Overview

Country Garden Resort is set within a five-acre plantation with diverse crops including tea, paddy, fruit, and vegetables. Accommodation is in six individual chalets overlooking a small river that borders the property. The restaurant is housed in the manor house, which originally belonged to the Panabokke family – a well-known Kandyan family. The current Dutch owner, Trudy, has retained the traditional architectural features of this `walauwa’, including the courtyard, verandas and a rice granary. Interiors are furnished with antiques and the restaurant area also serves as an art gallery where local artists are encouraged to display and sell their works of art. With prior notice, Country Garden can arrange experiences for guests including:

• Learning of heritage arts & crafts where traditional craftsmen are invited to visit the resort and demonstrate handloom weaving, woodcarving, etc. Guests are then taken to the nearby villages where these crafts are carried out as home-based cottage industries.
• Learning of Kandyan cuisine from shopping in the village market to preparation of rice and curries according to traditional Kandyan recipes.
• Mind and body wellness through Ayurvedic massage, yoga and meditation. A minimum of three nights stay is recommended for those wishing to experience one of these specific programmes. Whether you want to learn of Kandy’s heritage or just relax and unwind in a homely Kandyan walauwa, Country Garden Resort provides for a good alternative to the larger hotels situated in town.

Location:
Country Garden is set within a 19C Kandyan manor house amidst lush tropical gardens in the rural village of Panabokke on the outskirts of Kandy. It is about half-an-hour from Kandy town centre, a land of paddy fields and ancient temples, on the Gampola Road. The journey from Colombo’s international airport will take up to four hours.

Accommodation

Five a/c individual chalets are situated on the hill behind the walauwa and overlook the stream that flows by at the edge of the property. One of these is a family chalet with an attached second room that can sleep two children. Each of the chalets has a bedroom furnished with single or double beds fitted with mosquito netting and mini-fridge, ensuite bathroom with bathtub and h/w shower, and private veranda. A wattle and daub eco-lodge is located separately amidst tea bushes and overlooks the paddy fields. The eco-lodge is furnished with a double bed and two bunk beds and is well suited for a family.

Facilities

Sri Lankan and western cuisine is served here prepared with fresh vegetables picked from the garden and produce purchased from the village market. The restaurant is in the main walauwa and continues into the veranda overlooking the landscaped gardens. The courtyard with the rice granary and a central pond is used for meetings, discussions and workshops. Internet is available in the office area.