in different categories on a country, regional and global basis.
When it commenced operations in June 2012 as Uga Escapes’ latest hotel, Jungle Beach was the first of its kind and the only hotel to be built in Kuchchaveli in the Trincomalee District and on the entire east coast. This outstanding hotel is set on ten acres of pristine land located between the Indian Ocean and the lagoon. This is the second international recognition received by the hotel this year after being included in the esteemed ‘Small Luxury Hotels of the World’ portfolio back in April.
Initiatives for the benefit of the people
Speaking about the hotel’s latest achievement, Uga Escapes Managing Director Priyanjith Weerasooriya stated, “We are very proud of this achievement especially since we are still a very ‘young’ hotel, having been in operation for a little over a year. Being the first and only hotel to be built in this region, we challenged ourselves to bring change to the lives of the people of this region and to communities that have only known conflict and violence for over three decades.” He added, “As a result the hotel’s management team has successfully carried out several initiatives for the benefit of the people of the area.”
One such initiative was in response to a request made by the Medical Doctor in charge of the Area Hospital, Dr. Ruthra Yogasingham. The OPD and internal patien
ts of this hospital obtained water from a tube well that had an old, rusted hand pump. This was a very unreliable way of extracting water which caused shortages regularly. The hotel team had got involved and fixed a new electric motor, large water tank and a tap, which helped to bring relief to hundreds of patients who visited the hospital daily.
Jungle Beach Welfare Society
In addition to this, in order to mark International Children’s Day, a celebration was organised for the students of Navatcholai Junior School. This was a historic occasion as it was the first time such a celebration was arranged in this village since the ending of the conflict. The village is situated in a remote location and the villagers are undergoing economic hardships. The Jungle Beach staff had visited the village and offered gifts and refreshments for almost 100 underprivileged children through the Jungle Beach Welfare Society. The project, which also aimed to promote ethnic harmony while bringing relief to the people of the area, was fully funded by the Jungle Beach Welfare Society.
Uga Escapes is a company committed to developing luxury properties with a focus on eco friendliness. It is a fully-owned subsidiary of the Finco Group. The group comprises several 
successful companies across diverse fields. Uga Escapes also owns Ulagalla Resort, an eco-friendly luxury boutique hotel that consists of 20 villas over a 58 acre property in Anuradhapura. In addition, they also own Uga Bay in Passekudah, a 48-roomed hotel that offers a tropical beach experience.
