Stafford Bungalow

This is a beautiful tucked away cottage in the heart of Ragala, which looks exactly out of an Enid blyton novel, covered in ivy and colourful flowers, large shady trees, and gorgeous hydrangeas lining the driveway. Aside from the aesthetics , the food is amazing and service amazing. Attention to detail, discreet, attentive without being obtrusive - truly lovely. Special mention to Chanuka who was such an amiable companion on our walks, and who also exemplified the warm service that I have written about. We will definitely be back .

An oasis of a property. Great service offered by Chanuka and team. Chef preparations was a delight. As a city couple, the mountains have our heart. The gentle sounds of the birds and stream was therapy for our busy minds. Thank you … we hope to be back.

We asked our travel company for a tea plantation stay. We wanted an elegant place, preferably isolated and with great food and service. The Stafford bungalow delivered all of this and more. Our guide had a call from the hotel on the morning of our arrival to check details and make sure they were ready for us. We were warmly welcomed and taken to our lovely room. Each room has its own private garden as well as the extensive grounds of the hotel. Very comfortable and had everything we needed. We were the only guests for one night which made it all very exclusive and special. Another couple joined us for two nights and was also nice to chat and share experiences with them. We had a light snack every day at 3pm. A savoury bite and a sweet treat. Plus coffee and tea. This was perfect for us as we found that the breakfast filled us up and the dinners were good too. You do have to discuss breakfast options the day before if you want things like hoppers and they like to get your dinner choice before 4pm. We enjoyed all our meals with the Sri Lankan curry on our middle night being a real favorite for us both. There is nothing immediately around the bungalow. Just the tea plantation. There is a village about 2km away but we didn’t leave the bungalow for 3 days other than to do the tea plantation walk with very knowledgeable guide. It’s a place to relax, swim, read books and pretend you own the place. The pool was a great touch with a hot tub that needs 30 mins to heat up. We found the service to be great. Staff were on hand when we needed them but not too intrusive. Only improvement suggestion - all of our other hotels have us a small gift on our departure, cookies or tea or some spices. It would be nice if the bungalow also did this. We loved our 3 days here and would happily return when we next visit Sri Lanka.

I can’t recommend this hotel highly enough. It’s a wonderful, peaceful, relaxing place with fabulous staff and wonderful food. There are lots of lounge areas to relax and, as it is only has 6 rooms, it could never feel ‘busy’. Afternoon tea is served from 3-30 - 4.30 every day with breakfast and evening meals being served on the lawn or in the bright open plan dining/lounge area. I can’t imagine wanting to stay anywhere else, you really must go there if visiting Nuwara Eliya.

We stayed for a couple of nights at the gorgeous bungalow. The staff were very kind and helpful. The food was delicious and our room, the family suite was incredibly comfortable with every thing you could need. The gardens are beautiful such a lovely setting.