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Xavier's Cottage is a restored colonial bungalow with just three bedrooms on Lady McCollum Drive in Nuwara Eliya, run by Jetwing Hotels as part of its Select collection and close to its sister hotel, Jetwing St. Andrew's. Cream-walled and green-roofed, with bay windows, white fretwork and a glazed porch onto a clipped garden, it is let room by room or as a whole house, and works like a private holiday home with a resident chef.
Each room has a private bathroom with a shower and hot water, an individual heating unit for the cool hill-country nights, free Wi-Fi, an electronic safe, tea and coffee making facilities, a hairdryer and an iron, and all three look out over the garden. The furnishing mixes period antiques with modern comforts. The names below are the ones you will see when you choose a room.
The cottage is run on bed-and-breakfast lines, but its resident chef will cook homely meals, from Sri Lankan milk rice with curries to hot pancakes, served at a stately wooden table for eight in the dining room, or outside when the weather allows. Fresh fruit comes from farms in the region, and if you would like to cook for yourselves you are welcome to use the well-equipped kitchen, with tips from the staff. Meals can also be prepared by the team at nearby Jetwing St. Andrew's, which has the Old Course Restaurant with a show kitchen and wine cellar, the Road Hole Bar styled as a British pub, and high tea on the terrace; take-away meals can be packed for your excursions.
It is a quiet, personal place: a communal sitting room, a garden with a table and chairs on the lawn, and a long glazed veranda with cane chairs. Laundry is handled by Jetwing St. Andrew's, a doctor is on call, a car can be hired, and there is parking on site. Temperatures in Nuwara Eliya range from about 10°C to 26°C, so pack a jumper for the evenings.
The bungalow is in the town of Nuwara Eliya, the old colonial hill station. On the edge of town, Lake Gregory has pony rides around the shore and water sports on the lake, and Victoria Park is good for a walk on a misty morning. Guests can join the resident naturalist at Jetwing St. Andrew's for a night-time frog-watching walk in its wetland. Tea-factory visits can be arranged, and the Pedro tea estate is close to town. Pidurutalagala, Sri Lanka's highest mountain, rises above the town, Hakgala Botanical Gardens is a short drive south-east, and a morning at Horton Plains National Park takes you on foot to the escarpment at World's End. Walkers can also pick up stages of the Pekoe Trail.
Yes. The nearest station on the hill-country Main Line is Nanu Oya, below the town; arrange a pick-up with the cottage or with us for the short drive up to Nuwara Eliya.
Jetwing puts Nuwara Eliya at 165 kilometres from Colombo, a scenic drive of about five hours on mountain roads through the tea country; from Bandaranaike International Airport, north of the city, allow a little longer. The simplest way to arrive is a private transfer from Colombo airport to Xavier's Cottage, which takes you all the way to the door.
It suits families and small groups who want a colonial bungalow to themselves in the middle of Nuwara Eliya, and couples who prefer a homely room with a chef to a large hotel. For more choice in the area see our places to stay in Nuwara Eliya, or the other Jetwing hotels around the island.
This house is very comfortable to live in, the garden is beautiful, and the owner takes great care in maintaining it; the cleanliness is very high and it is very clean. The host is very enthusiastic! We were sick, and he took us t…
Hi Kapil was amazing very hospitable
Rating: 5/5 Date of stay: 26 August 2026 Room Type: Deluxe Room We stayed at Xavier's Cottage for 1 night and it was a wonderful experience. Check-in was very warm. The staff welcomed us with delicious pumpkin soup. Special sho…
Ratings and reviews provided by TripAdvisor for Xavier's Cottage.
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