Santani Wellness Resort & Spa, Kandy, Sri Lanka

Where it is

The retreat occupies the Arantenna Estate, on a quiet hillside around an hour by road from Kandy, the old royal capital famous for the Temple of the Tooth. From Colombo airport, allow roughly four and a half hours by car, or take the two-hour train to Kandy and be met for the last leg.

Up here the air is cooler and the views run to tea terraces, waterfalls and forest, a real relief after the humid coast.

Chalets

Twenty chalets, most with a mountain view, nod to traditional Kandyan building but are made from lean modern materials: steel, recycled wood, concrete and glass. Inside there is little more than a big bed, a ceiling fan and the view, which is exactly the idea.

Spa, food and the rest

Everything revolves around the spa, open to the breeze on three levels: a cedarwood sauna, a steam room, a warm thermal pool and an open-air salt bath, all yours to use, with massages and Ayurvedic therapies overseen by an in-house doctor. Yoga and meditation are held in open pavilions overlooking the trees, and there is a pool for swimming.

Food is included, changes every day and draws on organic produce, with menus balanced across Ayurveda's six tastes; tailored plans are available if you are on a programme. Walks through the estate and neighbouring villages fill the gaps. Santani has been awarded a MICHELIN Key.

The moment

First light, with cloud lying in the valley beneath your windows and ridges surfacing one after another, then a yoga class with the forest as your backdrop. At the other end of the day, ease into the outdoor salt pool as dusk settles over the hills.

Why we chose it

Santani combines serious wellness with beautiful architecture and a landscape that does half the healing. It is calm, considered and never austere, ideal for travellers who want to reset rather than tick off sights.

Compare it with the forest spa of FORESTIS in the Dolomites, or continue south to the tea country of Thotalagala.

When to go

The resort is open all year. The hill country is driest from around December to April, which is also Sri Lanka's busiest season, peaking around Christmas and New Year. October and November tend to be the wettest months.

For quieter weeks, aim for late January to March, after the festive peak, or consider the shoulder months of May and September, when visitor numbers fall and the hills are lush, accepting some mist and showers.

The longer stay

Wellness takes time: five to seven nights lets a programme really work. Combine Santani with Kandy's temples, the hill-country railway to Ella, tea estates around Haputale and a few days on the coast for a three-week Sri Lankan journey.