THE AREA
Rangala House is situated on the edge of the Knuckles Forest Region - now classified as a world heritage site. This area is up-country from Kandy on the North Eastern side. Coming from Kandy , the journey (slightly more than one hour) takes you through Digana, Teldeniya and then left, through Udispattuwa and onto the Duckwari tea estate. At an altitude of 1000 metres above sea level, the situation is significantly higher up in the hill country than Kandy (500 metres) and the climate is noticeably cooler and fresher.
“It's a fabulous place - incredible views, marvelous sunsets, tremendous food, utterly relaxing - PARADISE!”
GB - Taplow, England
The house faces almost due West on a steep jungly hillside. Spectacular sunsets are common. The view from the verandah is enormous - a 180º panorama from Hantana mountain to the South right round to the Duckwari tea estate and Knuckles Hills to the North and North East. Far down below in the valley, paddy fields give way to further hillsides and, on a clear day, you can even see Bible Rock many miles away. At night the lights of Kandy can be seen twinkling in the far distance. Behind the house, the tea estate rises steeply and is attractively dotted with shade trees and huge igneous boulders - common hill country features.
The house is situated on the Teldeniya - Rangala mountain road, about 25 minutes up from Teldeniya. Cars are not often seen, traffic being mainly composed of three wheelers, country buses and estate tractors. The road is metalled up to Rangala House and beyond, but the section through to Corbett's Gap is rough and a 4 X 4 is required.
ACCOMMODATION
There is a large sitting room with double French windows, a stone fireplace and spacious dining area. The TV has many satellite channels as well as all the local stations and there is also a DVD player. For music lovers, there is a high quality sound system (classical and jazz CDs available) and a Roland electric piano. For laptop users, the phone connection allows ordinary access to the web and internet facilities, but broadband is not available in this area. Adjacent to the sitting room there is a western-style kitchen, fully equipped with all mod cons and finished in solid mahogany. Guests are welcome to come and talk to the resident chef - and perhaps pick up some tips on cooking curries Sri Lankan style.
The 50 ft verandah tends to be the favourite living space. The view is panoramic and the furnishings allow for lounging, reading, writing, eating, snoozing or just gazing! There is a stone-built barbecue and, for chilly evenings, an open fire. Table tennis and darts are both available.
Other features include a traditional entrance hall, a cloakroom and a utility room. The mains power supply has both inverter and generator backup
THE STUDIO
New for 2011/2012
This is a larger room with en suite bathroom, slightly separated from the main villa, with its own balcony affording spectacular views. There is sleeping accommodation for a maximum of 4 comprising a double bed & a further double/twin bed on a raised gallery. It has lounge facilities, satellite TV and a mini kitchen bar with fridge. There is also a collection of contemporary Sri Lankan art on show.
By arrangement, guests can choose to have their meals served here, instead of the main villa verandah.