AMAARA FOREST : Luxury knotted with wild

GM Ravi Perera Ahintha Amerasinghe Executive Chef Chandrasiri and his teamworld’, Sigiriya Rock, is the major allure destination in Sri Lanka, as it has all adventurous, cultural and historical magnetism together. Sigiriya and Pidurangala, the double attraction of the ancient kingdom, never experienced a dull moment even with the lowest ever foreign tourist arrival recorded in the country. Since lately, the Sri Lankan travellers to this great heritage have doubled in number due to educational and knowledge expansion of the local community. The last holiday season in December saw the unbelievable tourist inflow of both foreign and Sri Lankan to these attractions. Located in a rural forest village of Indigahawewa off Sigiriya – Habarana main road on 21 acres of natural landscape, Amaara Forest Hotel celebrated its third anniversary on 3rd of December. Built with environmentally friendly methods to preserve the natural environment surrounding it, Amaara Forest is located in a dense jungle that gives guests a close connection with nature. The hotel only occupying 11 acres of the land, the rest is a thick forest that signifies the hotel’s overall theme of ‘nature’. Owned and managed by veteran hotelier and travel consultant Ahintha Amerasinghe, Amaara Forest Hotel, is the second resort in the Amaara Hotels portfolio. Spread over eleven acres, it comprises 44 very generously proportioned luxury rooms with all en-suite bathrooms with all modern amenities in line with their eco-friendly theme. While some of the rooms overlook the pool and forest beyond, the others are amidst the shrubs and trees giving visitors an authentic experience of living amongst nature.

‘Out of 44 rooms, 24 are king size double bedded spacious rooms and the rest are twin bedded large rooms equipped with all modern conveniences including a flat-screen TV with satellite channels, DVD player, tea/coffee making facilities and free Wifi’ said Ravi Perera, the General Manager of Amaara Forest.

The culinary is an experience at Amaara Forest. It offers meals of ‘any sort, at any time, at the convenience of the guest. The main open air restaurant is called ‘Kaya’, offers yet another great view of the surrounding landscape. It offers a great selection of wholesome and tasty both Eastern and Western cuisine for breakfast and dinner and lunch is usually an a la carte affair as most guests are out on excursions.

‘We are ready to fulfill any culinary requirement of the guests, but we are specialised in Sri Lankan cuisine’ said the Executive Chef Sunil Chandrasiri.

The air conditioned fine dining restaurant ‘Thimbilri’ overlooking the pool serves French, Continental and Italian cuisine.

For those who wish to dine under the stars the ‘Maadang Forest restaurant’ is in an ideal setting under a small canopy of trees at the periphery of the property by the Sigiri Oya which snakes through the property. Kumbuk Bar and Illuk pool bar are popular attractions amongst the guests during the sun down time, which offer a variety of cocktails and mocktails.

Tree Top Restaurant is truly a unique dining experience that every guest must experience. Tree Top Restaurant can accommodate about 20 pax and is secluded, with muted lighting, a gentle breeze and offer the novelty of dining on a tree. The Tree Top is not just a dining restaurant but also a location for a variety of events like morning yoga, small parties and even business meetings. They also have a Honeymoon Deck by the river that offers a private BBQ affair with champagne and music.

‘Amaara Forest is designed in such a way that it can offer so much for those seeing a family vacation while also being secluded enough for those who are seeking a romantic getaway. This is a honeymooner’s paradise’ said GM Ravi.

Apart from the traditional Araliya Spa with inhouse doctor, Amaara has the best state-of-theart Conference Hall and Meeting Rooms in the Cultural Triangle with all modern amenities. ‘Milla’ conference room makes Amaara Forest an ideal location to hold corporate events too.

The Amaara Forest Hotel is built on an elephant roaming forest between the Minneriya and Sigiriya National Parks, approximately five kms away from the historical Sigiriya Rock Fortress and Pidurangala.

Apart from the national parks, excursions to Sigiriya and Dambulla, Pidurangala rock climbing, village trails and trekking are popular with the guests to the hotel.

‘As the hotel is centrally located in the Cultural Triangle, travel to Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kandy or even to Trinco is possible within two to three hours. The hotel has two safari jeeps which can be hired for excursions’ added Ravi.

There is a network of cycling and walking paths which can be used by those who wish to explore the area which is teeming with birdlife. Both adults and children’s bikes are available for those who wish to explore further.