In the highlands....

Heading to the central highlands this time! It’s been about four years since I last traveled to Nuwara Eliya and this time around, the bestie and I decided we’d both like to go there, with her one year old in tow.  

As is most commonly known, this town was home to the colonial British who’ve left quite an impressive mark and hence is called ‘Little England’ to date. Although it’s a vacation hotspot amongst locals, it didn’t cross my mind until recently that I’d always pick holiday spots that are close to the ocean, and until the bestie and I began planning our first trip for the year 2018; (I know, nearly half the year is over, and this is our first trip together after doing four during the previous year).  

As check-in is almost always after noon, we deemed it suitable to leave home around 7am on a Friday. It’s a work and school day so traffic wouldn’t be so bad at that time in the morning and it actually wasn’t, which made it a lot easier to get some solid kilometers covered within the first few hours. We had a one year old on board so yes, there were a few stops along the way; no biggie. We still managed to get towards the picturesque Badulla and the last stretch of the hill country by 11.30-12pm.  

Have to admit however that the winding roads are a bit stressful. However, for someone who was driving uphill for the first time, I think I did a pretty decent job and we finally made to Jetwing St. Andrews by 1pm (also thanks to Google Maps).  

Gregorian country mansion 

Housed in a restored and renovated Gregorian-style country mansion, St. Andrews is every bit the English countryside boutique abode. Although it happens to be one of the brand’s upcountry luxury hotels, I can’t say I agree much on the standard of it being luxurious. In my opinion, the hotel represents more a homey, lean luxury type of a setting, with its scenic beauty and modern, yet vintage amenities throughout the lush property.  

It was said to be a part of land that was gifted to a loyal servant of the crown and its history dates back to the year 1875. A house was built on the land sometime later and it became the Scots Club. The name St. Andrews is a nostalgic reference to the home of golf in Scotland under the same name, where the spirit and tradition of the game still lives.  

Check-in was a breeze except for a slight confusion at the foot of the entrance. We were escorted to the sun room while our luggage was taken in and within a few minutes, were able to head to our room. The furniture and finishing exude a very old-age English vibe, along with its soft floral prints and white furnishings in the sun room, the dark wood in the main sitting area, the rustic fireplace and wooden flooring. 

We picked the Gem Suite for our two night stay; the largest space of all the 40 or so rooms in the hotel. The space includes the main bedroom area, complete with a stately four-poster bed on the ground floor, along with a separate breakfast nook (which could also be a writing or reading nook), an upper floor with two twin beds and of course a bathroom with a shower as well as a luxurious bath. Additional furnishings complete with wooden flooring, included a vintage white-washed tv table and dresser, and a charcoal heater for the cold nights.  

Dining  

We dined at the Old Course Dining space for all our meals (well, nearly all except for three; we chose to have breakfast on the last day in our room and we also dined outdoors on the lawn on both afternoons for lunch). The buffet area features a show kitchen and a walk-in wine cellar, and the choice of food were always a global gourmet spread.  

Upon our arrival, we decided it was best to have lunch almost immediately and chose the thai styled chicken, steamed rice with lemongrass infused coconut broth. I’m quite a soup/broth fan so this was an ideal choice for an afternoon meal. The drive tired the three of us out so instead of choosing to go out someplace, we took a long late afternoon nap and woke in time for some evening coffee, and dinner afterwards.  

As said, the buffet is a global gourmet spread and I once again opted for the soup, which happened to be cream of mushroom that night, along with a small helping of stir fried noodles, baked chicken, and steamed veggies. For the rest of our meals at St. Andrews, it was a vegetable soup and seafood pasta for lunch on Saturday, whilst the bestie chose rice and curry, soup again at night along with spaghetti and minced meat, grilled chicken sausages in a sage infused bbq sauce and a solid serving of steamed cauliflower.  

We had breakfast brought over to our room come Sunday morning simply because we had a bit of packing to do and also wasn’t in the mood to dress up for the meal. It was a typical continental spread and I have to say, more than required for two adults and a baby. Instead of the usual lunch menu, we requested to have the high tea menu before leaving on Sunday. This included a chicken slider, two vegetable club sandwiches, a chicken and cheese cutlet, a spicy vegetable quiche and a sweet chili sauce on the savories front. For the sweets, there was a slice of cake, a scone, an éclair, meringues and cookies, jams, clotted cream and bottomless pots of tea and coffee. I believe this was my most favourite meal of the entire weekend apart from the creamy and flavourful soups.  

The outdoors 

There’s always something to do or somewhere to go in Little England. The bestie was pretty adamant we take the little one to the botanical gardens and amidst a confusion over the Victoria Park, we headed off in the direction of the Hakgala Botanical Gardens, just 15 minutes away from the hotel. If you’re traveling with children or senior adults, I’d recommend hiring one of the buggies that cost Rs 500 for three persons, Rs. 1,000 for five and Rs. 1,500 for seven persons for a 20-30 minute riding tour of the entire gardens. This way, we also got to hear bits of its history, a glimpse of the first home owner of the land and also his personal garden which happens to be the oldest part of the entire land.   

If you’re someone who loves the outdoors, there’s plenty to do; from golfing at the Nuwara Eliya Golf Club, embarking on a night-time frog excursions with a naturist, visiting the many tea factories and acres of plantations in the area, the Nuwara Eliya Racecourse, the Victoria Gardens, renting a bike and taking a personal tour of the little town, taking a longer route and walking across the UNESCO World Heritage Site the Horton Plains Nature Reserve, visiting the many strawberry farms and also driving over and climbing Pidurutalagala which happens to be the highest peak on the island.  

Unfortunately, our stay felt a bit too short simply because we’d spent half of Friday and half of Sunday on the road. I’d highly recommend a minimum three-night stay in the highlands if you happen to be planning a trip to the central plains. As for accommodation, I’ve always enjoyed staying at properties by Jetwing. The service was warm and hospitable although occasionally a bit confused or slow. No real qualms or complaints however. Would I be back? Perhaps at Warwick Gardens the next time around!