Business Travel

Siddhalepa’s first Ayurvedic Spa in Colombo

Siddhalepa Group invested Rs. 10 million to open an Ayurveda spa in Colombo 7.

“Although there are a variety of spas in Colombo, the Siddhalepa Ayurvedic Spa is the first authentic Ayurvedic spa in the capital,” said Managing Director of the Spa Vindyani Hettgoda.

She said that an old colonial mansion was converted to a Spa and already they have a very good response especially from the embassies.
The Spa has been designed by leading architect Anton Jacob of Elephant Corridor fame.

Siddhalepa Ayurveda Spa offers a host of treatments to relieve stress, purify the system, and rejuvenate body, mind and soul, from simple half-hour foot therapy to full-day packages.

Positioned as its premium product, the Siddhalepa Ayurveda Spa offers authentic Ayurveda wrapped in the luxury of a star-class spa, just a step away from home.

Apart from the traditional Ayurvedic shirodara and steam bath treatments, the Ayurveda Spa offers rejuvenating in a variety of baths such as milk bath, fruit bath and vegetable baths like papaya, pumpkin, cucumber and siyambala baths, each for a different skin type.

“The Siddhalepa Ayurveda Spa is enticing because it offers the guest the spacious graciousness of an complete with high ceiling and wide staircase combined with every modern comfort.

As one enters, bare feet sink into cool, clean cement and wood floors while the nostrils inhale the heady aroma of a concoction of herbs specially brewed by the House of Siddhalepa,” she said.

“The idea of an Ayurvedic Spa in the heart of Colombo is to offer an authentic and complete Ayurvedic treatment veritably at the customer’s doorstep,” Managing Director Asoka Hettigoda.

The floor is made up of natural woods to relax the body, to a VIP shower cubicle with a faucet like a water fall, to a pebble walk to relax the tensest of feet, Siddhalepa has paid attention to every detail to make the guest feel relaxed, rejuvenated and pampered.

Siddhalepa products are distributed in five star resort chains in the Maldives. The group also runs its own spas in Sri Lanka at the Airport, Wadduwa and Mount Lavinia in addition to operating three spas in Germany.

(SS)

Jetwing Warwick Gardens opens in Ambewela

A century old bungalow, situated in Ambewela on a thirty acre estate, has recently been restored under the the famed architect Channa Daswatte to be the latest addition to the portfolio of properties - the first in its collection of Villas by Jetwing.
 

The property would be marketed as warwick gardents. This luxury bungalow is uniquely situated, being both secluded within the Ambewela mountain range and in close proximity to places such as the Ambewela farm, Hakgala Gardens and Horton Plains for exciting day trips. Leopard and Sambar can be spotted at Horton Plains.

With an overall investment of Rs. 50 million, Jetwing Warwick Gardens caters to small group or family outing. It also caters well for couples on their honeymoon and for those who just want to getaway from it all.

This bungalow boasts of ‘Warwick’ the master bedroom with a spectacular view of the garden and mountain range, ‘Netherleigh’, the white room with crisp white linen and furniture and three other deluxe rooms.

Four of the rooms including the sitting room have their own fire place, which is lit in the evenings on request. In addition, there is a sitting room with a private fire place and a baby grand piano for beautiful melodies.

A day room for morning meals and a comfortable library with an interesting selection of books is also avaialable.

The bungalow also features a selection of teas from Sri Lanka’s finest tea growing regions.

The guest could also experience the local version of the traditional High Tea at any one of the stunning locations.

A stone Bar-Be-Que in the garden is also be arranged. The men also have the luxury of enjoying a morning shave or a head massage by the local barber, in the outdoors.

The bungalow has its very own cow, Daisy, who gives the morning supply of fresh milk, which can be enjoyed with fresh guava jam on hot crispy toast.

A vegetable plot along with an herb garden and an orchard that enables guests to choose their own delicacies is also available.

For children who need to be entertained, there is a good selection of board games, such as monopoly, pictionary, scrabble, checkers, carom and chess, while for the more active, badminton and cricket. The renowned Nuwara Eliya Golf course, horse and pony riding are available about 30 minutes away from the bungalow.

“Having realised the ever changing needs of our guests and the desire for secluded experiences offering personalised care, we have wanted to introduce ‘Villas by Jetwing’ for a long time. Now this dream is a reality of which we are proud. Closely following this success, we also opened the Jetwing Kurulubedda, a two room stilted dwelling villa just off the river in Galle., Hiran Cooray, Deputy Chairman of Jetwing Hotels, said.

The collection of Hotels that Jetwing offer include eleven properties situated in pristine locations around Sri Lanka.

They are, in Negombo: Jetwing Ayurveda Pavilions, Jetwing Beach, Jetwing Blue Oceanic, Jetwing Seashells and Sea Garden; in Wadduwa: The Blue Water; in Beruwela: Jetwing Tropical Villas; in Galle: Jetwing Lighthouse; in Kandy: Jetwing Hunas Falls; in Nuwara Eliya: Jetwing St. Andrew’s and in Sigiriya: Jetwing Vil Uyana.

Grand Hotel honoured with prestigious British award

Britain’s prestigious travel company SAGA Holidays has honoured the Grand Hotel in Nuwara Eliya with the award for the ‘Highest Quality of Food’.

This is the third consecutive year Grand Hotel has been selected for this coveted recognition.

SAGA Holidays, the prestigious British travel company enriched by an acclaimed history of over 50 years, has an ever-expanding clientele of discerning British holidaymakers. It is this exclusive high-end clientele who express their individual opinion by voting, which results in this award for distinguished accomplishment.

Managing Director of Mercantile Investments, Gerard Ondaatjie, the owning company of Grand Hotel said, “We are confident this prestigious award at this crucial juncture will herald a positive image for the entirety of Sri Lankan tourism industry. Breathtaking scenic beauty is a major attraction for tourists no doubt. With equal intensity the quality of food too is always a high priority for any tourist. One means nothing without the other.

That is why we are elated so much for the country with this SAGA Holidays award.

Due to the overall confidence this recognition creates, there would be an increase in the arrival of tourists in the country. Indeed, this is an ideal fillip to our local tourism industry at a time it is competing hard in the region to build a positive momentum,” he said.

Exquisite environs, superlative service and high quality sumptuous food apart, another fascinating fact is that Grand Hotel is a much admired ‘World Heritage Site’ - the famous holiday bungalow of Sir Edward Barns who was the Governor of then Ceylon over 100 years ago.

That alluring old English charm has been enthusiastically preserved for the benefit of present-day guests who enjoy such leisurely living and comforts of majestic holidaymaking in style.

The grandeur of the original architecture has been zealously preserved; whatever modern additions too have been so crafted, they blend with the old splendour to a nicety.

A guest would also perhaps come to know with utter admiration that the Grand Hotel’s excitingly ‘rich in hue’ simply lovely garden has been the proud winner of the award for ‘Most Beautiful Garden’ for the past 15 consecutive years!

“Our local guests find the spontaneity and warmth of the staff along with their superior level of service so much to their liking, with those ever enthralling environs and rejuvenating serenity so comforting - all the requisites for memorable holidaymaking - they keep coming whenever they get an opportunity to break free from the modern day busy schedules.

The body and soul needs the euphoria of carefree rejuvenation which only a premier hotel such as Grand Hotel, in the premium holidaymaking destination of Nuwara Eliya only could provide,” said Ondaatjie.