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Secret Yala’s five modish camping tents are designed to provide comfort and safety for the guests while the ambience promises one of the best wildlife experiences in the country. Located at the border of Yala national park, the Secret Yala offers easy access to the raw natural habitats of leopards, sloth bears and elephants along with the tranquillity of a secluded, spotless beachfront. Hence, the camping site is a perfect blend of wildlife and the serene beach and is designed to offer a unique camping experience filled with adventure, discovery and luxury.
Secret Yala is owned and managed by the UHE Group, a Sri Lankan family enterprise providing a range of services via the various companies under its wings. Following the success of the company’s maiden hospitality venture ‘98Acres Resort and Spa’ in Ella, Bandarawela, the UHE group has now extended its foot print across the island with its latest specialised boutique hotel chain, Secret Hotels.
Commenting on the opening of Secret Yala, UHE Group Director General Pramuditha Chamara stated, “The Secret Yala is the first of a series of exciting revelations we have in store for the discerning local and foreign travellers with a passion for nature. The firm has invested around Rs. 200 million to set up three novel boutique hotels namely; The Secret Ella; Luxury Planters’ Resort, The Secret Kandy: Luxury Governors Resort and The Secret Yala: Luxury Wilderness Camping. The Secret: Kandy will be opened by 1 March, and The Secret Ella by 1 July. The Secret Hotels are designed around a unique concept, combining luxury with nature and are intended to cater to the rising demand for high end boutique hotels. The Secret Hotels are exclusively designed as limited, high end eco-friendly properties to cater to the eco-conscious, sophisticated tourists as well as locals looking for unique holiday experiences.”
Soothing environments and peace of mind
“As a rather new player in the hospitality industry, we wanted to do something different and so when we first came across the opportunity for luxury camping in Yala; we found it to be the perfect fit for the rising demand for authentic holidays. There is a great demand for boutique resorts and the majority of travellers are now seeking soothing environments and peace of mind as opposed to getting confined in block type hotels. Therefore ‘oneness’ with nature is the key concept that lies at the heart of Secret Hotels. Today’s travellers are well aware about their next travel destinations, having access to a wide range of resources such as the Internet, magazines, blogs, reviews and so forth.”
“They tend to base their travel decisions on such information. Therefore, we came to realise that selling beaches is not quite the marketing tool we need to draw tourists into Sri Lanka, although it could be an advantage for competing within the local market. Tourists could choose countries such as Seychelles, Maldives and even Thailand if they were to look for golden beaches. But Sri Lanka has much more to offer in the hill country, the culture, the sceneries, the untouched environment, the wildlife and this is what we intend to promote to the world through our boutique chain Secret Hotels,” Chamara reiterated.
With an innate passion for nature and a desire for discovery, the management of the UHE group, has set conservation and exploration at the heart of its hospitality enterprise. The success of 98 Acres Resort and Spa – UHE Group’s maiden endeavour to provide travellers with a unique holiday experience, speaks volumes for the commitment of its management towards revolutionising the hospitality arena in Sri Lanka.
Having understood the diverse holiday needs of the well informed, modern day traveller; the UHE groups strives to combine an assortment of local experiences to offer a one-of-a-kind holiday experience to the world traveller. Their passion for nature means that providing eco-friendly holidays reigns priority in their endeavours while the company strives to achieve a perfect balance of luxury with the best of nature in the design and operation of their hotels.
The UHE Group, a Sri Lankan, family owned enterprise provides a range of services via the various companies under its wings. The companies within the group include the Uva Halpewatte Tea Factory in Bandarawela which produces authentic Ceylon tea to the world market, the Uva Greenland Estates Ltd., which owns and manages 200 acres of tea plantation and UHE Exports Ltd., which supplies factory fresh tea and herbal products to the international market.
The Secret Yala by the Secret Hotels is a secret worth sharing, an invitation to experience the wilds of Sri Lanka like never before, while basking in the extravagance of comforts of the campsite. More details of the hotel can be found on www.thesecrethotels.com.
