Luxury hotel holiday Taylor's Hill Kandy

Taylor's Hill in Sri Lanka's Hill and Tea Country is a welcoming and homely country retreat with all the impeccable touches of a glamorous boutique hotel. Timeless and historic at the same time, the rooms are touched with colonial detail and ambience that matches the striking stone facade that looks out across the hills. Sri Lanka's oldest tea estates surround the grounds, and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Kandy is just a stone's throw away. An enviably convenient and idyllic location makes this stunning boutique hotel the perfect option for both couples and families travelling to this region of the island.
Included in your Expressions holiday
  • Accommodation in a double or twin room on bed and breakfast
  • Scheduled flights with Sri Lankan Airlines
  • Transport by private car with driver-guide
  • Concierge service and Expressions Holidays regional helpful hints
  • Optional room, board and flight upgrades. Details on request

Luxury bespoke holidays and tours to Taylor's Hill, near Kandy

Taylor's Hill is an exclusive, luxury boutique hotel in a beautiful natural location. Gourmet cuisine and luxurious accommodation is provided amidst lush, serene gardens and grounds to provide guests an restorative, secluded experience.

Facts in brief

Official star rating Luxury boutique

Location In the countryside approximately 18-miles from Kandy and 40-miles from Nuwara Eliya

Closest airport Bandaranaike International Airport

Distance from airport 77 miles

Hotel facilities and services

Swimming pool, Tennis court, Lawns, Snooker room, TV room, Wifi, Library, and Bicycle hire, Morning Room.

Land sports

Snooker, Badminton, Tennis, Cycling, Croquet, and Bird watching.

Out and about nearby

It is essential to visit the nearby Loolecondera Estate and Tea Factory, where James Taylor first cultivated tea in Sri Lanka and birthed the tea industry. Then, perhaps head into the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Kandy, visit a tea museum, the garrison cemetery, Peredinaya's Botanical Gardens, or the elephant orphanage.

Sports nearby

Walking, and Hiking.

Special offers for this holiday>

Absolutely loved it. Bespoke sense of the trip is very good. Very pleasant and efficient service.
Mrs H, Sep 2023

Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Double or twin room for 7 nights

From about

£1,680

Holiday Code EXH1899

The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.

Call us on 01392 441245

Luxury bespoke holidays and tours to Taylor's Hill, near Kandy

Named after James Taylor, who historically began the cultivation of tea in Sri Lanka, Taylor's Hill is an intimate boutique hotel that has all the charm and warmth of a beautifully preserved colonial house. Its porch, stone façade, and pitched roof are reminiscent of an old English country mansion, accessible via a gravel drive that winds through green lawns. On the grass, white iron chairs and tables look out across the sublime Hill and Tea Country, sheltered by blooming trees, and accompanied by a stunning freeform swimming pool, perched right on the hill edge. Guests are welcomed in by the excellent, friendly in-house staff, through the arched red front door, into the world of colonial Sri Lanka. Take breakfast and lunch in the light, florally decorated Morning Room, where the elegant 1950s vibe transports you back to the house's beginnings. The rooms are designed with glamour and homeliness in mind, and each with its own unique flavour. The plush purple velvet of one room is contrasted with the flowing muslin drapes and golden ornamentation of another. Attention to detail is key on every surface and in every intricate pattern. A games room, cosy lounge with log-burning fire and chandelier, and organised trips to tea plantations are bound to get you into the Sri Lankan mindset. When dining in the Morning Room, enjoying Afternoon Tea on the lawn, or sampling a fine, multi-course dinner, you can be assured that only fresh, local ingredients are used. Try traditional Sri Lankan curry and local Kandyan specialities, or more broadly Asian dishes such as tamarind potatoes and kittul jiggery, all of which are expertly prepared by this exclusive boutique hotel's own chef. Taylor's Hill is a beautiful, charming retreat in Sri Lanka's most rurally picturesque region; cultural and historic sites are just on your doorstep, as is an abundance of natural beauty, walking paths, and scenic spots for picnics and sunbathing. We would recommend spending at least two nights here before moving on in order to soak up the regal, historic atmosphere of the place.

Room descriptions

Taylor's Hill has 5 rooms with private en-suite bathroom, daily housekeeping, sitting area, garden and country views, and modern amenities.

Pattiyagama double room with King-sized bed and additional connecting room that can be used for families
Loolecondera double room with King-sized bed and sitting area that can be converted to accommodate children
Taylor twin room with Queen-sized beds
Le Cocq standard room with French style and King-sized bed
Lipton standard room with floral decoration and King-sized bed

Special offers for this holiday>

Absolutely loved it. Bespoke sense of the trip is very good. Very pleasant and efficient service.
Mrs H, Sep 2023

Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Double or twin room for 7 nights

From about

£1,680

Holiday Code EXH1899

The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.

Call us on 01392 441245

Luxury bespoke holidays and tours to Taylor's Hill, near Kandy

The journey and how you get there

For a holiday to Taylor's Hill in Sri Lanka, our clients fly to Colombo, usually with Sri Lankan Airways on a direct flight from London Heathrow (or with Emirates from other UK airports via Dubai). This hotel is 4 hours and 10 minutes' drive from Colombo airport. However, it is usually stayed at as part of a tailor-made touring holiday accompanied by a driver-guide and you would often approach the hotel from a previous stay in the Cultural Triangle to the north, or from Yala or Galle to the south.

Additional information

Children: The Loolecondera room has an adjoining living area which can be converted into a twin bedroom for families travelling together. The Pattiyagama has an exclusively interconnecting room for use of families with children. Alternatively, the villa can be hired as a whole. Taylor's Hill is very family-friendly, with a range of sports and games to entertain children and adults alike.

