Uga Ghiri

Uga Ghiri is a 15-villa all-inclusive resort on a clifftop above Ella, in Sri Lanka's hill country, looking across tea estates to the Nine Arch Bridge. It is the newest property from Uga Resorts and stands on 11 acres (about 4.5 hectares) of terraced hillside on the Sutherland tea estate, off Namunukula Road, more than 3,600 feet (about 1,100 metres) above sea level. At its heart is a colonial manor from the early 1900s, restored to hold the restaurant and bar, while guests stay in contemporary villas spread across the slope, each with its own jacuzzi.

What are the rooms like at Uga Ghiri?

All 15 villas belong to one category, with the same size and specification.

• Villa – a free-standing villa of about 111 square metres (1,200 square feet), known in Uga's trade material as a Sutherland Villa. Each has a king-size bed, a separate living area, an outdoor deck and a private heated jacuzzi, six feet across, set on that deck. The bathroom has a freestanding bathtub, a walk-in shower and his and hers basins. Expansive windows frame the views, and the villas have air conditioning and ceiling fans, a minibar, a flat-screen television, a sound system, an in-villa safe, an espresso machine with Sri Lankan tea and coffee, bathrobes, a hair dryer and a pillow menu on request. A villa sleeps up to three adults, or two adults and a child.

The villas sit at different points on the hillside, and the resort has buggies to take you between your villa, the manor and the pool. If you would like a particular outlook or a villa that is easy to reach on foot, mention it when you enquire and we will pass the request on.

What is included, and what is the food like?

Uga Ghiri is sold all-inclusive. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included, along with water, fruit juices and soft drinks, tea and coffee, and a selection of wine, beer and spirits. The minibar is replenished once a day, laundry of six pieces per villa per day is covered, Wi-Fi is free throughout, and every stay includes a place on the shared Artisanal Tea Experience described below.

The restaurant is in the restored manor and is open all day, from 7.30 am to 10.30 pm. You can eat indoors in the old rooms, or outside on the verandah and the covered patio, which look out over the plantations and suit a long breakfast or afternoon tea. The menus mix Sri Lankan dishes and regional specialities made with local produce with international favourites, often given the kitchen's own twist. The main bar, also in the manor, has vaulted ceilings, a pool table and a list of wines, spirits and cocktails, and there is a separate pool bar for coffee in the morning and drinks at sunset.

What facilities does the resort have?

The 15-metre infinity pool looks out over the valley. The spa offers Balinese and contemporary treatments and has a sauna and a steam room, and panoramic views across the hills. Inside the manor there is a drawing room with a fireplace for cool hill-country evenings and a library to read in. Assistance and security are on hand 24 hours a day, and laundry, currency exchange and card payments are available.

What is there to do at Uga Ghiri?

The included Artisanal Tea Experience takes you by road, about 45 minutes each way, to a working tea estate and factory. You walk through the fields with the pluckers, follow the leaf through withering, rolling, drying and grading, and finish with a guided tasting; allow three to three and a half hours in all. The tour does not run on Sundays or public holidays, when the factory is not manufacturing.

Two guided walks start from the resort with a naturalist. The Hike Through Tea Country follows estate tracks and sections of the Pekoe Trail through the Modera and Newburgh estates, about 8 kilometres in two and a half to three hours, with views of the Nine Arch Bridge along the way. The Path Through Sacred Shrines, about 7 kilometres, visits the small Hindu shrines of the estate communities and introduces you to life on a tea plantation. The resort can also arrange cycling down from the Namunukula range and trips further afield to Lipton's Seat and Diyaluma Falls.

What is nearby?

From the resort you look down on the Nine Arch Bridge, the colonial-era stone viaduct that has become Ella's best-known sight. The hotel gives these distances to the main sights, which appear to be by road: Little Adam's Peak, with its views over the Ella Gap, about 2.2 kilometres; Ravana Falls about 3.9 kilometres; Ravana Cave, linked with the Ramayana legend, about 4.8 kilometres; the Demodara Loop, where the line circles a hill and passes beneath Demodara station, about 7.4 kilometres; the Nine Arch Bridge itself about 7.5 kilometres; and Ella Rock, the high viewpoint across the gap, about 8.8 kilometres.

Can I arrive by train?

Yes. The hill-country line from Kandy to Ella is one of the island's great train journeys, and the nearest stop is Ella station, a short drive from the resort. Arrange a pick-up with the resort or with us in advance, as the last stretch is a winding hill road.

How do I get from the airport to Uga Ghiri?

Uga Ghiri gives the road distance from Bandaranaike International Airport as around 230 kilometres (about 135 kilometres in a straight line), and from Colombo about 200 kilometres, a drive of around five to six hours on long, winding but scenic hill roads. The simplest way to arrive is a private transfer from Colombo airport to Uga Ghiri, which takes you all the way to the resort.

Who is Uga Ghiri best suited to?

It suits couples and small families who want a quiet, fully looked-after stay with space of their own, a jacuzzi on the deck and the Ella views without the bustle of the town, and who would rather not think about the bill for each meal and drink. Two or three nights give you time for the tea experience, a walk on the estates and a morning at Little Adam's Peak or the bridge. For more choice in the area see our places to stay in Ella; Uga's other hill-country retreat is Uga Halloowella near Norwood, and you can find all the Uga Resorts hotels around the island.