Five-star Nuwara Eliya, Nuwara Eliya
The Grand Hotel
The Governor of Ceylon's holiday house of 1828, a hotel since 1891, now 154 Edwardian-style rooms, an indoor pool and high tea on the verandah.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.
- Rooms
- 154, including 11 suites
- Built
- 1828, as Barnes Hall
- A hotel since
- 1891
- From the airport
- About five hours by road from Colombo (our estimate)
The hotel
The governor's house in the hills.
Sir Edward Barnes, Governor of Ceylon from 1824 to 1831, built himself a holiday bungalow in the hills in 1828. It was known as Barnes Hall. After he left the island it passed to his successor, and in 1891 the Nuwara Eliya Hotels Company opened it as the Grand Hotel, buying the property outright a year later.
The railway reached Nanu Oya in 1903, and in 1904 a second floor went onto the main building and the Northern Wing. The mock Tudor upper storey came in the 1930s. A new management took over in 1987, and the hotel is now Sri Lanka's first certified heritage property.
- High tea English-style tea with Sri Lankan touches on The Grand Verandah, or a Royal High Tea with champagne.
- The Grand Spa Massages, facials and hydrotherapy, with a sauna, a gym and an indoor pool.
- Billiards and snooker The Public Bar & Snooker Room pours vintage cocktails between frames of snooker and billiards.
Rooms & suites
Edwardian rooms, five kinds of suite.
Most of the 154 rooms are Deluxe Rooms in Edwardian style. The suites are named, and the largest have two bedrooms.
- Room Deluxe Room About 37 square metres, with king, twin, triple or family layouts.
- Suite Queen Elizabeth Suite About 77 square metres, with a living area looking over the hills.
- Two bedrooms Presidential Suite About 117 square metres, two bedrooms and a living room with a fireplace.
- Largest Gregory's Suite About 141 square metres, with two en-suite bedrooms and a living area.
Dining
Ten places to eat and drink.
Venues as listed by the hotel. Shown for information.
- Barnes Hall Buffet Teppanyaki, Middle Eastern grills, European and Sri Lankan dishes
- The Grand Indian North Indian Curries, tandoori and biryani
- The Grand Thai Thai Herbs from the hotel's organic garden
- Garden Room Tasting menu Five courses
- Magnolia All day Wood-fired pizza, burgers and steaks, open 24 hours
- The Library Bar Cocktails and spirits One of four bars
Good to know
Before you go.
- Children Welcome. There are indoor and outdoor play areas and a babysitting service.
- By helicopter Helicopters from Colombo land at the racecourse, about 500 metres from the hotel, after a flight of 50 to 60 minutes.
- By train Nanu Oya station, on the hill-country line, is about 10 kilometres away.
Getting there
Flying to Nuwara Eliya.
Bandaranaike International at Colombo is the nearest airport for scheduled flights and private jets. Nuwara Eliya is about 175 kilometres from Colombo by road, roughly five hours by car from the airport, our estimate. The hotel notes that helicopters from Colombo can land at the racecourse, about 500 metres away.
- Malé 1 h 20
- Mumbai 2 h 20
- Bangkok 3 h 30
- Singapore 3 h 55
- Dubai 4 h 40
Questions
What guests ask first.
- How old is the Grand Hotel in Nuwara Eliya?
- The house was built in 1828 for Sir Edward Barnes, Governor of Ceylon, and has been a hotel since 1891.
- Does the Grand Hotel have a pool?
- Yes, an indoor pool, open from 8 am to 9 pm, alongside the spa, sauna and gym.
- Can I fly by helicopter to Nuwara Eliya?
- The hotel says helicopters from Colombo land at the racecourse, about 500 metres away, in 50 to 60 minutes.
- Can SkyCourtage arrange the flight to Nuwara Eliya?
- Yes. We arrange Business and First Class seats on scheduled airlines and private jet charter to Nuwara Eliya, with one final price, our margin included. The hotel is booked with the hotel or through our booking partner.
Also in Nuwara Eliya
Other hotels worth the trip.
- Araliya Green City One hundred and ninety-two rooms close to the town, some of them apartment-style suites for longer family stays.
-
Ceylon Tea Trails Three MICHELIN Keys for twenty-one rooms in four planters' bungalows, with every meal and drink included.
- Araliya Green Hills A modern hotel by Victoria Park, with a fifth-floor bar looking over the town.
Staying at The Grand Hotel?
Book the room, then the flight.
Rates and availability come from the hotel itself. For the journey to Nuwara Eliya, a Business or First Class seat or an aircraft of your own: tell us the date and we come back with one final price, our margin included.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.