Two hours north of Columbo’s airport, Rosyth Estate House is perfectly placed for guests arriving on the teardrop island. As a 10-bedroom boutique hotel, Rosyth has accommodation ranging from comfortable rooms in the restored 1926 planter’s bungalow through to the spectacular Rock Villa looking out over tea country.
Hotel
Our driver phoned ahead to announce our imminent arrival and we subsequently found a small team of Rosyth staff awaiting as if we were royalty. Umbrellas were provided, as it is the rainy season, and our cases whisked away. After a reviving glass of cinnamon and ginger tea our weary feet were washed and massaged and orders were taken for a late lunch. Rosyth provides the warmest of Sri Lankan welcomes.
Built into a tropical forest that sometimes seems as lush and impenetrable as jungle, the bungalow with library, lounge, dining pavilion and some guest rooms is at the heart of the estate. Farzana Dobbs inherited the 62 acres rubber and tea estate from her father. She and husband Neil have restored the colonial charm of the original 1926 bungalow whilst adding on some spectacular contemporary additions that make the most of the forest setting.
Room
Stone steps lead up from the bungalow to the Tea and Pepper suites, appropriately passing tea bushes and pepper vines climbing clove trees. For these two elevated suites it is all about the view. Mahogany, palms, cloves and thousands of waist-high tea bushes cloak a plunging valley.
Taking photos from either the rattan chairs or sun loungers on the terrace, as white wisps of cloud wreath the craggy peaks on the horizon, becomes compulsive. As the light of each day unfolds, the view changes.
As well as an interior bathroom with shower, there is a deep bath on the terrace, so that guests never miss a second of this most compelling of views.
Light walls, contrast with the dark jack wood of the doors and window frames. A gentleman’s valet stand, with drawers for cufflinks, gives a sartorial echo of colonial times. But this is a tea plantation and within the room there is a discreet alcove for making tea and coffee. Don’t forget that up to the 1860s, coffee was Sri Lanka’s main crop until a virus wiped out the coffee plants.
Food and drink
Rosyth’s team of four chefs present Sri Lankan cuisine at its very best in the glass dining pavilion.
Obviously, there is the option of hoppers for breakfast, the crisp rice flour batter of the upper shell satisfyingly transitioning into gooey as the fried egg softens the texture.
Throughout the day, salads, soups and salads are available for guests. Early snacks and late lunches allow for the flexibility of guests’ programmes. And of course, in true planter’s style, a sun-downer gin and tonic on the terrace is almost a routine.
Evening meals run through a repertoire of Sri Lankan classics, spiced to taste. When a Sri Lankan says that they are having curry and rice it is an understatement.
At Rosyth, as well as a curry of beef, chicken, fish or pork there will also be bowls of spicy aubergines and beans, a bitter gourd dish, a salad of a kale-like leaf and a sambal flecked with red chilli flakes. Another evening, the chefs set up on the terrace to produce Sri Lankan street food favourites with flame-flaring drama.
The chefs also share their secrets of Sri Lankan cuisine on a cookery course as guests cook their own lunch.
To do
Tea is Rosyth’s main attraction. Traditionally, pluckers picked two leaves and a bud but Farzana and Neil Dobbs are challenging convention with one leaf and a bud. A key quality differentiator for their high-end artisan tea.
Guests try their hand at plucking the tea leaves and then rolling them after they have been withered. Soon it is time for a tea tasting with Jonathan the tea manager. In his former job at a tea exporters he sniffed, sloshed and tasted around 500 to 600 cups a day. Fortunately, we only had to assess aroma, clarity, colour and taste on five teas.
A plantation walk, with naturalist Hetti, takes guests past Rosyth’s organic herb, spice and vegetable gardens, guarded by an electric fence to keep monkeys at bay. Descending into the valley, Hetti demonstrates how the rubber trees are tapped and points out herbs and spices growing naturally which contribute to Rosyth’s menus. Ginger never smelt so fresh, never looked so golden.
Beyond Rosyth it is a mere 20 minutes to Pinnawala to bath, feed and walk with elephants. At around a 90 minutes’ drive, Kandy’s Temple of the Sacred Tooth and the Royal Botanical Gardens provide a full day out.
Yet, Rosyth is also a place for relaxation by the swimming pool and recharging the batteries with spa treatments and yoga.
In a nutshell
A peaceful idyllic hideaway high in Sri Lanka’s spectacularly green hills. Rosyth Estate House introduces guests to Sri Lanka’s superb cuisine as well as traditions and developments in the tea industry. A must-stay venue on any tour of Sri Lanka.
Factbox
A three-night stay in low season begins from £390 per person, based on two sharing a classic room, excluding flights and transfers.
Address: Rosyth Estate House, Pusella, Kegalle, Sri Lanka.
Phone: +94 715 337765 ( Sri Lanka ) or +44 207 2251483 ( UK )
E-mail: Estatehouse@rosyth.lk
Website: rosyth.lk
Photography courtesy of Rosyth Estate House.
