Santani Wellness Resort & Spa

Except location , everything in this hotel is amazing and unforgettable. Service is great , Rooms have a magnificent views , Nature is all around , Serenity , quietness, Food , Hotel amenities ..... all are WOW Except location , which is 45 mins away from Kandy . To stay in this hotel you need to plan it in away that you stay the whole day in this hotel . all meals are prepared by a professional chief who makes your stay such an amazing one.

We spent 3 nights at the Santani Wellness Resort & Spa as part of our honeymoon and it was the most idyllic, peaceful, serene, stunning and relaxing stop we could have hoped for. In the stunning hills outside Kandy, the beauty, peace and quiet were a complete treat and breath-taking, the pool divine, and the food, spa, hospitality and care of all of those looking after us exceptional. Thank you so much and we couldn't recommend this highly enough.

At last, a luxury yoga retreat of flawless international standards. I've visited Santani twice since it opened last year and couldn't rate it higher. The rooms have the most spectacular views of the mountains, comfortable beds, amenities etc, staff are very efficient and professional. The spa has a good selection of Ayurvedic treatments and the on site doctor is easy to talk to and informative, with perfect English. The #1 highlight of my trip however was the food. I think it must be the most innovative and inspiring in Sri Lanka, using fresh local ingredients in a completely unique way. Even the healthier dishes unbelievably good. I tried the aerial yoga which was a memorable experience too. Thank you Santani for a fabulous stay.

This property is best for a specific type of traveler seeking tranquility and modest luxury. Being quite a trek from Kandy and perhaps more importantly the nature of this bucolic hotel, I recommend treating it as a destination and not a stop through. We stayed 4 days and would aim for a 5 nights 6 full day minimum on our next visit (should we be so lucky). Living in Hong Kong and thus in constant AC, this open air non air-conditioned property was such a respite. A nice benefit from the ventilation system was living with the sounds of nature while in a lovely but spare "villa". Waking up to birds and falling asleep to the humming of crickets and clicking of geckos was really splendid. The highlight of the trip was the people. Suresh in the dining hall elevated good service to Michelin level heights. His impressive attention to detail and emotional register made every meal feel specially tailored to me and my partner's preferences building on things he'd noticed about previous meal requests and even portions consumed. He, the chefs and management (Dr. Ravi, Manish and Mahesh) made my partner's birthday unforgettable. Now, for the food; it is simply exceptional. The chef and his staff are beyond talented. It is unfathomable how they cater specifically to every guests palate, dietary requirements and/or nutrition goals with a simple conversation just hours before the next meal. Everything was simply delicious and rivaled Michelin stared NYC or HK restaurants known for simple new American or contemporary French dishes. The pastry chef was particularly impressive with a phenomenal range of ability and technique demonstrated over just 4 days worth of extraordinary lunch and dinner dessert courses (modern, restrained and healthy takes on classic French or Sri Lankan dishes). I may go back simply for the special soup the head chef created to help cure my cold, the gluten free cheesecake or the warm ginger cake with coconut gelato. Not a bad bite during our entire stay. Then there was Rahul, the Sivananda trained yoga instructor with the lightest personality and warmest, unwavering smile. He would craft a hatha yoga class for a group of 2 to 8 people (during our stay) ranging from 20-70 years of age. Some people suffered from serious back problems or more severe medical ailments while another guest was a Spanish yoga instructor and yet another two were Aussie fitness junkies. Despite the challenging dynamics that come with the range of guests, Rahul never skipped a beat and managed to calm everyone's nerves and coerce my body into it's first successful (however short lived) scorpion pose. My partner was a yoga skeptic but our first morning back in HK he awoke glum and pined, "We'd be 15 minutes into yoga class right now. I miss Rahul." It was the best testament to Santani yet and I agreed. Note to management and future guests: On the website Santani calls for all electronic devices to be used only in guest rooms and our first two days there guests were respectful of this. However, on the last two every breakfast table had a cell phone perched on it and some fell into use. Yoga became an instagrammable photoshoot opportunity for a blogger, etc. While I'm not usually a strict enforcer of rules, I admit that I longed for the cell phone free space of the first two days of our stay that felt far more aligned with the spirit of Santani. Overall, I highly recommend Santani.

Santani was the home for the Barressential Luxury Retreat in July 2017. From the organisation aspect to the directions to get there to our warm reception - the team went out of there way to help us. Highlight of our stay was the food. A luxury retreat needs food that raises the bar and Chef Wajira's cuisine is the best in Sri Lanka. He managed to cater to all palates during the three course gourmet lunches and the five course dinner experience. Even the breakfast was splendid! Rooms were minimalist but the stunning views and sustainable architecture really added to the experience. Vistas of the Kandyan mountains + the gentle breeze that wafts within the room due to the way they are engineered was a real plus point. The spa facilities were excellent - Anil was a great masseuse. If it's unplugging, relaxing and restoring you're after - Santani definitely hits the spot. Thanks Vickum & team for a memorable stay!