Balance your body and mind at Santani, Sri Lanka’s premier wellness retreat

With daily sunshine, miles of wide golden sand beaches, lush forests, brightly colored buildings, buses, tuk-tuks, and smiling people, the island of Sri Lanka lives up to its title of “Pearl of the Indian Ocean.” is.And it also seems appropriate time The magazine described Santani, the country’s first luxury wellness retreat, high in the Dambara Mountains overlooking the town of Kandy, as “one of the 100 best places in the world.” After its launch in 2018, Santani Wellness topped the “Best Spas” lists of lifestyle newspapers around the world, including: trend, Tatler, Condé Nast Traveler and Forbes.

Santani (meaning “harmony” in the Sanskrit language) is truly worthy of such praise. A truly unique and special place. Located 2,800 feet above sea level and on a beautiful 116-acre tea estate in the woods, Santani feels like a secret retreat for a makeover or simply to relax away from the hectic, fast-paced world. Santani is the first and only exclusive wellness resort offering luxury vacations in Sri Lanka, designed in accordance with the highest sustainability and environmental standards. Founder Vikam Nawagamwage believes that sustainable well-being begins with balancing yourself, and this idea is at the heart of all of his retreats at Santani. Santani offers a variety of wellness programs in Ayurveda, detox and cleansing, yoga and relaxation. These are a combination of in-house pampering and rejuvenation, allowing you to develop healthy lifestyles and habits. Guests can come here to enjoy a full-fledged wellness program starting with a diagnosis by an Ayurvedic doctor, or as leisure guests with options such as daily group hatha yoga, guided nature walks, spa treatments, and off-site excursions. You can come or visit us.

hotel

Accommodation is blissful, a separate chalet for two perched on a hill with a terrace overlooking the valley. The separate single bedroom is spacious with his 500 square feet. We have 16 mountain view chalets and 4 garden view chalets (over 12) designed for families with children. The chalet has a chic, minimalist feel, with cool polished concrete floors, ceiling fans, upcycled rubberwood lounge chairs and recycled teak safari chairs on the balcony. Each room has a rain shower, refrigerator, glass bottled water, and tea and coffee.

The rooms are designed with natural ventilation in mind and are not air conditioned. You save over 70% of energy compared to air-conditioned hotels, which is good for your health and the environment. You can hear the surrounding wildlife throughout the lush grounds. Especially in the early morning and evening, you can enjoy a soothing symphony of nature with forest noises such as monkeys, crickets, wild cats, and birds.

Eating and drinking

Meals are served in an impressive reclaimed wooden structure with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Damballa’s lush mountains. The naturally ventilated space serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a selection of Western or Sri Lankan dishes overseen by executive chef Indika Bandara, who has worked under chef Gordon Ramsay in kitchens in Brunei, Canada and Dubai. You can choose. All menus include locally sourced ingredients, many of which are grown on our on-site farm. If a guest selects the full Her Wellness Her package, a personalized approach to gourmet Her Wellness cuisine is included.

Instead of a printed menu, Santani’s chefs prepare healthy, natural dishes according to a custom meal plan created based on your health goals in collaboration with the Wellness Director and Santani’s in-house Ayurvedic doctor. . Leisure guests are asked daily whether they prefer Western or Sri Lankan food for each meal. The food is great. Breakfast includes egg hoppers, granola, banana bread, yogurt and fruit, while dinner and lunch include a thoughtful selection of seafood, curries and the popular Sri Lankan delicacy, string hoppers.

wellness

Santani’s bespoke wellness programs range from simple two-day spa holidays (steam room, sauna, massage, pool, yoga) to more intensive programs focused on sleep, detox, weight loss, stress management and menopause. and a wide range of long-term programs. Enjoying a massage in a lovely room overlooking a lush tropical setting is a great experience, making you feel like you’re being treated outdoors in nature. Wellness Guests will be examined by Ayurvedic physician Dr. Sakini upon arrival. After an initial consultation, we will advise you on treatments for the imbalance, including daily massages, hot oil treatments, and dietary changes implemented by the restaurant during your stay.

One of the highlights of a stay at Santani is the yoga, which caters to all levels and is open to all guests. I do Hatha yoga twice a day with Rahul, an excellent yoga teacher from India. he says: Yoga shows the way. ” Rahul’s style is a classic, holistic approach to hatha yoga that stretches and tones the entire body. It is a complete healing system designed to help the body maintain its natural and healthy state.