Special offers

Call to make your booking and save an extra £50 per adult Call us instead of emailing us when you are thinking of booking a holiday and save an extra £50 per adult (in addition to any special offers that might be available). We want to talk to you to discuss your requirements and a phone call is usually the best way for you to define what you want enabling us to respond more accurately. We want to talk to you and you save an extra £50 per adult.

Absolutely loved it. Bespoke sense of the trip is very good. Very pleasant and efficient service.
Mrs H, Sep 2023

Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Double or twin room for 7 nights

From about

£1,680

Holiday Code EXH1899

The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.

Call us on 01392 441245

Luxury bespoke holidays and tours to Taylor's Hill, near Kandy

About Tea and hill country

An Expressions tailor-made holiday to Sri Lanka’s Tea Country incorporates the best of this diverse and exotic region. Popularly known as the High Tea Country, the temperate highlands of southern central Sri Lanka are wonderfully scenic with stunning mountain and valley vistas almost everywhere you go, and of course, often carpeted in tea bushes. Thanks to the multitude of micro-climates, the landscape is constantly changing, and it is an incredibly beautiful mountain area, worth visiting for the scenery as well as the tea culture. It is also Sri Lanka’s heartland for market gardens and dairy products; endless rows of vegetables and strawberries hug the slopes, vying for space with the tea bushes. Kandy, the royal capital of the hill country is a UNESCO world heritage site, built beside a placid lake surrounded by hills. This is certainly a thriving cultural capital with its universities and centres for Buddhist learning and the arts. Kandy is home to one of Buddhism’s most sacred sites, the ‘Dalada Maligawa’ Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha, as well as a number of other historical and cultural places of interest.

Highlights of Tea Country

Kandy market; Kandy area – handicrafts villages and workshops – brass, musical instruments, basket weaving, batik, painting; Kandy evening cultural show; Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage; Peradeniya Botanical Gardens; Mahaweli River and Victoria Dam; Tea estates; Drive to Nuwara Eliya and around the tea plantations, visiting a tea factory; Hantana mountain and Hantana tea plantations - walks and museum; Buddhist sites near Kandy – Gadaladeniya, Hindagala Vihara, Embekke Divale, Lankatilake; Mahiyangana – Rajamaha dagoba; Aluvihara Buddhist temple; Aluvihara Heritage Centre (Ena de Silva batik art and workshop and Sri Lankan rice & curry lunch); Knuckles Mountain Range - scenic drives and walking; Rubber plantations; Spice farms; Rail journey to Tea Country; Relaxing in the lush tropical hills; Treat your body, mind and soul to a programme of Ayurvedic massage and herbal treatments; Golf at the Victoria Golf course; Riding at Victoria Saddle Club; Walking and trekking; Cycling; White water rafting at Kitulgala.

Cultural highlights of Tea Country

Places of interest in Kandy include the Temple of the Tooth, the sacred Buddhist site which holds the tooth of Lord Buddha which is said to have been brought from India in the third century. The Temple lies within the Royal Palace complex along with the National Museum, the Audience Hall and a museum dedicated to the famous elephant, Raja. British legacies remain in central Kandy, in the form of grand old buildings and hotels, St Paul’s Church and Royal Palace Park. It is possible to walk most of the way around the lake besides which Kandy is built, where you can see the Royal Bathing Pavilion and the royal summerhouse which is on an island in the centre of the lake.). There is a lively market and a plethora of shops, gem showrooms and arts & crafts workshops. There are also several nightly cultural shows that showcase traditional Kandyan drumming, music and dance and the city boasts a fine international cricket stadium. Other highlights of the region include Pinnawela elephant orphanage where abandoned or injured elephants are cared for; Nuwara Eliya, a hill town with many British influences; the mountainous scenery and tea plantations around Ambewela and Bandarawela; the Highland Railway between Kandy and Badulla; and Tea Experience and Tea museums, an essential part of any visit to this part of Sri Lanka.

Festivals in Tea Country

Kandy - Esala Perahera Festival - July or August (depending on the date of the Esala full moon). This spectacular cultural pageant is held over 10 days with the processions and celebrations getting more elaborate and longer each day. Although in ancient times this was a procession to honour Hindu gods, during the reign of King Rajasinghe it was decreed that the procession should be in honour the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha. Each night, dancers, drummers, flute players, whip-crackers and elephants form a procession around the streets and Kandy lake. The ornately decorated elephants increase daily in number to 100 on the last night, the finest of them being the Maligawa Tusker which carries the Sacred Tooth Relic, led by the Chiefs of the Temple in traditional silver and gold ceremonial dress. The Nuwara Eliya season runs from April to June. Horse racing in High Tea Country (trotting) in January, February, April, August and December. Bandarawela Perahera on full moon day in June.

Climate in Tea Country

Climate in Kandy: The daytime temperatures in Kandy and the surrounding hills range from around 22° C to 31° C, with cooler evenings averaging 17° C. It is fairly humid and misty in the evenings with short outbursts of rain. Heavier rainfalls occur during the south-west monsoon from May to August. Climate in the High Tea Country: At an elevation of above 4,000 feet the climate is cooler and less humid with cool mornings, warm days and cool evenings. Daytime temperatures are in the low to mid 20s Celsius and at nights can drop to around 10° C. The driest part of the year is between December and April, and September is normally quite dry. The rainy season is May, June and July, and October and November due to the north-east, south-west and intermediate monsoons, and July is generally the coldest month. February and March are usually dry and around 20° C. Micro-climates exist from valley to valley. The weather at Warwick Gardens, for example, is around 16° C at night and can reach 26° C during the day, whilst the temperature at Bandarawela goes from 12° C to 20° C.

Call us on 01392 441245

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