Belihuloya has always been a nice place to stop on the way to the southern hill country for a rice and curry at the beautifully located rest house along the oya (river). This time, though, I found Landa House, through a friend, which is even more beautifully located.
About 10 minutes from Balangoda on the newly carpeted A4 road, before you come to the bridge and rest house, you turn right and go down the steep hill. You keep going past the point where you think your car can return safely and you enter a beautifully overgrown garden with huge trees.The hotel is a forest of water. It is overgrown with green and overrun with water. As you descend the staircase to the river, all you can hear is the roar of water from the surrounding water features.
It has four rooms in two buildings, each one far from each other. It is so overgrown with trees that if you're in one building, you can't really even see the other building. One building has two connected family rooms, each one with a big bed, TV/DVD and loft bed.The other, closer to the river and more private, has two unconnected rooms that are more suitable for couples with river views and four poster beds but no TV/DVD. It also has a tree house, which is more like a Swiss Family Robinson treehouse than anything I've seen: a proper staircase leading up to it and a full bed with a spring mattress hung hammock style.
We stayed in one of the rooms overlooking the river. All the food was delivered to the room with no complaints; we had it on the balcony. The food is basic Sri Lankan food, cooked by a cute little old lady from nearby.
As I was writing this, I realised that there's just no way for me to describe just how great this place is. So, I created a photo walkthrough with 90 odd photographs so you can see just what Landa house is like.
he best part is the price. Our total bill came to just 5,500 which included three meals for two people and drinks (non alcoholic - no license) .
Landa house is now our favourite hotel. We like it because it has the best features of the more expensive places (like Sun House) that we've stayed but is absolutely a unique creation in and of itself.
The way the buildings are integrated into the landscape, the design of the rooms, the little nooks they leave you to find for yourself, the unfussy, obliging service and most of all, the forest and water, left us wanting to return over and over again. Anyone who wants to take a romantic getaway and find themselves completely alone and undisturbed is advised to do the same.Hotel Name: Landa House
Address: Belihuloya
Directions: On the A4 (high level road) past Balangoda
Phone: +94 772 923366 / +94 452 280288
Rates (all inclusive): LKR 2,500 weekdays/3,500 weekends for room only. Food works out to around LKR 500-700 per meal for two.
