The Planters House

We stayed at Planters House for four nights in November, during the quiet season, and were the only guests. The team were fantastic at looking after us, with a casual but attentive style, and we enjoyed many excellent meals. The Sri Lankan breakfast was the best we had during our two-week trip. It’s a unique experience to stay in a beautiful colonial house in this remote highland area, but the building urgently needs maintenance. The roof leaks in many places, the walls are damp, and wooden panels in our suite bathroom were rotting. The food was excellent, though the prices weren’t explained upfront, and checkout brought a rather high bill by average Sri Lankan standards. Getting there was the biggest problem. The hotel is only accessible in a safari-style 4x4, and the estate road, which we understand is owned by the same business, is in terrible condition. The drive from Haputale station was the worst off-road trip of my life: 90 minutes on a wet, steep route that was partly cobbled and partly ruined, in an Indian safari jeep without seatbelts, belching black smoke. The roads were awful both ways. The journey left us feeling bad about choosing such an unsustainable place, which seems to take enormous effort and carbon emissions just to bring in basic supplies. With the building and access road properly maintained, the stay would have left us with a much more pleasant memory.

The food was amazing, the views were nice, and there’s a large collection of books to browse. We also liked the swimming pool and the fireplace beside it, a nice way to spend an evening. My wife and I stayed just one night a year ago, though we’d planned to stay longer. We checked out first thing in the morning and held off reviewing to give the owner time to address the issues we’d raised with the manager. Recent reviews make it seem like nothing has changed. Our room wasn’t clean: stains on the carpets and sofas were left in plain sight, and ants covered the toilet, so we had to wash them away before each use. The road up is very, very bad. I only noticed at the next hotel that some of my 4x4’s bumper had fallen off from all the rattling and bouncing. Management offers a pickup service, which I’d definitely recommend. This could be a great place to stay if they sort out the room cleanliness.

Gavin and his team made us feel so welcome and were incredibly attentive. We didn’t have to ask for anything, and Gavin seemed to anticipate our needs. That attention to detail made us feel special. The food was excellent, and the whole team seemed motivated and to enjoy their work. The house has been beautifully restored, is immaculately clean, and is tastefully decorated with lovely antiques. Our large, airy room had crisp white sheets and soft, fluffy pillows, making for a really restful break. The property sits high up, with spectacular views on a clear day, and we loved the stunning pool area too, though we wished the weather had been warmer so we could swim. We had a truly magical stay and wished it could have been longer. One suggestion: the access road took us by surprise, even in a large jeep. You can leave your vehicle in a secure spot and take the property's vehicle up instead, which is a great idea since once you arrive, you won’t want to leave. We’ll do that next time!

The staff were lovely and the food was awesome, and it was worth every penny. We had an amazing night up there. The house and furniture were so beautiful, and the pool view was insane. Go and have a good time.