Camellia Hills

We had a superb two-night stay, with wonderful views, beautiful rooms, great service and fantastic food. I'd suggest staying three nights to fit in the tea factory tour, hikes and the on-site cooking demo, which our family loved.

Camellia Hills by Teardrop is a lovely place to get away into the hills. There are only five rooms and they fill up, so reserve early. We requested the ground-floor room near the infinity pool, with views across the mountains and Castlereagh Reservoir. The rooms are spacious, well designed and air-conditioned. The four-metre-deep pool isn't heated, but swimming there with that view is refreshing and unusual. The team is friendly, attentive and genuinely helpful, and the à la carte food is delicious. Chamara, the naturalist, deserves a special mention for being humble, knowledgeable and passionate. Activities include boat rides, birdwatching, tea experiences, hikes to the Adam’s Peak viewpoint and night trekking safaris. Foreign guests can also arrive by seaplane, as the property has a private landing dock. The flight from Colombo is under an hour and has beautiful hill-country views. We drove in our own vehicle on a weekday and took the scenic Kalugala Road via Lakshapana and Upper Aberdeen. You can also go via Hatton and Maskeliya, but blindly following Google Maps may take you along confusing or congested routes. Call the property for accurate directions, and expect some mud and leeches in rainy weather. The team provides boots, protection kits and sprays.

Camellia Hills has stunning views over Castlereagh Reservoir and the tea-covered hills, and the building itself is beautiful to look at. The rooms are comfortable and luxurious. What made the place especially memorable for us, though, was the staff. Saranavan, Manoj, Savindu, Mahesh, Shambre, the chef and his assistant treated us like family. They cooked what we asked for and arranged experiences just for us. We've travelled a lot, and this was a special stay. Thank you.

I stayed at Camellia Hills with my children for my 60th birthday, and we were sad to leave. The hotel and setting are stunning, with wonderful views over the reservoir and surrounding mountains. Saravanan and the whole team welcomed us so warmly and were kind and helpful, so we felt at home right away. The food was delicious, and Chamara, our very knowledgeable naturalist, helped us explore the beautiful surroundings.