Horathapola Estate is a tranquil Colonial-style boutique hotel that offers travellers and holidaymakers an ideal haven for acclimatising and rejuvenating after your flight, and/or relaxing just before your departure. The hotel is hidden within a vast green coconut belt, an idyllic rural paradise, 45 mins drive north of Katunayake International Airport. The five-bedroom British planters house, built in the 1920s, is surrounded by well-clipped lawns and breathtaking hardwood trees. The interiors have been simply and tastefully renovated with antique furniture and the result is a calm and peaceful atmosphere. The estate, which produces coconut, mango, pineapple and spices, is still run by the Fernando family, Javana and Pia, who add a friendly, laid-back but efficient air. The Sri Lankan rice and curries, cooked in traditional clay pots over a firewood flame, are mouth-wateringly delicious with many of the ingredients grown on the estate. The location is ideally situated for those wishing to visit the Cultural Triangle, Wilpattu National Park to the north or indeed Kandy to the east.

Accommodation
There are three large suites and one two-bedroom family suite furnished with ancestral Dutch period antique furniture, including four-poster beds lined with handmade lace.   The rooms are non-a/c, but are blessed instead high ceilings, overhead fans, and wide balconies or verandas with many planters’ chairs overlooking the gardens on one side and a large swimming pool on the other.  The ensuite bathrooms have hot and cold showers.

Facilities
The cozy living and dining rooms filled with paintings and family portraits, and a library filled with books on Sri Lanka makes you feel at home.   Surrounded by well-clipped lawns and breathtaking hardwood trees, ample bird song and butterflies, all contribute to a calm and peaceful atmosphere that can be best enjoyed just relaxing in a Planter’s chair in the verandah with a good book and a hot cup of tea. The estate, which produces coconut, mango, pineapple and spices, is still run by the Fernando family, Javanah and Pia, who add a friendly, laid-back but efficient air. The Sri Lankan rice and curries cooked in traditional clay pots over a firewood flame are mouth-wateringly delicious with many of the ingredients grown on the state.

Excursions
Situated amidst acres of coconut, paddy, mango, and vegetables, the surrounding area is home to numerous species of birds and butterflies that can be spotted on Nature walks.  Treks past paddy fields and quaint villages provides a glimpse of rural Sri Lanka.  Horathapola is also ideally situated for those wishing to visit the Cultural Triangle, Wilpattu National Park to the north or Kandy to the east.