We arrived at Kandy town proper after a grueling 7-hr bus ride from Passikuda. From the town center, we had to change to a smaller vehicle as our bus won’t be able to climb up to the top of the mountain where Amaya Hills, our next hotel for this 7-day Sri Lanka trip is located.
It was raining quite hard that day and the road leading up to the hotel was small and congested. It wasn’t really ideal for us specially having just spent 7 hours on the bus, we were all very anxious to get out of the vehicle and finally be able to stretch and walk around. Plus I needed to pee and the sound and sight of the rain spattering on our window wasn’t helping.
After what seems like forever, we arrived at Amaya Hills and were greeted by smiling faces, a cold drink and a cold towel. The staff welcomed us to their hotel and lead us upto the lobby. The view from the lobby was absolutely breathtaking!
All those grueling hours of the long road trip was suddenly worth it. Amaya Hills is located on top of a hill giving you a spectacular view of Kandy. The rain has subsided when we arrived but there were still lightning and thunder which was just so amazing to watch. We could literally see the lightning as it struck from the heavens down towards the jungle below us, it was beautiful and spine-tingling!
Once we’ve had enough of the lightning show, most of the women in the group booked an ayurveda massage including myself. As soon as the room key was handed over, I immediately grabbed my suitcase and went to my room to freshen up before the massage. My room was quite small compared to the rooms that we’ve stayed at during this trip. It had modern amenities though which came to me as a surprise since the hotel looked a bit dated from the outside. I took a shower and immediately went to the spa for my appointment.
The spa was very traditional, I would have to say that I was a bit disappointed by it but I guess I’m just spoilt by the spa facilities in Dubai which is why I couldn’t appreciate a traditional-styled spa. After the treatment, I went to meet the rest of the group for some drinks at the bar before we went for our dinner. I would have to say that the hotel does have one of the tastiest food we’ve ever had in Sri Lanka. The sumptous dinner was of course capped off by another round of drinks before I bid goodnight to my colleagues.
The next day I woke up earlier than the usual to have a little bit of me-time and enjoy the scenic beauty of Kandy from Amaya Hills. I had an early morning coffee at my balcony before I went for breakfast.
Breakfast is served in the same restaurant where we had our dinner the night before and I couldn’t ignore the fact that they probably have the most beautiful scenery for a breakfast meal:
When we checked out, there was only one thing in my mind – I’ll have to go back to this property at some point. It’s utterly breathtaking and really a must if you ever visit Sri Lanka.
Note: I was a guest when we visited Amaya Hills. Opinion and all photos above are my own as always.
