Resort · Santani · Kandy

Santani Wellness Kandy

The former Aratenna tea estate at Werapitiya, about 32 km and an hour's drive east of Kandy, facing the Knuckles range

About Santani Wellness Kandy

Rooms: 4 types
Dining: 4 places
Wellness: Spa
Swimming: Pool

A wellness resort on 116 acres of a former tea estate, at about 2,800 feet, where guests sleep in stand-alone chalets raised on the hillside above paddy fields and forest.

Stays are built around wellness programmes, with meals planned to each guest's goals by the chefs, the head of wellness and an in-house Ayurvedic doctor rather than served from a printed menu.

The resort keeps screens out of shared spaces: rooms have no television, Wi-Fi is on request and devices are kept to the rooms.

Rooms and suites

Mountain View Chalet
500 sq ftKing or twin bedsUp to 2BalconyHill view
About 500 sq ft, stand-alone with a private balcony facing the valley and mountains, king or twin beds, ceiling fans; 16 in all, for up to 2 guests.
Garden View Chalet
560 sq ftTerraceWater view
360 to 560 sq ft with a private terrace, set apart between a small lake and tea; built in pairs for families with children aged 12 and over; 4 in all.
Mountain View Villa, 2 bedrooms
2,000 sq ftBathtubKitchen
About 2,000 sq ft with a private infinity pool, a kitchen, air-conditioned bedrooms and a bathtub in the main bathroom.
Mountain View Villa, 3 bedrooms
2,500 sq ftBathtubKitchenButler
About 2,500 sq ft with a private infinity pool, a kitchen and 3 bathrooms with bathtubs; butler service when the whole villa is booked.

Dining

The Restaurant40 seats in a glass-walled room on the first floor of the main pavilion, looking over the Dumbara hills; breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Rasa HayaThe resort's cuisine, built on the 6 tastes of Ayurveda, with a meal plan set for each guest.
Surya ShalaPrivate candle-lit 5-course dinners, sundown cocktails and Sri Lankan cooking classes in the hilltop pavilion.
Lounge and barOn the ground floor of the main pavilion.

Wellness

Santani Spa3 levels set into the hillside, with a steam room, a cedar sauna looking to the Knuckles range, a thermal salt pool and 4 treatment rooms open to the paddy fields.
Ayurvedic therapies, among them Shirodhara and Takra Dhara, alongside western treatments such as hot-stone massage, scrubs and wraps.
Wellness programmes for sleep, stress and burnout, gut health and detox, longevity, women's wellbeing, mobility and strength, and yoga and meditation.
Daily sunrise and sunset yoga, with visiting masters teaching at set times in the Surya Shala pavilion.

Amenities

Pools and spa

16 m infinity lap poolSauna and steam roomThermal saltwater bath4 spa treatment rooms, 1 for couples

More dining

Restaurant for 40 on the first floor of the main pavilionOutdoor seating with a bonfire

Activities

Yoga pavilionsSurya Shala hilltop pavilionGuided hikes: Knuckles, Hanthana, Corbett's GapRiver walkBird watchingTea factory tourKandy city tour

Services

Media room with a 15-seat theatre and a computerWi-Fi in rooms on requestJewellery boutique (Sifani Jewellers)EV charging, 7 kW Type 2Tuk-tuk shuttle around the estate

Rooms

No televisionMosquito netsCoffee and tea-making facilitiesPersonal safeRain showerPrivate kitchen in the villas

Good to know

The chalets take no children under 12; children over 12 need their own room, as no extra beds are provided. The villas accept children.
Wellness packages need a minimum stay of 3 nights; 2 nights is the suggested minimum otherwise.
Phones, tablets and laptops are for use in the rooms only, not in the public areas.
About 1 hour by road from Kandy; the last 12 km runs from Teldeniya along the Werapitiya road. Helicopters land at Dunhinna, 15 minutes' drive away.
Rainy seasons run from September to December and from April to May; leech socks are provided for walks.