South and Central Sri Lanka have been listed among the best places to visit in Asia in 2024.
According to the luxury travel magazine, Condé Nast Traveller, Sri Lanka is emerging phoenix-like from the economic crisis and responding with a new food festival, wellness-oriented retreats and a hiking trail that snakes through 300 kilometres of hill country and centuries of history.
Further describing Sri Lanka, Condé Nast Traveller says rising from economic uncertainty, Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is in the midst of a luxury and wellness boom – from its tea-filled highlands to its palm-fringed shores.
In the south of the country, new luxury resorts continue to entice. Among them are, Kayaam House and Ahu Bay by homegrown luxury travel specialist Resplendent Ceylon; a Hilton resort next to the Indian Ocean-bordering Yala National Park, one of the best places to spot Sri Lanka’s elusive leopards; and the art deco-inspired The Charleston, which opens in December in the UNESCO-listed Galle Fort.
The already established Kalukanda House – a colonial villa in surf town Weligama by British-Sri Lankan interior designer Dee Gibson – is making its mark with retreats centred on female empowerment, with yoga, breathwork, reiki and Ayurveda included.
A comprehensive renovation of the nine-room Meraki, which employs local women and offers yoga, holistic treatments, island-sourced vegetarian fare and artisanal crafts in the Polhena Beach district of Matara, is set to be unveiled in early 2024; and luxury fitness getaway Makahiya is gearing up to launch its own brand of bespoke retreats.
In January, the Galle Literary Festival will return after a five-year hiatus, with appearances by literary figures such as Shehan Karunatilaka and Alexander McCall Smith, while Gourmet Galle, the country’s new food festival, will spotlight 12 chefs in 12 venues, ranging from beaches to paddy fields, over a 12-week period from January to March.
Inland, development of the Pekoe Trail, a new 300km network of hiking routes that snakes its way through Sri Lanka’s highlands, continues. Traversing historic tea plantations, colonial estates, local villages, holy shrines, and forests brimming with biodiversity, it’s a novel way to experience Sri Lanka’s lush hill country, particularly when paired with stays at boutique properties such as W15 Hanthana, the luxurious Goatfell, or the Kelburne Estate, scheduled to open in December 2024.
According to Condé Nast Traveller, its list of the 11 best places to visit in Asia in 2024, entirely informed by contributing writers spread across the world, is packed full of reasons to head east next year.
Source : NEWSWIRE
