This is a real gem. In a prime location on the bank of the beautiful Castlereagh reservoir – Castlereagh family cottages offers, in its price range, some of the best accommodation on the island. At the moment there are just two cosy, modern cottages but they each have multiple rooms and can house more than 6 people – (the larger one can accommodate 10).
In addition to the clean, simple rooms both cottages benefit from bright, airy living spaces and wide verandahs with excellent views over the reservoir. There’s really nothing more restful than lounging on one of their old cane chairs staring out on to the placid water and rolling tea hills beyond. However, if you’re feeling a little more active, fishing, boating and hikes through the neighboring tea plantations can quite easily be arranged. For the best possible exercise though, all you need to do is trot the 50 or so meters down to the little cove adjacent to the property and throw yourself into the cold, clear water.
Just three and half hours drive from Colombo it’s an unbelievably complete escape – at a pretty hard to believe price – for Rs. 4500 you can have exclusive use of the smaller cottage – which comfortably houses 4 people – so that’s barely Rs. 1000 each! The larger cottage will set you back a steeper Rs. 3700 per head, but that’s a full board rate and big groups can negotiate a discount for the whole bungalow. These are amazing prices for such a stunning location – you enjoy, basically, the same views, and natural setting as the neighboring Tea Trails Castlereagh Bungalow (Rs. 45, 000 per room per night!)
Obviously you don’t get Tea Trails standard finishes, fittings, or food but you do get tasty home-style up country meals and your own BBQ-pit – at any price, you can’t really beat the fish you just hauled out of a mountain lake and slapped on some searing hot coals. It’s a 7* location at pretty budget prices. If you need a break from the stresses of the big city – it’s hard to recommend anywhere more.
This post was written from Hatton Town using a Hutch 3G wireless dongle
