Mountbatten Bungalow - A Colonial holiday facing the hills of Hanthana

 

Covid has made travelling almost impossible for myself, I guess it is the same with most of you. I have been trying to get away somewhere mountains being out of reach due to high constraints, decided to look for hotels that I can settle into. As the interprovincial restrictions are in place, only option I had was to visit a hotel in the central province. With the help of my friend Gayathra I got an offer to visit Mountbatten hotel.

Let me give an introduction about the hotel first.

The Bungalow:

Mountbatten Bungalow is a part of the theme resorts chain. It is situated in Hanthana.  It was once t he residence of Lord Mountbatten whom even I was not aware of till I visited the place. It is a colonial bungalow still having the colonial majesty. The hotel is now modernized and equipped with all the modern facilities including a small swimming pool which a like an infinity pool facing Hanthana. There are bungalow rooms, including the suits and the newly constructed garden chalets. There is a big garden with flowers, trees, grass that is soothing for the eyes and a wonderful place to relax for families and ample rooms for the kids to play. From Kandy you must take the Heeressagala road and pass the Amaya Hill hotel to reach the bungalow. Anyone climbing Hanthana will not the place on the way.

Lord Mountbatten:

Lord Mountbatten was the last viceroy of India. In this role, he was the chosen representative of King George VI, empowered to govern on his behalf in the then British colony. The then British Premier Winston Churchill appointed Naval Officer Louis Mountbatten as the Commander of the SEAC Headquarters at the newly created headquarters on October 27, 1941. Mountbatten was born in Vienna Austria, which was then known as Battenberg. He was a grandson of Queen Victoria and a second cousin of King George V. Mountbatten commanded the war to victory from the Dumbara soil of our country. If an atomic bomb was dropped like in Hiroshima or Nagasaki today this story would be different. The devastation caused in these places could be seen even today with the charred dead bodies now seen in their museums.

Lord Mountbatten while in Sri Lanka, stayed in many places; in Kundasale, Polgolla and Peradeniya and other secured places, overseeing operations. The Chief Commanding Officer was General William Slim who was also the Commanding Officer of the Fourth Regiment.

My Stay:

I chose a garden chalet and made a half board booking. When I reached the hotel there was one family who have occupied the Bungalow room, but they were about to leave. I had to wait till my room was ready.  On the day it was only me (except for the hotel staff) and I had the hotel for myself.

The chalet was beautifully built entirely of wood. It is spacious for two, but I do not think would best fits a family. It had a queen size very comfortable bed. Bathroom with a bathtub. All glassware were there in the room, so I do not have to ask for anything. The room was sanitized, and all linen were fresh. Hot water and television were there with Dialog connection. The room was air-conditioned. It also had a balcony but outside was not that pretty as it was opposite to Hanthana mountain view and there were people gardening and working down. But it was a good place to lay down and have a drink reading a book.

The pool was small, but I liked it. When you go to the deep end you are facing the Hanthana mountains. There were pool chairs but with a many people I think it would be bit crowded. Next to the pool was the spa (Which was not in operation) and a small deck where people can have a nice drink. I guess the garden was not in full bloom as landscaping was ongoing and there were not many flowers to be seen.

The reception was inside the bungalow. It was mainly white and outside the gutters were fitted with hanging flowerpots. The sitting area had cozy sofas and a good fireplace. I was able to peep into the rooms inside and they were furnished with poster beds with colonial style set up. But the bathrooms were equipped with modern fittings. The walls were decorated with portraits, maps, paintings. The dining area was simple but elegant. There were candle posts and stylish lightings giving it the grandeur of a colonial mansion. I loved the corridor like walkway that extended from the sitting room to the back of the bungalow which was carpeted.

 

Food:

As I mentioned, I went on half board basis. It was a 3 course set menu. I had a choice of 3 for the mains. Food was well presented and tasty. For the breakfast I had the choice of a Sri Lankan and an English one. As I was the only guest, I had to stick to the menu that was given. I can’t make many comments due to the prevailing set up, but I had nothing to complaint.

Staff:

Mostly a young crowd. I was greeted well. Again, as I was the only guest, I had the full attention when it came to dining and reception. I was given to freedom to do what I want, and even to check out at my own convenience. There were few working in the garden and making repairs to the rooms. The main staff was dressed in a sarong and a kamis in the colonial butler type of outfit.

My experience:

I can’t give a detailed review as I was the only guest, and I went in during the Covid times. But in general, it is a good place for a family to go and relax away from the city. Even couples would enjoy it but in terms of privacy there will not be much of a freedom. Would be ideal for garden parties or to organize a picnic. Definitely a place to visit if you like the colonial style of living. Make sure you enjoy the evening breeze sipping a glass of wine or drinking a cup of tea/coffee.

I spent some time reading by the pool and also immersed in the bathtub sipping wine. The room was so comfortable that I did not want to go out much. I was either tucked in the bed or in the balcony reading. Luckily there was no one around so I could be as free as possible inside the room and the balcony. I loved the view in the evening from the pool where the mountains were beginning to be covered with the mist. The air was so refreshing and the breeze easily takes one's weariness away. 

 I would come back for sure with my family to enjoy the place live with its grace and majesty once it is in full operation.

Hotel with Open Concept Experience - Visit to Chena Huts by Uga Yala

 

One thing good about Covid was that most of the hotels reduced their prices to promote locals to make more bookings. I have a list of places I wanted to go, including hotels. Since Most of the time I travel solo the prices they quote are ridiculously too high. But the offers made it somewhat bearable and I got the maximum use of the offers and visited some of the places I always wanted to go.

