Heritance Hotel Kandalama

Heritance Kandalama is an architectural masterpiece by Geoffrey Bawa, built overlooking the eighth wonder of the world – the rock fortress of Sigiriya. The hotel sits at the heart of the cultural triangle of Sri Lanka, close to five UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The unpaved road through the jungle gives no clue to what to expect – there are no views of the hotel on the horizon. Then suddenly, as you drive up a ramp, a cave-like entrance appears. And even as you step into another world of minimalist white pillars and cool curving corridors, enormous boulders intrude and birdsong hangs in the air.

The theme continues throughout the hotel. Heritance Kandalama is shaped like the outspread wings of a bird, following the line of the cliff from which it seems to emerge. The hotel is a staggering 1km from end to end, and rises up seven floors, yet appears to be a perfectly natural extension of the mountainside. The flat roof and timber pillars support a screen of vegetation that attracts local wildlife.

The abundance of real-life animals around the hotel is complemented by wonderful large-scale sculptures within it. A metal owl is suspended outside the main restaurant; wooden elephants inhabit the lounge; a stone cobra uncoils along the terrace overlooking the infinity pool.

But this is not just a hotel built for the convenience of fauna and flora. The needs of you, our human guests, are of paramount importance.

Our stylish bedrooms and suites offer wonderful views over Kandalama lake. As well as the delicious buffets and theme nights in our main restaurant, we offer fine dining in our Kaludiya restaurant and some more exotic, unusual options . Don’t forget to ask about our special Heritance cuisine.

And of course we offer a wide range of activities and excursions to help you find out more about the local wildlife and community as well as some of Sri Lanka’s amazing heritage.
Heritance Kandalama has won more than 50 awards for its architecture, environmental policies, food and service. We were the first Green Globe 21 certified hotel in Asia and, most recently, in June 2011, we won the Gold Award for Built Environment in the prestigious Green Apple Awards.

Our staff speak English, French, Italian, Sinhalese and Tamil are eager to help you in any way they can – just ask.