Hotel Kandalama
When we reached Lake Kandalama my driver pointed out the hotel on the other side of the lake. It has 150 rooms but was hard to see, it is so covered in vegetation. This is one very posh hotel and because I was staying three nights, I was upgraded to a Superior Room (or from Superior to Deluxe) .. it certainly was that. Spacious, smart, minimalist This hotel really is great.. Minimalism can work when they get the balance right. The room seems spare but there is always a light where you need one for reading and the fridge and cold beer never that far away. Small balcony and best of all, a very swish bathroom with (1) full size windows looking out over the forest and lake (2) a whirlpool bath and (3) Peeping Tom monkeys.
Fascinating building designed by the architect Geoffrey Bawa. Opened in 1999 and was refurbished in 2005. It is built along a huge rock face.. at times built into the rock and at other points set back so you get views of the rock as you walk along corridors. The building is concrete frame and very minimalist .. which seems to emphasise the outdoors all the more. This was a great place to relax after all the Dagoba visiting, stair climbing. heat and dusty roads.
... isolation in splendour
Three nights here and I did not left the grounds (it is isolated and only options are elephant rides, etc. which do not interest me). It is great just to read and relax, swim (there are three swimming pools) eat and drink .. and relax some more.
One lunchtime I saw an object lesson on how and why monkeys get aggressive. (I noted earlier that monkeys here were not as aggressive as those I encountered in Thailand). A young Japanese couple sat at the end of the terrace near the trees and in spite of several requests by the staff, the girl kept feeding monkeys from their table. Soon they were overwhelmed by monkeys and all hell broke loose ; the girl was screaming, the man hitting the monkeys. After the staff sorted things out, the girl laughed - she thought it was so cute. After they left, we had to fend off monkeys for the rest of my lunch.
I was ready to leave the Kandalama .. which is very nice but a bit too isolated ; it was beginning to feel like Detention in Luxury, but detention. I felt fully 'recovered' and ready to face the rigours of Colombo.
The fine print
Date of travel : November 2007
Country information :
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ce.html