Kalundewa Retreat

Rooms

The Bakmee, Damunu, and Kumbuk, Atthikka and Karadha Chalets are dotted around a lake, nestled between mangrove trees. We loved their glass window walls, making wonderful vistas from the beds. There are also shutters and blinds, but we chose to leave them unobstructed so we could wake up to misty mountain views.

The Bakmee Chalet has 2 large yet low-key bedrooms, focusing on wood, cement and brick textures. They’re pretty similar, but Upper Bakmee is slightly smaller and ground-floor Lower Bakmee has the added luxury of a private Jacuzzi.

Damunu Chalet houses the Nika and Ehela rooms plus the larger Damunu Suite. Booked together, they make a great option for groups or a family.

Honeymooners and romantics should opt for the secluded Kumbuk Chalet, or the Nil Manel Floating Villa, which have their own living and dining area, a balcony with a Jacuzzi plunge pool and panoramic views across the lake. Atthikka and Karadha also have a plunge pool a piece, and wide, sprawling bedrooms.

All bathrooms are gorgeous and spacious, with small dressing areas where you find fleece dressing gowns. In ours, a glass door led to twin sinks with a rain shower over stone tiles.

Features include:

• Bathrobes
• Hairdryer
• Minibar
• Safe box
• WiFi

Eating

Meal times are scheduled entirely around your itinerary. You can dine wherever you like and we found it nice to vary our eating spots - romantic lantern-lit dinners over the lake, on the deck for lunch, breakfast overlooking the paddy fields. There is also a lovely summer hut with grass roofing, in the middle of a lush paddy.

The menu is a mix of Sri Lankan and Western, using ingredients freshly picked that day form the hotel’s own vegetable and fruit gardens. One night we had Caesar salad with the huge king prawns followed by succulent lamb chops served with creamy potatoes and crispy vegetables. The second night we had a succulent fish curry with red rice from the estate’s paddy fields. Small side dishes included dhal, fried gourd, beetroot curry and a melt-in-the-mouth pumpkin dish. For pudding we tucked into delicious homemade sorbets - the soursop was our favourite.

Breakfast can be either Sri Lankan or Western. The latter came with pineapple, freshly picked bananas and a papaya juice. Then came lots of tea, rounds of toast and eggs any style.

Features include:

• Breakfast
• Dinner by arrangement
• Lunch by arrangement
• Room service
• Vegetarian options

Activities

• Explore the cave temples in Dambulla (8km); skip the Japanese golden temple on entrance, and climb up to see the beautiful interiors of 5 caves with over 150 images of Buddha
  
• Put on sturdy walking shoes for the precarious climb to the top of Sigiriya Rock (45 minutes away), an awesome rock fortress, and a World Heritage site. You'll walk past ancient graffiti and frescoes up to a magnificent view
  
• Have lunch at the late Geoffrey Bawa’s jungle hideaway hotel Kandalama, a huge modern structure covered in foliage. You can take a post-lunch dip in one of the 3 swimming pools
  
• Back at Kalundewa, listen to the calls of nature whilst relaxing in the plunge pool jacuzzi or bicycle around the paddy fields and take a dip in the natural spring-pool
  
• Walk through the fruit orchard, full of bananas, papayas and avocados, and examine the medicinal garden with over 500 Ayurvedic remedies
  
• Spot birds from your deck including kingfishers, hornbills and egrets, and identify them using the coffee-table book
  
• Take a local guide and climb the nearby peak Kalawallanda (featured on Kalundewa's logo), which takes a whole day. Bring plenty of water and fruit for snacks
  
• Climb the observation deck at sunset to watch the colours change around you

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Birdwatching
• Cycling
• Hiking
• Historical sites
• Plantlife / flora
• Swimming

Kids

Although children are welcome, it's not ideal; there's a lot of water around and the remote setting means older children might get bored.

Best for:

Children (4-12 years)

Family friendly accommodation:

Booking exclusive use of the Bakmee Chalet (2 double bedrooms) or Damunu Chalet (3 double bedrooms) is the best option for families as you get extra living space; it will also feel more relaxed as you won't be as worried about disturbing the peace for other guests.

If booking an individual room, all but Nika and Ehela have space for extra beds (no baby cots or highchairs are available).

Extra Beds Available

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Kalundewa Retreat is 8km from Dambulla, in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. It is set in 100 acres of rural agricultural land.

By Air:
Fly into Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport (159km / 3-4 hours). Kalundewa can arrange a transfer or a taxi can be arranged at the airport on arrival. If you're visiting several places in Sri Lanka, we'd recommend hiring a car and driver. Towards the end of the journey the roads are fairly bumpy.

By Car:
If you want to hire a car and driver (making for a stress-free trip), enquire through our Tailormade Tour Operator; they can collect you at the airport when you land. Kalundewa has very good drivers' facilities (room, parking and board).

By Train:
Trains are a very cheap and pleasant way to see the Sri Lankan countryside. However, they are slow, often rather hot and occasionally delayed. There is a service from Colombo Fort train station to Dambulla, and from here you can take a taxi. You can also take a train from here to the Cultural Triangle, stopping at Anuradhapura.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.

More on getting to Sri Lanka and getting around