editorial

In Sri Lanka’s central highlands, a newly restored plantation bungalow comes with shimmering lake views.
Photographs by Christopher P. Hill
<figure id="attachment_144772" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-144772" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-144772 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Uga-Halloowella-Sri-Lanka-Drawing-Room-and-Butlers.jpg" alt="A cozy corner in the drawing room; each suite comes with its own butler." width="1200" height="894" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Uga-Halloowella-Sri-Lanka-Drawing-Room-and-Butlers.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Uga-Halloowella-Sri-Lanka-Drawing-Room-and-Butlers-300x224.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Uga-Halloowella-Sri-Lanka-Drawing-Room-and-Butlers-1024x763.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Uga-Halloowella-Sri-Lanka-Drawing-Room-and-Butlers-768x572.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-144772" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: A cozy corner in the drawing room; each suite comes with its own butler.</figcaption></figure>
With a name that rolls off the tongue like an ancient mantra, the latest colonial planter’s bungalow turned boutique hotel to open in <a href="https://destinasian.com/category/sri-lanka" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sri Lanka</a>’s tea country enjoys a setting that is equally hypnotic. Here, at a salubrious elevation of some 1,440 meters, the six-suite <a href="https://www.ugaescapes.com/halloowella/?destinasian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Uga Halloowella</a> presides over a working tea estate above the shores of Castlereagh Reservoir, a serene lake framed by lush green hills.
For half a century, the house was the residence of one Major Marwood Elton Lane, a retired Royal Flying Corps pilot who, according to the inscription on his whitewashed mausoleum at the foot of the property, “died in harness” in 1961 at the age of 87. His 100-hectare tea estate has changed hands a couple of times since, with its current owners turning to homegrown hotel group Uga Escapes to oversee the bungalow’s conversion into a luxurious and secluded stay. Channa Daswatte, a protégé of the celebrated Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa, was brought in to lead the restoration work, which included the addition of two suites, a new reception wing, and a host of other upgrades.
The result is a one-of-a-kind bolt-hole that’s worth every minute of the winding, four-plus-hour drive from Colombo. (Deep-pocketed guests can also arrange to arrive by floatplane or helicopter.) The look of the place is eclectic colonial, with suites of different colors and configurations kitted out in antique and period-style wooden furnishings, cushy armchairs, and black-and-white photos of the Horton Plains, a highland plateau just visible from Uga Halloowella’s terrace. Bliss—especially when you throw in the services of a sarong-clad butler, on hand to deliver your morning “bed tea” or draw a bath.
<figure id="attachment_144770" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-144770" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-144770 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Uga-Halloowella-Sri-Lanka-Carved-Stone-and-Lane-Suite.jpg" alt="A sandakada pahana (carved stone slab) on the bungalow’s terrace; the bedroom of one of Uga Halloowella’s two lake-facing Lane Suites." width="1200" height="894" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Uga-Halloowella-Sri-Lanka-Carved-Stone-and-Lane-Suite.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Uga-Halloowella-Sri-Lanka-Carved-Stone-and-Lane-Suite-300x224.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Uga-Halloowella-Sri-Lanka-Carved-Stone-and-Lane-Suite-1024x763.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Uga-Halloowella-Sri-Lanka-Carved-Stone-and-Lane-Suite-768x572.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-144770" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: A sandakada pahana (carved stone slab) on the bungalow’s terrace; the bedroom of a lake-facing Lane Suite.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_144773" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-144773" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-144773 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Uga-Halloowella-Sri-Lanka-Food-and-Infinity-Pool.jpeg" alt="Bacon-wrapped pork fillet in red-wine sauce; the infinity pool at dusk." width="1200" height="894" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-144773" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: Bacon-wrapped pork fillet in red-wine sauce; the infinity pool at dusk.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_144769" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-144769" style="width: 1500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-144769" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Uga-Halloowella-Sri-Lanka-Bungalow-View.jpeg" alt="Uga Halloowella’s hilltop perch." width="1500" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-144769" class="wp-caption-text">Uga Halloowella’s hilltop perch.</figcaption></figure>
Days can be spent lazing beside the bungalow’s kidney-shaped infinity pool or indulging in spa treatments in the garden-side massage gazebo. You could get your money’s worth here just chilling out to the sound of birdsong and chittering squirrels. For those who are more restless, off-site activities include kayaking in the reservoir, visits to a neighboring tea plantation and factory, and treks along the Pekoe Trail, a couple scenic sections of which begin or end in the nearby town of Norwood.
Back at Uga Halloowella, meals may be enjoyed alfresco or in an airy dining room enlivened by murals of tropical vegetation. Uga properties have a reputation for excellent food, and Halloowella is no exception. Dishes range from delicately spiced curries to Sri Lankan–inflected European fare like tea-crusted lamb loin and honey-glazed duck breast with mango salsa. For breakfast, don’t miss the chef’s take on eggs Benedict, which comes with a curried crab cake and turmeric-scented hollandaise sauce.
The bungalow’s centerpiece is its drawing room. With original satinwood floors and pine-paneled walls punctuated by oval windows, the high-ceilinged space oozes old-world charm, especially when the fireplaces are crackling. Major Lane clearly enjoyed his highland comforts—and now you can too.
<a href="https://www.ugaescapes.com/halloowella/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ugaescapes.com</a>; from US$800 a night, all-inclusive
<figure id="attachment_144771" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-144771" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-144771 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Uga-Halloowella-Sri-Lanka-Dining-Room.jpeg" alt="A dining nook at Uga Halloowella." width="1200" height="1800" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Uga-Halloowella-Sri-Lanka-Dining-Room.jpeg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Uga-Halloowella-Sri-Lanka-Dining-Room-200x300.jpeg 200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Uga-Halloowella-Sri-Lanka-Dining-Room-683x1024.jpeg 683w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Uga-Halloowella-Sri-Lanka-Dining-Room-768x1152.jpeg 768w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Uga-Halloowella-Sri-Lanka-Dining-Room-1024x1536.jpeg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-144771" class="wp-caption-text">A dining nook at Uga Halloowella.</figcaption></figure>
This article originally appeared in the <a href="https://subscription.destinasian.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">June/July 2025</a> print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“Just Your Cup of Tea”). Buy a single issue or subscribe <a href="https://subscription.destinasian.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

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