Camellia Hills, Dickoya, Sri Lanka

Camellia Hills is one of the most intimate places to stay in Sri Lanka's tea country: a contemporary take on a planter's house with just five rooms and suites, set on a hillside of tea above Castlereagh Lake near Hatton. With butler service, an infinity pool facing the water and everything included, it feels like borrowing a friend's beautiful country home in the hills.

Location: Dickoya, near Hatton, Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's hill country rises steeply from the island's tropical lowlands into a cool, misty world of tea estates, waterfalls, forests and mountain villages. The tea that made the island famous as Ceylon still grows on its terraced slopes, and the colonial-era bungalows, factories and narrow-gauge railway built to serve it are still part of the landscape. Days are warm and nights are fresh, a welcome contrast with the heat of the coast.

Camellia Hills stands in the Castlereagh valley near Dickoya, surrounded by tea estates and looking over Castlereagh Lake, a long reservoir ringed by plantations and forested hills. Colombo is about four to five hours away by road, and seaplanes from Colombo land on the reservoir itself, about 20 to 30 minutes from the hotel. Adam's Peak, the sacred mountain climbed by pilgrims at night to watch the sunrise, is within reach.

Rooms and suites at Camellia Hills

There are just five rooms and suites, each with a four-poster king-size bed, an en-suite bathroom and views over the lake or the mountainside. The Warleigh honeymoon suite and the Norton room face the lake, the Osbourne suite is a corner room with lake views, and the Dickoya family suite has a second bedroom for children.

The style is colonial but fresh, with high beamed ceilings, wooden floors and clean, crisp decor, and a butler looks after every guest.

Facilities at Camellia Hills

The infinity pool, overlooking the reservoir, is the place to spend an afternoon, though it is unheated, so expect a refreshing swim. All meals, snacks and drinks are included, with Sri Lankan and European dishes, rice and curry, afternoon tea and dinners by the wood fire on the terrace.

Activities include a visit to a local tea factory, a Sri Lankan cookery class, guided walks and birdwatching, and canoeing on Castlereagh Lake. Nearby are waterfalls, Horton Plains, white-water rafting at Kitulgala and stages of the Pekoe Trail, Sri Lanka's long-distance walking route through the tea country.

The mountain moment

The defining moment is an early morning on the lake: paddle a canoe across the still, misty water as the sun rises over the tea-covered hills, then return for breakfast on the terrace.

For something unforgettable, set off in the night to climb Adam's Peak with the pilgrims, and watch the sunrise and the peak's famous triangular shadow from the summit.

Why Camellia Hills is one of the best mountain hotels

Camellia Hills earns its place for its intimacy and its view. With only five rooms and everything included, it is ideal for couples, honeymooners and small groups who want the peace of the tea country with real comfort, and it can feel almost like having the house to yourselves.

In the same valley, Ceylon Tea Trails offers a stay across several historic planters' bungalows. For a Michelin Key wellness retreat near Kandy, see Santani, and for a tea estate on the Haputale escarpment, Thotalagala.

When to go to Camellia Hills

The hill country is pleasant all year, with warm days and cool, sometimes chilly nights. January to April is usually the driest period, and the Adam's Peak pilgrimage season runs from around December to May, when the climb is busiest and the paths are lit. The monsoons bring heavier rain at other times, especially from around May to September, but also lush green hills and full waterfalls.

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