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The Bandarawela Hotel (1893)

Memories Of Colonial Ceylon

Sri Lanka’s Timeless Colonial Era Hotels Combined With An Island Wide Tour.


Who Should Do This Tour?
Sri Lanka has a collection of the world’s most famous and evocative colonial era hotels. This unique tour includes a stay at all of the special colonial properties in the island while enjoying all of its attractions.

  • 1 night stay at the legendary Galle Face Hotel, Colombo on arrival.
  • Spend 2 nights at the old colonial Polonnaruwa Rest House.
  • 2 nights at Kandy, the wartime HQ of Lord Mountbatten’s South East Asia Command.
  • 2 nights at the legendary British Hill Station of Nuwara Eliya.
  • Experience a colonial time warp with a 1 night stay at the Bandarawela Hotel.
  • Enjoy a 2 night stay at Galle with a curated walking tour of Galle Fort, the best preserved old Dutch town in Asia.

Day 1 - Colombo

Travel Time: Within 40 Minutes

  • Arrive At The Old Colonial Galle Face Hotel (1864), One Of The Finest Hotels ‘East Of Suez’.

  • An Exhilarating 3 Hour Afternoon Tour Of Colonial Colombo In A Vintage Jeep.
  • Enjoy Dinner At The Mount Lavinia Hotel (1877) On a Glorious Promontory Overlooking The Indian Ocean.

Day 2 - Polonnaruwa

Travel Time: Within 4.5 Hours

  • Visit The Millennium Elephant Foundation Or The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage.
  • The Golden Cave Temple At Dambulla, Sri Lanka’s Artistic Masterpiece.

Day 3 - Polonnaruwa

Travel Time: Within 2.5 Hours

  • The Well-Preserved Medieval Royal Capital Of Polonnaruwa With Scattered Remains Of Temples, Palaces And Monasteries. With An Option To Cycle Among The Ruins.
  • An Exclusive PM Jeep Safari To Observe Wild Elephants At Minneriya National Park.

Day 4 – Kandy

Travel Time: Within 3 Hours

  • A Tour Of The Awe Inspiring Sigiriya Rock Fortress, One Of The Great Wonders Of The Ancient World With A Knowledgeable Guide.
  • Witness The Evening Pooja At The Temple Of The Buddha’a Tooth To The Sound Of Hypnotic Kandyan Drummers With A Walk Around The 4 Temples Courtyard – The Most Atmospheric Experience In Sri Lanka.

  • Sip a G@T At The Bar Of The Colonial Period Kandy Club (1877) Overlooking The Kandy Lake.

Day 5 –Kandy

Local Sightseeing

  • Lord Mountbatten’s Kandy, Including Peradeniya Gardens (South East Asia Command HQ), The Hotel Suisse (Mountbatten’s Staff Quarters), The Queens Hotel, Captured Japanese Gun At Wace Park And The Famous View Point Over Kandy Lake.

  • Visit The Kandy Garden Club (1878), A Social And Sports Club Which Was Established For The Exclusive Use By British Coffee Planters To Play Tennis.

Day 6 - Nuwara Eliya


Travel Time: Within 2.5 Hours

  • The Delightful Colonial Period Pussellawa Rest House On The Way To Nuwara Eliya Was Visited By Queen Elizabeth During Her Visit To Ceylon In 1954.

  • Ascend The Dramatic Ramboda Mountain Pass Via 12 Thrilling Hairpin Bends To The Hill Country. 

  • The Grand Hotel Stands At The Heart Of The Old British Hill Station Of Nuwara Eliya. It Was Originally The Holiday Home Of Sir Edward Barnes, Governor Of Ceylon (1824-1831).

Day 7 - Nuwara Eliya

Local Sightseeing

  • Enjoy Lunch At The Heritance Tea Factory, High Up In The Clouds Above Nuwara Eliya, An Old British Tea Factory Converted In To A Luxury Hotel.

  • Play A Round Of Golf At The Nuwara Eliya Golf Club (1889), Probably One Of The Most Beautiful Golf Courses In The World.

  • Make A Reservation For Dinner At The Legendary Hill Club (1876) Of Colonial British Tea Planters. 


Day 8 – Bandarawela

Travel Time: Within 2 hours

  • The World’s Most Beautiful Train Journey Through Sri Lanka’s Magnificent Hill Country. (1st Class Luxury Carriage)

    DEP NANU OYA 13:10 I ARR B’WELA: 15:10 A Train Journey Of Approx 2 Hours
  • Experience A Colonial Time-Warp Back To The 1950s At The Bandarawela Hotel (1893). The Best Preserved ‘Unrenovated’ Colonial Period Hotel In Sri Lanka. A True Old Style Colonial Planters Club.

