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Most hotels in town can arrange day trips byPark & World’s End Horton Plains National
(p173). The standard price for up to five pas-
sengers is Rs 4000 (excluding park fees). One
of the better 4WD tours organised by a cheap
hotel is based at Single Tree Hotel. It’s about
an hour’s drive to the park gates.
Single Tree can also arrange trips to the
Pedro Tea Estate (p167) and Lovers Leap
(p168) for Rs 1500. For the ultimate water-
fall experience, join its waterfall day trip (Rs
3000 to 8000 per van) that takes in between
six and 18 different cascades and the La-
bookellie Tea Factory (p166).4 Sleeping
Nuwara Eliya has masses of places to stay,
but many of the budget and midrange plac-
es can be on the draughty and dreary side,
so it’s worth being a little choosy. There’s a
good range of colonial-style places, but you
will pay more for heritage ambience. Unlike
other parts of Sri Lanka, there aren’t many
backpacker-oriented guesthouses. Two ex-
ceptions are the Single Tree Hotel and the
excellent King Fern Cottage.
You’ll need blankets to keep warm at night
at almost any time of year. For a fee a few ho-
tels will light a fire in the communal areas on
cold nights – you won’t find a toastier way to
keep warm on a drizzly Nuwara Eliya night.
During the high season, around Sri Lan-
kan New Year in April, rooms are three to
five times their normal price. Prices also in-
crease during long-weekend holidays and in
August, when package tours descend from
abroad.Single Tree Hotel g UESTHOUSE $
(%222 3009; [email protected]; 178 Haddon
Hill Rd; s/d from Rs 3500/4500; W) The most
popular backpacker guesthouse in town has
a main building with a sociable vibe and
loads of warm timber trim. The rooms in the
annex building are a little darker, but usually
a lot quieter. The switched-on owners are
rather tour pushy, but the tours they offer
are generally pretty good.oHotel Glendower HiSTORiC HOTEl $$
(%222 2501; http://www.hotelglendower.com; 5 grand
Hotel Rd; r incl breakfast from US$85; W) This
rambling colonial building has bundles
of ye-olde-worlde English charm to it (or
a South Asian version of it anyway) with
period-style rooms that have the sweet smellof wood polish. There’s a pretty garden (com-
plete with croquet set), a cosy bar lined with
bottles of spirits and a billiards room.
It’s one of the best value midrange heritage
options in town.Ceybank Rest HiSTORiC HOTEl $$
(%222 3855; s/d incl breakfast Rs 7800/8900; W)
This was once a British governor’s mansion
and has huge rooms from the time when
smart travellers journeyed with at least three
steamer trunks. The lounge area is beauti-
ful, and the teak furniture and a fine old bar
make time travel to the 19th century very
easy. At current rates it’s a bargain.Grosvenor Hotel HiSTORiC HOTEl $$
(%222 2307; 6 Haddon Hill Rd; s/d incl breakfast Rs
5500/6500; W) It’s a century since it did ser-
vice as the residence of the colonial governor,
and the Grosvenor, with its creaky charm,
has expansive hallways, spacious rooms and
period furniture that make it one of Nuwara
Eliya’s best-value colonial options. It’s a good
idea to take a look at a few rooms, as some
are in decidely better condition than others.Alpine Hotel HOTEl $$
(%222 3500; http://www.alpineecotravels.com; 4 Haddon
Hill Rd; s/d US$82/91; aiW) The exterior of
this inn is all twee wood panelling and glass,
and looks very impressive. The 25 rooms
are decent enough but some can be musty.
An open wood fire is lit in the lounge every
evening, lending a cosy atmosphere to the
place. There’s a time-warp bar and billiards
room too.The Trevene HiSTORiC HOTEl $$
(%222 2767; http://www.hoteltrevenenuwaraeliya.com; 17
Park Rd; r incl breakfast Rs 4000-8000; W) This
is a very pleasant colonial villa set in flower-
ing gardens and filled with little hideaways
where you can curl up with a book on a wet
afternoon. Rooms are a mixed bag and it
definitely pays to check out a few first. Bigger
rooms can accommodate a family. The man-
ager speaks fluent French.King Fern Cottage g UESTHOUSE $$
(%077 358 6284; 203/1A St Andrews Dr; r Rs 3000-
6000; iW) Hands down Nuwara Eliya’s
funkiest place to stay, King Fern combines
immaculate, artistic rooms with huge hand-
made beds, warm-as-toast bedspreads and a
laid-back ambience that sometimes sees the
owner breaking out his drums for an after-
dark, fireside session. It’s all wrapped up in
a timber pavilion beside a bubbling stream.