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The Grand Hotel is Nuwara Eliya's best-known heritage hotel, a manor-style building set in its own gardens on Grand Hotel Road, right beside the Nuwara Eliya Golf Club. At about 1,868 metres above sea level the town is far cooler than the rest of Sri Lanka, and the hotel's timber-panelled lounges, open fireplaces and clipped lawns give it the feel that earned Nuwara Eliya the name "Little England".
The house was built in 1828 as Barnes Hall, the hill-country residence of Sir Edward Barnes, Governor of Ceylon, in the style of an Elizabethan manor house. It was turned into a hotel in 1891, and in 1892 it passed to The Nuwara Eliya Hotels Company, which still owns it today; the hotel is operated by Tangerine Hotels. A second storey and the Governor's Wing were added in the 1890s, with a further extension opened in 1904, and in 2007 the building was declared an Archaeological Protected Monument of Sri Lanka. The original billiards room is still in use.
The hotel stands on Grand Hotel Road, about 0.6 km from the centre of Nuwara Eliya in Sri Lanka's central highlands. Lake Gregory, Victoria Park and the town's market and colonial post office are all close by, and the Nuwara Eliya Golf Club, one of the oldest courses in Asia, lies next door.
The hotel is about 158 km by road from Bandaranaike International Airport at Katunayake, a drive into the hills that usually takes 4.5 to 5 hours depending on traffic and the weather. Book the Colombo (CMB) Airport transfer to The Grand Hotel.
Many visitors arrive by train instead, on the hill-country line from Colombo Fort or Kandy, one of the most scenic rail journeys in Asia. The nearest station is Nanu Oya, a short drive from the hotel by taxi or tuk-tuk. Kandy is about 77 km away by road, usually a two- to three-hour drive.
Rooms range from Deluxe Rooms of around 400 sq ft to Junior Suites and a set of named suites: the Queen Elizabeth Suite, the Presidential Suite and Gregory's Suite, the largest at about 1,520 sq ft. The rooms combine the building's colonial character with modern comforts, and are equipped with heating, a flat-screen television, a minibar and complimentary Wi-Fi.
Dining is spread across several outlets, among them Barnes Restaurant, Grand Indian, Grand Thai and the Magnolia all-day restaurant, with afternoon tea served on the Grand Veranda and a café, a public bar, a wine bar and The Library Bar. Facilities include a temperature-controlled indoor pool, which is welcome on cool highland evenings, a spa, a gym, a sauna and the historic billiards room, along with banquet and meeting spaces. Wi-Fi is complimentary throughout.
The hotel's central location makes it an easy base for the hill country:
Nuwara Eliya is cool all year, with nights that can drop to around 7°C and days that usually reach the low twenties. The driest months are generally January to March, when clear mornings show the tea country at its best. April is the liveliest time: the Sinhala and Tamil New Year holidays bring the town's season of horse racing, flower shows and golf tournaments, and the hotel is at its busiest. The monsoons bring heavier rain at other times of year, and mist is part of the highland character in almost any month, so pack a warm layer.
It is a popular choice for couples who like heritage settings and cooler weather. Log fires, candlelit dinners, afternoon tea on the veranda and morning walks through the misty gardens give the hotel a romantic character that newer resorts rarely match. For a quieter stay, January to March is calmer than the busy April season.
Had a lovely high tea in the Grand Veranda and our waitress, Darsharni, was delightful. She explained the history of the building as well as the different tea we drank. The food was delicious and the surroundings magnificent. It w…
Kumqr was great and yudhika and yasansi we’re amazing and the service was great.
A beautifully appointed hotel and in excellent condition. The grounds are beautifully landscaped. We came for their high tea and it was a delightful experience.
Ratings and reviews provided by TripAdvisor for The Grand Hotel Nuwara Eliya - Heritage Grand.
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