Day 9 – Galle


Travel Time: Within 4 Hours

  • Observe The Spectacular Ravana Ella Waterfalls By The Roadside.

  • Arrive At Historic Old Galle - A Perfectly Preserved Old Town Within Ramparts (1588) With Cobbled Streets And Amazingly Preserved Dutch And Portuguese Buildings Of Immense Historic Interest.

Day 10 – Galle


Local Sightseeing

  • A Curated Walk Through Galle Fort (1588) With A Knowledgeable Local Guide Who Is Deeply Passionate About Their Heritage.

  • Enjoy World Class Cuisine In A Selection Of Superb Restaurants Inside Galle Fort.


Day 11 – To Your Beach Hotel


  • Personal Time To Go Shopping In Galle’s Famous Boutiques, And Explore Beautiful Dutch Architecture.

MAKE AN ENQUIRY

Our Featured Tour Hotels

Galle Face Hotel
ColomboThe legendary stopover hotel in colonial Ceylon for steamship passengers en-route to Australia. One of the most celebrated colonial hotels of the world. 

Colombo
Ekho Lake House
PolonnaruwaThe old Polonnaruwa Rest House where Queen Elizabeth stayed during her visit to Ceylon (1954), now converted in to a luxury boutique retreat.

Polonnaruwa
The Elephant Stables
KandyThe former residence of the island’s most aristocratic family, now one of the island’s premier boutique hotels
with chic interiors and amazing views.
Kandy
The Grand Hotel
Nuwara EliyaThe large former residence of Governor Sir Edward Barnes (1824-1831) is the centerpiece of Nuwara Eliya with gorgeous landscaped rose gardens.
Nuwara Eliya
The Bandarawela Hotel
Bandarawela

The only remaining largely ‘unrenovated’ colonial period hotel left in Sri Lanka is stuck in a glorious time-warp from somewhere from the 1950!

Bandarawela


The Fort Printers
GalleA former 18th Century printworks in the heart of Galle’s old town district has been restored into an elegant boutique hotel brimming full of antiques.
Galle

Our Featured Beach Hotels

Some Activities Possible From Your Beach Hotel

Swimming With Whales At Mirissa

  • Explore The Mighty And Misty, Sinharaja Rainforest Along The Waterfalls Trail – One Of Asia’s Great Bio Diversity Hot Spots.
  • The World’s Best Whale Watching In A High Speed Navy Cruiser (Galle Harbour - Weekends Only) Or By Speedboat (Mirissa).
  • Safe Watersports On The Shallow Bentota Lagoon At The Cinnamon Beach Watersports Centre.
  • 1 Night Private Sailing Cruise With Sail Lanka Aboard Ceycat 53 Catamaran From Mirissa Harbour.

Colombo 7 Gin

  • Authentic Luxury Sri Lankan Healing At The Fortress Including Rejuvenating Baths, Wraps And Scrubs, Stress Relieving Massages And Revitalising Beauty Care For Men And Women.
  • Enjoy A Personalised Surfing Lesson At Borderlands Adventure Centre, Weligama Bay. Safe And Ideal For Beginners
  • Cookery Class At Paddy Island In A Delightful Setting In The Middle Of Verdant Rice Fields. Go With Chef To Buy Food And Spices From A Local Market And Learn To Cook The Islands Tasty Cuisine Followed By A Meal.
  • Arrack Tasting Experience At Galle With Shehan. Fun Stories, Huge Laughs With An Enjoyable Array Of Local Drinks And Cocktails.

Fisherman By Isuri

  • Safe Watersports On The Shallow Bentota Lagoon At The Cinnamon Beach Watersports Centre.
  • Arrack Tasting Experience At Galle With Shehan. Fun Stories, Huge Laughs With An Enjoyable Array Of Local Drinks And Cocktails.
  • 3 Hour Sunset Cruise With Sail Lanka Aboard Ceycat 53 Catamaran From Mirissa Harbour.
  • Travel To Hikka To Observe The Friendly Giant Turtles On The Near Shore Reef Followed By A Scrumptious Roti Meal At The Famous Roti Shop.

When To Visit

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  • Best
  • Good
  • Average

You Can Do This Tour Year Round. From May To October There Is An Option Of An Anti- Clockwise Tour With An East Coast Beach Stay Which Is The Coast ‘In Season’ During The Summer Months With Some Of The Most Beautiful Beaches In The Whole Of Asia!

Pricing

13 Night Holiday – 10N Tour And 3N Beach Stay At Club Villa, Bentota Including Flights From LHR

Winter 2026

From £3374 Per Person

Summer 2026

From £3798 Per Person

Flights Available From All Major UK Airports

Start Planning Your Travel

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The Hill Club, Nuwara Eliya (1876)

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