Ceylon (Sri Lanka) is the magical Tea Island. Three Relais & Chateaux resorts; Tea Trails, Cape Weligama & Wild Coast Tented Lodge, form an enchanting “Route de Bonheur (Happiness)” from tea fields to clifftop beach & safari lodge. This “best of Sri Lanka” circuit, created by the family owned Dilmah Tea Company, features three distinctively original resorts, connected by a thread of peerless service.
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Conceived by the Fernando family, Sri Lankan tea producers & founders of Dilmah Ceylon Tea, Resplendent Ceylon’s collection of small, luxury resorts offer the discriminating traveller a remarkable circuit across Sri Lanka, with a range of authentic experiences, while contributing towards local communities & the environment through the MJF Foundation & Dilmah Conservation.
This “best of Sri Lanka” circuit currently features three distinctively original resorts, connected by a thread of peerless service. They are the sole Sri Lankan members of Relais & Chateaux, the global fellowship of individually owned & operated luxury hotels and restaurants.
All three resorts; Tea Trails, Cape Weligama and Wild Coast Tented Lodge have won global acclaim as the best in Sri Lanka and regularly top TripAdvisor rankings in the small luxury category. Tea Trails is even in the World category for service.
Ceylon Tea Trails is the world’s first tea bungalow resort, perched at an altitude of 1250 metres in Sri Lanka’s panoramic Ceylon tea region, bordering the World Heritage Central Highlands. 27 rooms are spread over five original bungalows.
Cape Weligama is the most sumptuous resort along this fabled island’s palm fringed shores. Thirty minutes east of Galle, Cape Weligama’s 39 rooms inhabit 12 tropical acres atop a singular promontory rising 40 metres above the Indian Ocean.
Wild Coast Tented Lodge sits on a secluded beach on the edge of Yala National Park. 28 vaulted “Cocoon” tents offer the comfort of a luxury hotel with the excitement of an authentic safari experience.
The Condé Nast Traveler Reader Awards 2018 saw Cape Weligama make the Best Resorts in the World list – first time a Sri Lankan property made the list.
https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/best-resorts-in-the-world
And Wild Coast Tented Lodge made the top 20 in Asia
https://www.cntraveler.com/readers-choice-awards/asia/asia-top-resorts
Sri Lanka was just ranked the top country for travel in 2019 by Lonely Planet. Resplendent Ceylon’s Wild Coast Tented Lodge mentioned in The Guardian article.
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2018/oct/23/sri-lanka-ranked-top-country-for-travel-in-2019-by-lonely-planet
Nearly thirty years ago, a group of friends left one of India’s largest travel networks, to be connoisseurs of a different east and the creators of a discerning traveller’s itinerary. A British gentleman behind the name, had returned to India in search of his colonial roots, but stayed on. He instilled an informal sense of professionalism into the company, which continues to prevail. That was the beginning of Ventours in 1986.
We are South Asia’s first boutique travel company in its true sense, focusing on discerning individual travellers and families, Museums, Non Profits and other such related organisations, with foundations built of referrals. This has resulted in a guest list of literally the who’s who in the US….especially from the financial world.
Another part of us became involved with handling private jets and cruising in the region. In connection to the former, we started Ventours Aviation to look after all aspects pertaining to ground handling, permissions etc. of non-commercial aircraft….joining the dots so to speak in this specialized field and making for a one stop shop facility.
Product developing and keeping a tab on ever changing scenarios becomes essential to our approach, necessitating a network of our own offices in key areas of operation. Offices in Delhi, Agra, Varanasi, Jaipur, Udaipur and Jodhpur helps support our head office in Bombay (or rather Mumbai!), in addition to maintaining quality control on the road. In a similar vein, we have desks at influential associate partner offices in Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka to round off our South Asia focus.
Diversity is a byword in our region, especially advantageous when catering to varied interests. We therefore try and get a background of our visitors, leading to bespoke itineraries in place of staid routings. It is also said that our museums are in our streets…..and this truth plays a significant role as we explore ancient markets and unconventional highlights, patronised by locals. Through family backgrounds and other contacts, doors open at every level for people to people encounters often resulting in everlasting memories.