Activities and excursions

On-site, you can enjoy a tranquil infinity pool overlooking the hills and valleys, or walk to the Yu River and temples. Further afield, just outside the property, you can hike or take a tuk-tuk to suspension bridges and swimming holes. The bridge, one of Santani’s projects to support local communities, was built at the confluence of the Hulu and Kota Ganga rivers and is still used by local residents. Santani also runs the Dharmaduwa School on the premises, providing tutoring and support to students in the village.

Off-site, Santani is also active in preserving the heritage of the local area. Santani will curate tours that provide unique access to local artisans, including father and daughter weavers Ashoka and Lakshani of the award-winning Damballa Designs. Santani Foundation will organize the 1st Sri Lankan Folklore Festival in Kandy from August 6th to 8th, 2024, in collaboration with Madama, to introduce Dambara weaving, clay pottery using specific clays from the region, traditional Showcasing local talent such as the Kandy Dance Family. Lanka Nurthiya Mandalaya Dance School led by Madam Amunugama Waidyawasia Rajapakshe. The new festival is programmed to coincide with the annual Esala Perahera procession, which also takes place in August. The procession is a historic event in which the sacred tooth relic is paraded through the streets among dancers, drummers, and 100 elephants dressed in colorful and glittering fabrics.

Another important external trip is the temple tour organized by Santani. Guided by in-house naturalist Damita Praboda. This tour includes the Garmadhuha Temple, built in 1782 by the last Buddhist king of Kandy for his Hindu wife.

For hikers, the Santani Waterfalls tour is a unique experience that winds through tea plantations and forests and takes in six waterfalls cascading down the Dambara (Knuckles) Mountains, each unique in its own way. The British named this mountain Knuckles because it resembled the joints of a clenched fist.

About an hour away, Kandy is the closest large town to Santani and is a must-see as Sri Lanka’s last kingdom. Even if you are not religious, you can enjoy activities at the Sri Daradhamaligawa Temple, a large Buddhist temple said to house a priceless relic, one of his teeth of Buddha, and admire plumeria and lotus flowers. You will be enchanted by the flower stalls offered by. This vibrant city is full of charming architecture, shops where you can buy spices, and fresh fruit and vegetable markets where you can buy mangoes, the king of fruits, and delicious mangosteens, the queen.

In Sri Lanka, it’s worth hiring a local guide, not just for safety reasons, but to gain local knowledge. Donald is a local guide who works for a great new travel company, Sensory Indulgences. I strongly recommend it. He of course knows the main tourist attractions, but also the lesser-known streets and the wonderful art hotel in the hills, a charming place filled with art, candlesticks, antiques and memorabilia of the owner of Helga de. It takes guests to insider destinations such as Helga’s Folly, a rambling collection of rooms. Former Dior model Silva Breau Perera.

sustainability

When it comes to sustainability, Santani does more than just talk. This property is built using reclaimed wood and the rooms are built with natural ventilation in mind and there is no air conditioning. Approximately 80% of the garden uses treated recycled water, reducing groundwater consumption from wells and making the well water source available in the event of a disaster. Dry months with little precipitation. Low-lit walkways minimize light pollution and ecological disturbance. Electric buggies are used to reduce fuel usage. Santani will take its sustainability and wellness model abroad with a new partnership with Omran Group in Oman to build two new wellness facilities. The partnership is expected to generate significant economic benefits, including job creation, and will serve as a model for sustainable development and wellness tourism in Oman and the rest of the world.

practicality

Accommodation rates at Santani Wellness are as follows: Garden View Chalets include double/wellness from $711 per room per night, and Mountain View Chalets include double/wellness from $790 per night.

Leisure-only stays start from $446 per night for a double/full board room in the Garden View Chalet and $525 per night for a double/full board room in the Mountain View Chalet.

In Santani, you can enjoy a combined beach and retreat vacation by staying at Santani Wellness and Kirana Santani Villas on Bentota Beach.

SriLankan Airlines operates daily direct flights to Colombo from London Heathrow Airport, Paris and Frankfurt. Santani Wellness is a 45-hour drive from Colombo Airport.