Heritance Tea Factory Hotel in Nuwara Eliya Review

Nestled between tea plantations in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka, the Heritance Tea Factory Hotel beautifully stands 2000 metres above sea level. Its colonial heritage and five-star luxury make this grand hotel one of the highlights of our honeymoon.

We can see why this is voted as one of the best Nuwara Eliya hotels. We enjoyed a one-night stay in this luxury hotel during our three week adventures in Sri Lanka, in September 2023.

After the many things to do in Ella and our train journey from Ella to Nanu Oya, we took a ‘very wet and cold’ boat ride in Gregory Lake in Nuwara Eliya city centre (Sri Lanka’s ‘Little England’).

So you can imagine our longing for some comfort, rest and relaxation to see everything this luxury hotel offered.

Location

The Heritance Tea Factory Hotel is located in the hills of Nuwara Eliya. As we ascended into the hills, the fog surrounded us, adding an air of mystery to our journey.

It felt like we were leaving the world below us and welcomed into the colonial era, where the historical charm and time seemed to stand still.

The Heritance Tea Factory Hotel takes a while to get to, but this tea factory, transformed into one of the most luxury hotels, is in an exceptional location in the hill country.

Heritance Hotel Welcome

The Heritance Hotel’s warm welcome was a comforting embrace against the chill of the highlands.

A herb paste was carefully thumbed onto the centre of our heads, followed by a request to open our palms.

Sugar, cardamom pods, cumin, and fennel seeds were placed into our hands. We were instructed to put it in our mouths and savour the blend with a cup of tea.

It seemed peculiar, yet evidently a customary practice. Personally, I didn’t mind the experience, but Luke discreetly spat it out when unobserved!

Lobby

Mixing colonial-era machinery with modern comfort makes the lobby a treasure trove of historical tales from a bygone era.

The shift from an old tea factory to one of the best hotels in Nuwara Eliya is quite impressive; they have pulled it off effortlessly.

The history is well documented throughout the hotel, and you’ll want to explore at your own pace.

National Generator

One of the most impressive displays of history in the Heritance Hotel, is that of the National Generator.

Ensure you’re in the hotel lobby/basement area between 19:15 to 19:45 to observe the operational old national generator. It’s remarkable how they maintain this historical artefact for everyone to witness.

Plenty of noticeboards give you the history of this generator, which was originally manufactured in England.

Lift

The lift was an old-fashioned gate-style lift, with all the mechanics visible from the outside. There were stairs too!

Staff

The staff, all dressed in colonial clothing and were very polite at this award-winning hotel.

Each staff member, from the bell boy to the management, appears deeply proud to be part of this nice hotel, which adds to the unique charm.

Awards

In the lobby, they have a section where they proudly display their medals and certificates from all the great reviews they have received over the years.

Room

Our superior king room, number 209 was nicely decorated, with sweeping views of the tea estate framed by expansive windows.

The room boasted all the quintessential features of a 5-star hotel – a fridge, a safe and a TV.

A kettle with their factory tea blend, not tea bags but tea leaves for a real cup of ceylon tea in your room! We loved the early morning views whilst sitting in the window chairs with tea.

Room Service is available, but we did not use it.

The clean rooms had ample storage, a bath and a shower with toiletries included.

There are superior rooms or family rooms options. They are quite old-fashioned, but that is the beauty of this colonial-style grand hotel.

Wi-fi

The free wifi worked well in the room and throughout the hotel, allowing us to keep up to date with our work whilst we were away!

Goatfell Tea Bar

The Goatfell Tea Bar offers a unique experience, a bar based on the rich tea heritage.

Guests can delight in the diverse flavours of different teas.

Shop

You can also purchase tea, jams, and other goodies to take home.

Bar – Hethersett Bar

We visited the bar for some tasty food and drinks before dinner. The windows wrapped all the way around the bar, filling the room with stunning daylight and giving us beautiful views.

It was empty during the day, quiet and relaxed. But got busier in the evening.

They had a great selection of wines and other alcoholic beverages available to enjoy.

We settled for a bottle of white wine, which they kindly kept the leftovers chilled for us to enjoy with our dinner later that evening.

We also enjoyed some spring rolls to snack on.

Library

A winding staircase from the bar takes you up to the Library.

There are books you can borrow, more history about the Hethersett area, and beautiful views across the tea plantations.

Restaurant Kenmare

The on-site restaurant Kenmare was where we enjoyed our evening meal and a good breakfast.

The restaurant is large and beautifully designed using industrial parts from the tea factory.

Be aware that men must wear trousers when dining at the restaurant. They have sarongs that can be borrowed if you do not have any trousers.

