Last Updated on October 13, 2025

Step back into 19th century Ceylon at this luxury hotel high up in the Sri Lankan mountains

Let me share a bit more about an incredible trip to Sri Lanka, historically known as Ceylon, a beautiful South Asian Island located in the Indian Ocean. My first visit to the country meant I wanted to explore as much as possible during my stay. Although Sri Lanka is not a big country, you can easily be deceived just how much time is needed if you plan on travelling around to see different parts of the island, so it’s important to plan your itinerary with that in mind.  A trip to Nuwara Eliya and the Heritance Tea Factory shouldn’t be missed though.

My trip took me to South Sri Lanka, on a direct flight from London Heathrow which arrived at Bandaranaike International Airport, Colombo. First, I headed to the golden beaches of Galle, then moved south-west along the coast to Yala Safari Park before travelling north into the hills to stay at Heritance Tea Factory (the highest hotel in Sri Lanka) and finally a long drive back to the south-west coast for the last few days of my trip to relax by the ocean at Heritance Ahungalla near Bentota.

The Heritance Tea Factory Hotel, Nuwara Eliya

Having spoken to friends and researched online, the advice I received was that as well as exploring the coast, I should head to the mountainous Tea Country of Nuwara Eliya, in the central province of Sri Lanka.  There, I discovered some of the most breathtaking and verdant landscapes.

I was delighted to book a stay at the Heritance Tea Factory, an Aitken Spence Hotel, situated amongst the tea plantations in the historical Hethersett Estate and fondly referred to by its countrymen as ‘upcountry”.

We travelled in a taxi, a four-and-a-half-hour drive from Yala Safari Park, stopping en-route in Ella, a lovely town in the hills, on the famous train route from Kandy, before arriving at the Heritance Tea Factory.

This utterly unique hotel sits on top of a hillside, 6850 feet above sea level, high up in the clouds where the air is fresh and the views are magnificent. Housed in a former tea factory, it is steeped in colonial history and traditions, taking visitors on a step back in time to the old world of 19th century Ceylon.

What was once a ‘withering loft’ where fresh leaves were laid to dry, now houses an elegant foyer where you can still see the old mechanisms of the factory.  A stately dining room, bar, library and 50 bedrooms are all bathed in natural light from tall windows originally installed to help the tea drying process.

The views of the tea plantations and the hills are absolutely stunning, and unlike the sweltering heat by the coast, there is a nip in the air.  One minute there’s bright sunshine and the next a mood evoking mist which settles over the mountain tops. Wonderfully attentive staff are smartly dressed in colonial style uniforms and after the long drive, we received a lovely warm welcome, with hot towels and a refreshing cup of Ceylon tea served with vanilla essence.

The old factory closed its doors in 1972, starting refurbishment as a hotel in 1991 and opening for business in 1996. It has been restored to pristine condition, with a charming colonial-style running throughout; dark mahogany wood furnishings, old tea chests, bold red paintwork, brass fittings and vintage prints and photographs on the walls. The old-style lift with metal shutters is still in use, and when we went down for dinner, we could see the mechanisms of the factory machinery in action from our second-floor balcony.

Rooms at the Heritance Tea Factory Hotel, Nuwara Eliya

Rooms come in four different categories: superior, executive floor deluxe, premium king, junior suite and the Flowerdue Penthouse Suite for those who really want to indulge. Our luxurious premium king room had fabulous full-length windows on threes sides, which when the mist lifted provided a spectacular vista of the mountains and tea plantations.

Below you could see the pretty manicured topiary garden and perfectly trimmed lawns and a terrace which was set with table and chairs in the cloud garden ready for a quintessentially English afternoon tea or early evening cocktails.

The décor was tastefully old-world with white walls, dark wood furniture and comfortable soft furnishings in hues of beige, draped curtains and a small sofa, plush carpeting and two rust-red upholstered chairs, a TV and a coffee table set with a lovely platter of fresh fruit and biscuits. In a small area just off the bedroom, there was a double wardrobe, desk and chair, plus a safe, minibar and a tea-making area with a teapot, tea strainer, a selection of locally grown teas. I did notice there was no coffee, but I don’t suppose you need to drink coffee when you are surrounded by some of the best tea in the world.

The bathroom had a retro 1970s feel to it; a double sink and a shower in the bath with plus Heritance bath products, a toothbrush and shaving kits, fluffy towels and bathrobes. Hi-speed WiFi is available and hotel extras included: laundry service, room service and turndown (our bed was decorated with flower petals and an elephant cleverly made from a towel). All hotel guests can use the gym free of charge, and there’s a spa that offers a host of luxury treatments.

Dining at the Heritance Tea Factory

Lunch and dinner were served in the smart Kenmare restaurant.  Glossy black painted tables and chairs, dark wood polished floorboards with red and green checked tablecloths made for a chic setting. Meals alternated between a well thought out six-course la carte menu served with a contemporary flair and lavish buffets which offered a great selection of delicious classic British dishes and modern European cuisine, fresh salads, spit roasts and glorious Sri Lankan curries served from steaming copper pots, all sourced from local artisan farmers.

