Bawlana Estate Bungalow

Bawlana Estate Bungalow is a restored planter’s bungalow set high in the green hills above Kandy, with stone walls, a deep veranda and long views across layered ridges and valleys. It feels like a family home rather than a hotel, with antique furniture, garden paths and cool mountain air, yet the Temple of the Tooth and the rest of Kandy are an easy drive away. Four bedrooms make it a lovely base for families and small groups who want quiet days in the hill country with culture close at hand.

Outside, a swimming pool sits on its own stone terrace below the house, with loungers and red umbrellas looking straight out over the hills. Lawns and flower beds step down the slope, there is a circle of chairs around a fire pit for cool evenings, and a long stone table on the terrace seats everyone for meals in the open air. The wide veranda, set with cushioned chairs, is made for morning coffee and watching the mist lift off the valley.

Indoors, the living room mixes soft sofas with antique pieces and an open fireplace, and a Smart TV for quiet nights in. A grand wooden dining table sits beside a bright kitchen, where the villa’s chef prepares Sri Lankan and international dishes. The bedrooms have dark-wood beds, several of them four-posters, big windows onto the garden and en-suite bathrooms with hot water, one with a freestanding bathtub. Breakfast is included and housekeeping is part of the stay.