Rukgala Retreat

Rooms

The 8 rooms are spacious and airy, with a bright modern feel – overhead fans and mosquito nets are the only nods to colonial style. All have high beamed ceilings, creamy white walls and blond-wood bed frames and balconies. Floor-to-ceiling windows and glass doors swing open to views over treetops or verdant gardens. Colourful mirror frames dot the immaculate shower bathrooms.

On the top floor of the Main House are 3 double/twin bedrooms – these have long terraces with vistas to the lake. The Garden Cottage is a separate building: it has 4 bedrooms, each with a mezzanine floor accessed by a steep ladder with a single sofabed for a child, or for a separate meditation space. For groups or families, there's a quad room too: 4 large single beds on the Main House ground floor, with a small but sunny garden.

Features include:

• Air conditioning
• Mosquito net

Eating

The main focus here is on fresh, local and seasonal ingredients. For breakfast, we had fruit platters and smoothie bowls, sprouted bread with avocado and spinach – and you can order eggs and pancakes too if you prefer.

Lunches were also super healthy with a Sri Lankan twist. Platters of salads, beans and pulses kept us going until dinner. There are loads of vegetarian and vegan options, but we tucked into yellowfin tuna and roasted veggies followed by banana chocolate mousse. There are plenty of smoothies and fruit juices on offer to keep you feeling fresh throughout the day.

Meals are sometimes shared communally on benched tables outdoors. However, when we visited the guests were happy enough to eat separately on their own tables – there are plenty to choose from. Those seeking red meat can be directed to restaurants in the village of Digana (15 mins' drive).

Features include:

• Restaurant
• Room service
• Vegetarian menu

Activities

• There are daily morning and evening yoga classes in the open-air shala with a qualified instructor and plenty of props (mats, blocks, straps, cushions), plus a coconut for everyone after class
  
• The traditional spa is Ayurvedic-inspired and open to nature. Indulge in massages, reflexology, shirodhara and traditional steam baths
  
• Do laps in the pool or wild swim, kayak and paddle board in Victoria Lake. Rukgala can organise catamaran-fishing trips, picnics to nearby islands or evening boat rides, too
  
• Take a guided tour of the nearby Ashburnham Estate, an elegant tea plantation in the Knuckles foothills, with pretty gardens and waterfalls
  
• Walk to the temple and meditation caves at Bambaragala Monastery, trek through Knuckles Mountains National Park or stroll along ‘Coconut Ridge’ for evening sunset
  
• Kandy is an hour’s drive away: don't miss the Temple of the Tooth, a World-Heritage Buddhist site, and visit authentic craft and artisan markets to buy textiles, brassware, clothing and jewellery

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Boat trips
• Cycling
• Hiking
• Historical sites
• Kitesurfing
• Paddle boarding
• Private guided tours
• Swimming
• Well being
• Yoga

Kids

Children are welcome, but be aware this is a retreat where guests come for peace and quiet and there's not much provision for families. Best suited to older kids or tiny babies.

Best for:

Babies (0-1 years), Teens (over 12)

Family friendly accommodation:

All rooms can fit a baby cot. There are double and twin rooms in both the Main House and Garden Cottage, though none adjoin. Garden Cottage rooms have a mezzanine area where a sofa bed can be set up, though note this is accessed by a steep ladder and is suited to older kids only.

Distances:

• Airport: 4.5 hrs
• Hospital: 25 mins
• Shops: 25 mins

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Rukgala is located near the village of Digana, between Kandy and Teldeniya, in the Central Province of Sri Lanka.

By Air:
Colombo’s international airport, north of the capital, is a 4-hour drive from Rukgala Retreat. Airport transfers are available on request.

If you want to hire a car and driver for your whole holiday, enquire through our Tailormade Tour Operator; they can collect you at Colombo airport when you land, drive you to the hotel, then drive you to your onward destination(s) after your stay, as well as taking you on all day trips etc.

Alternatively, Cinnamon Air flies a seaplane from Colombo to Kandy, a 40-minute flight to Polgalla airport. The hotel can arrange transfers from here. If chartered, the seaplane can land on Victoria Lake: the landing site is a 5-minute tuk-tuk ride from Rukgala.

By Train:
There is a scenic train journey of about 2.5 hours from Colombo Fort to Kandy station. The hotel can arrange transfers from here.

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