One such hotel was Uga Chena Huts in Yala. It is bit different to ordinary hotels. They offer chalets and it is in the boarder of Yala National Park. Each Chalet is with a plunge pool. They offer it on Full Boars all inclusive basis (Which is inclusive of the beverages) and half a day game drive. It goes as a luxury type of hotels and therefore it become automatically exclusive for some. 

I booked a double room when I got the offer not knowing who would join me. I asked from several people. No one responded positively. Finally, a friend whom I have known before agreed to come. It was a break we wanted to have from the strenuous work, and it was a reunion after few years. We both were excited and was planning to have some good time. He booked a vehicle with a driver, as both of us didn’t have one and we went off towards Yala hoping to have a memorable day spend.

By the time we were to enter the highway, the police stopped the vehicle fining the driver for not wearing the seat belt (which he removed only to get the mask on). Luckily there was a post office nearby, so we went back, paid the fine and entered the highway again.

It was a long drive for about three and half hours. Luckily, we had the highway otherwise we would have had to leave Colombo early morning and would have spent half of the day just to travel to reach the hotel. We were planning to reach the hotel for lunch. We reached the hotel by about 2:30 p.m.

They provided the driver with separate quarters, so we were not to worry about him. The welcome was warm. Our luggage was put into a shuttle and we were taken into the reception by it. At the reception we were given a welcome drink and there is a flag ceremony where we can put a flag in world map and commemorate our arrival.

As it was all inclusive, we wanted to taste a cocktail before we headed to lunch. We went to the bar. Had some cocktails and went to lunch. From the time we came we were in a different environment. One thing was that we were in Yala boarder. There was the beach from one end, the jungle from the other end. And the architecture was very open. The bar was open to the outside. You can sip a drink enjoying the breeze. The restaurant had transparent glass so you can have a good view of the beach. The reception was in open space. The paths to chalets were through tree cover on wooden decks.

When we entered the Chalet, it was as if we were entering a house. It was very spacious built for two. One large king size bed. There was no separation of the bathroom and the bedroom. All basic amenities were there. Everything in the mini bar was free. Plenty of tea, coffee. A good television, good Wi-Fi. There was a shower separated from the commode by a bathtub and two vanities with a good mirror. I immediately fell in love with this. And a door opened into the plunge pool with a jacuzzi which was built on a wooden deck. There was an open shower and some chairs. The roof was thatched with a dried grass. This was open to outside, but you have privacy as the chalets were separate from each other unless some monkeys want to come and have a peek.

Even my friend loved this setting. It was simple yet sophistic with all the basic needs. What I felt was that having no separations made it really liberating to my free spirit. I guess this best suit honeymooners or couples who do not mind seeing each other and definitely not for those who feel shy and uncomfortable in front of others as the concept does not support it.

Both of us were naked from the time we went there. We emptied the wine bottles. Was enjoying the pool, the jacuzzi and the outdoors. I told my friend that this was the set up at the hotel, and I wanted to be naked, he agreed to it. He himself enjoyed that freedom that relaxation even though he has not had some experience out in open before.

The food was delicious. It was a set menu. But the selections were well balanced. We spent most of the time in the pool drinking and having a wonderful conversation. I guess we got to know each other better during that stay. After another few rounds of cocktails, we had a wonderful dinner enjoying the night breeze and went to bed as we were to have a game drive early morning.

We had to leave the hotel by 6:30 a.m. So, we got up and got ready. We were put together with another Couple. We had a good naturalist with us who gave us brief on Yala national park and tried to show us whatever the different species of animals, birds we saw on the way. We actually met the naturalist the following day who gave us the needed instructions and what to expect on the following day. The hotel has packed a good snack for us to have on the way. We could not see any leopards or bears but it was a good drive early in the morning.

We were not disappointed for not having been able to see any big animals as we came to enjoy the hotel. So, we had a good breakfast after the drive. It was a bit sunny by the time we finished the breakfast. I went to the beach (although it was not the best time but there was no choice as we had to check out by 2 p.m.). Therefore, I had a quick walk in the beach, took some photographs and headed towards the chalet to enjoy the last few hours as much as possible in the pool and the bathtub with some more wine.

The general manager met us twice during the stay and ensured that we are having a good time and made us feel welcomed. When the time was near, we had to do the packing (which was hardly any) and bade farewell to the hotel. On our way to the entrance in the shuttle as we were moving away from the reception my heart was heavy with sorrow as I knew that one day alone would not have be sufficient to experience Uga Chena hut. But the cost factor was something that did not allowed me to have a longer experience.

Most of you will not be able to afford the cost or may not want to spend that much of money on this. I agree with you. But for someone Iike me who is ready to spend on a different experience, I believe it was worth every rupee that I spent. It was special for many reasons. One it being Uga Chena Huts, somewhere that I always wanted to go, the next is that I was able to spend some time freely, the lifestyle I wanted to have, the next is that a good friend accompanied me (he still keeps thanking me for taking him), the other is that it was closer to nature. Of course, then the food, the hospitality, the unlimited drinks. I guess for all these it was not a waste of money.

I could give Uga Chena Huts 8 out of 10 as a rating. If you have some money that you don’t mind spending, I do recommend going to Uga and have experience this. You will not regret it. Look out for some good offers specially if you have credit cards, and if possible try to stay for a minimum of two days to experience that ambience, the freedom and the hospitality.

The visit to Chena Huts was another tick on the list of hotels I wanted to visit.

The place, the atmosphere, the freedom and whom you are the ingredients of a good experience. At Chena Huts I got the best combination of these thus resulting in another memorable experience.

Thank you for reading. Hope you enjoy and hope you can feel the same vibe I had it through the words and maybe much more from the pictures.

Until I meet you again.

Cheers