Dinner

The candlelit buffet dinner was such an enjoyable evening.

With fabulous food choices from Head Chef Shanmu.

The diverse selection had something for everyone’s taste buds, making it a night where flavour was just as important as style.

The Head Waiter, Nuwan, had a lovely manner; his passionate service was much appreciated. A pianist serenaded the guests with beautiful tunes during dinner, adding elegance to the evening.

Breakfast

We also enjoyed the great breakfast, once again a fantastic spread, was available buffet style, from the very talented chef.

TCK 6685 Restaurant

Now, if you are celebrating a special occasion and want an exquisite meal to impress your loved one, you need to book this restaurant!

TCK 6685 promises a unique dining experience steeped in novelty and nostalgia.

Although we missed the unique dining experience aboard the train carriage just outside the hotel’s main restaurant.

We had the chance to look inside and snap photos of the 7-course menu, offering various options for each course! The train carriage gently sways and rocks, creating an authentic train experience.

We spoke with a couple at the Hertiance Hotel, where they savoured a birthday meal. They relished the dining experience and offered their glowing recommendation.

Spa

The Misty Mountain Spa appeared enchanting.

We did not experience the spa services, but the offerings held the allure of an enhanced experience, blending relaxation and rejuvenation seamlessly.

They had a few treatment rooms and a couples treatment room.

We got a photo of their spa services menu with the prices.

Gym

The fitness room, though small, was well-equipped for staying in shape. We didn’t use it during our stay.

Gardens

The hotel is situated on remarkable grounds, boasting stunning gardens that enticed us to explore further.

The grounds have a beautiful British garden feel to them. They even used old radiators to create a seating area.

However, our plans were abruptly interrupted as the rain poured down on us, ‘again’, creating an unexpected turn of events: umbrellas were offered!

We were disappointed not to see any wild buffalo or boar after seeing this warning!

Activities

There are a few activities to get involved in during your stay at the Heritance Tea Factory Hotel. Here is a picture of what they had on offer.

We enjoyed a game of pool. The nature trail sounded good, but the weather was not behaving for us!

Their unique tea experience involved heading to the tea fields for tea picking sounded amazing, and they also had tea tasting. They can help plan a visit to Horton Plains National Park, too.

Tea Factory Tour

During our stay at Heritance Tea Factory, we had the opportunity to explore the onsite tea factory.

Here, you can learn about the intricate process of crafting Ceylon tea.

It was interesting to learn how tea makes its way from tea plantations to the cup.

Exploring their processing methods, and understanding how they influence the creation of different tea varieties.

Conclusion Review of Heritance Tea Factory Hotel

In conclusion, the Heritance Tea Factory Hotel is not just a room for the night in a perfect location amongst the tea plantation. But a historical masterpiece, meticulously preserved like a museum.

A fantastic place to stay in Sri Lanka, with attentive staff members and machinery that dates back to the era of the Hethersett Tea Factory. It is easy to see why this colonial hotel is award-winning, a must-stay if you visit Sri Lanka.

Places to visit Nearby

The hotel’s convenient location is close to Nuwara Eliya town; a 30-minute drive got us to the city centre.

Check out our blog post about things to do in Nuwara Eliya!

Take a short walk around Victoria Park to see the beautiful plants, and send a postcard back home from the Nuwara Eliya Post Office. Look around the Central Market and enjoy lunch at another one of the nice hotels in Nuwara Eliya, The Grand Hotel (blog post coming soon).

We then got driven to our next destination, Kandy. (more coming soon!) We used and highly recommend Apple Vacations to arrange our transport and itinerary of places to go.

Along the route, we stopped at The Tea Shop to learn more about the tea-making process and had a lovely massage before arriving at our next hotel, Amaya Hills in Kandy.

Two and a half hours away by car, there are plenty of things to do in Ella, we went there before we came to the Heritance Tea Factory Hotel.

More Hotels in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka

This is the only hotel we stayed in, and we would gladly stay there again. But there are plenty of other options, from cheaper hotels or more central, walking distance to Nuwara Eliya city center.

Other Sri Lanka Hotels we Recommend

Explore more hotels in Sri Lanka we recommend, like the peaceful charm of 98 Acres Resort in Ella.

The wild allure of Cinnamon Wild, the perfect place to stay and combine with a Yala safari.

Or enjoy the all-inclusiveness of Hotel Riu Sri Lanka, all of which we enjoyed during our adventures in Sri Lanka.

We hope you enjoyed our review of the Heritance Tea Factory Hotel, and we will be back with more from our Sri Lankan adventures soon.

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