Sky Pavilion is a boutique hotel situated a few miles away from Kandy town. It is literally built on top of a mountain which gives it a spectacular view of the whole area.
Accommodation
They've got 4 rooms named Cygnus, Andromeda, Aquila and Ankaa, all with a great view to wake up to. The prices range from 12 K- 30 K depending on the deals you get at booking.com on that day. We stayed in Cygnus ($195) which is around Rs. 30,000, including breakfast. Bear in mind, these are the basic rates but it is a lot cheaper if you book online.
Cygnus is a luxury double room with a vintage, romantic vibe going on with decor, wooden furniture and lots of natural light seeping in through the glass windows. The bed is comfy and the bathrooms are spacious, although I did notice that the mirror had a huge stain on the glass. There's also a tea/coffee station with its own light so you wouldn't be waking anyone up if you wanted coffee in the middle of the night.
The coolest thing was the bathtub outside (don't worry, you won't be exposed). With candles and bath salts, you can draw your own bath and with a glass of wine and a book, you can get your vacay mode on.
The floor above us was the dining area. They have a dining room, a TV room and also tables out on the terrace. You simply have to tell the staff where you want to have your meal and they'll set the tables. It's just like home, you can eat anywhere you want.
The Food
We started off with a late candlelit dinner out on the terrace. They have a set menu which has some great western options but since I'm a vegetarian and they didn't have any vegetarian options, we opted for a la carte. The menu was quite extensive and the prices are not overly exorbitant.
We got a delicious Mushroom Soup as our appetiser which was their Soup of the Day. It was creamy and packed with flavours. We also tried the Nasi Goreng (which they made vegetarian upon request) and a Penne Pasta. Sadly the texture and flavour of the nasi were more like fried rice than nasi. Nevertheless, it was delicious. The pasta was al dente, and came slathered with lots of cream and cheese.
For dessert, we tried their in-house Curd Cake, which was superb, with a thin layer of Jell-O on top of frozen curd. We also tried the Biscuit Pudding, which was was a bit too sweet for my taste.
They served us a killer breakfast next morning. After every meal, they usually ask at what time we'd want our next one and the type of cuisine we'd prefer. We asked for a Western breakfast and they delivered a quality meal that included a fruit platter, French toast, pancakes, toast and scrambled eggs.
Service & Ambience
One of the recurring comments about Sky Pavilion was how good the service was, and we didn't experience anything different. The staff is incredibly friendly and outgoing. They have taken it upon themselves to make sure that we have a great time and they genuinely seem to want to do it. Our train got delayed two hours on our way and it was really late when we finally got there. After such a tiring trip, thanks to the staff we immediately felt at home as soon as we arrived.
What you're basically paying for here is the stellar view. My favourite is the outside seating area on the same floor as our room where you can enjoy your morning coffee. All the rooms were booked that weekend so I suggest you reserve your rooms a few weeks early cause this place is on high demand.
Overall
It is so peaceful out there and you just cannot get enough of the view. It might not be the best place for a family trip since there's quite a few stairs and precarious spots that would be dangerous for the very young or the old, but if you're going alone or with your partner, this is definitely the place. It's not that far from the town so you can always go sightseeing as well. We had a delightful stay here with such a wonderful staff and accommodation.
They also have another villa right next to this called Range Kandy, which is a bit more mid-range. Stay tuned for that review!