For dessert, there were indulgent cakes and the chef made some excellent nostalgic British puddings including apple crumble and my all-time favourite, banana fritters, which my mum used to make.

Breakfast was also served buffet style with fresh fruit (papaya, mango, pineapple, star fruit and guava), pastries, porridge, Sri Lankan hoppers, String hoppers – with infused curried coconut milk, dosas, curd and treacle and hot and savoury dishes …plus classic English breakfasts with eggs, sausages and all the trimmings.

Around the back of the hotel, there’s a gleaming, polished teak and brass old locomotive train known as ‘The Old Railway Carriage’ which once used to run along the Udupussellawa line, to transport tea from Nuwara Eliya to port cities throughout the country. It is now used as an intimate fine dining venue, boasting an impressive seven-course menu a fabulous Station Master attired waiter service and a very good wine list making it perfect for a romantic candlelit dinner.

The Hethersett Bar was the former packing room of the old tea factory, now a relaxing bar space with a view onto the lawns, open from 7 am to midnight daily, offering soft drinks, wine, spirits and beer, a snack menu and tea of course. Unusually guests are allowed to smoke in the bar. We enjoyed the early evening drinks and canapes here on our first evening.

Afternoon tea is definitely in keeping with this very British hotel, it’s such an idyllic setting to enjoy pots of fresh Ceylon tea produced from their very own organic tea plantation and mini factory with sweet cakes and traditional sandwiches.

Things to do at the Heritance Tea Factory

Mountain nature walks

One of the highlights of our stay at the Heritance Tea Factory was the amazing guided mountain walks with Mohan, both in the afternoon and as dawn broke. Mohan grew up in Hethersett and is hugely knowledgeable about the area.  He gave us a fascinating insight into life in the hills and the history of the tea plantations as well the natural habitat and local wildlife.

In the early 19th century, not long after the British occupied the ‘Teardrop Isle’, they realised Sri Lanka’s misty highlands were ideal for growing tea, they brought people from Southern India to work on the tea plantations, mostly from Tamil Nadu. Tea bushes were terraced neatly into the hillsides, factories and rudimentary accommodations built for pickers, and transport links were developed to take the tea to Colombo.

Today a skilled workforce of very hardworking women, still walk through the rows and rows of bushes, plucking two leaves and a bud from each plant, collecting at least 20 kilos each per day and making sure that every bush is picked at least once a week. To this day, Sri Lanka still produces some of the finest teas in the world, known as ‘green gold’ and it remains a significant part of the country’s economy.

The area around Nuwara Eliya is one of the most popular plantations to visit, known for its arresting green landscape. We climbed further up the mountains, where the clean air and the panoramic view literally took my breath away.

Tea Plucking

At Heritance Tea factory they have their own small organic tea plantation and factory where guests are invited to experience tea picking in their fields. We were decked out in the local attire – fetching sarees for the ladies and sarongs for the gentlemen with a basket strap over our heads and a professional tea plucker to show us the way. I have to admit we didn’t do an awfully good job – it’s harder than it looks!  By the end, our baskets were piteously empty, but it was such fun and we laughed a lot.

After the picking session, we returned to the factory where our leaves were inspected and we were given a tour of the Mini Tea Factory. The process of tea making was explained, from the initial drying (withering) of the leaves, through rolling, fermenting and sifting, to produce the different types of tea.

Tea Tasting

After tea picking, we returned to the hotel for Tea Tasting with expert Jayanthi, who with 24 years experience, is able to ascertain the quality of a particular tea which can differ due to climatic conditions, topography, manufacturing process and different clones of the Camellia sinensis plant (tea). It’s a strange process of noisily slurping the tea into the mouth so that plenty of oxygen is passed over all the taste receptors on the tongue to give an even taste profile of the tea. Then the tea is spat out.

Jayanthi provided a great demonstration, and we did our best, but I’m not sure I have acquired an excellent palette yet! We tasted four different blends- B.O.P.F, B.O.P, Pekoe and Green. I was definitely able to identify my preferred cuppa, the lighter fragrant Pekoe tea.

Nuwara Eliya

It’s definitely worth taking a trip to visit the scenic town of Nuwara Eliya, which is about 25 minutes in a taxi from the hotel, and three hours south of Kandy. It is known as ‘Little England’ because of its chilly climate, bright green hillsides, neat rows of trimmed tea bushes, cascading waterfalls and quaint colonial-style bungalows. This community was the preferred retreat of the British in the years after they defeated the Kandyan Kingdom to take control of Sri Lanka. Popular places to visit in the town are Horton Plains National Park, Gregory Lake and Sita Temple. We also took a 10-minute ride to the lovely Hakgala Botanical Gardens.

Read more about Sri Lanka