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By Rene Martel
Set picturesquely in the mountain vistas of the
Sri Lankan hill capital Kandy and nestled on the banks of the
tranquil Mahaweli River (which is to that lush and verdant country
what the Ganges is to India and the Yangtze is to China) is the
white walled and greenery rich Mahaweli Reach—its seductive
colonial chic setting beckoning guests to unwind at one’s own
pace.
The story of this breathtakingly beautiful
holiday is woven with hopeful determination and a sense of
adventure. When its founder, Atul Panabokke, a tea planter by
profession, embarked on this project in the early 1970s, few would
have believed his fledgling guest house venture as it was then would
blossom into five-star magnificence like it is now.
Starting off as something akin to a four-room
inn where guests were welcomed and give personal attention by the
convivial owner, his charming wife and three affable sons, the
enterprise has developed steadily. First upgraded to a 23-room hotel
and later to 50 rooms, it was finally renovated and repositioned as
it stands today as a 112-room luxury establishment.
The usual material comforts that one associates
with world class hotels are all intact at the Mahaweli Reach—but
augmented with delightful native touches.
Thus the rooms are distributed around a
large swimming pool which winds its way around mango and tamarind
trees, coconut palms, olive vines and a garden decked with flora of
gorgeous hues. And a fragrant spa offering Sri Lanka’s famously
soothing ayurvedic treatment is within wishing distance.
Even closeted in such sumptuous splendor, the
native aura is never too far away. On the river bank across the
locals can be spotted bathing (bashfully clad, we might add),
washing their clothes and even trying to hook something from the
river’s abundance of riches for lunch.
Should you desire to get up close and personal
with the local scene, a boat ride on the Mahaweli (with breakfast on
board as a delightful option) is there for the asking—as is a
candle-lit dinner under the stars with Kandyan dancers serving up
their own cultural fare.
But amid all this pandering, have no fear about
being cut off from the global village. A fully equipped business
center is available, should you so desire to break off from your
communion with nature, or even sybaritic musings, and connect to the
world outside.
Still managed by the Panabokke family, modern
hotel maintains its old world charm and hospitality—and sits in
comfortable juxtaposition with the ancient meandering river
alongside. And despite its growth, Mahaweli Reach retains that
intangible feeling of warm hospitality and service that comes from
the heart.
His sons, managing director Jayantha
director/general manager Mohan and executive Dihan have taken on the
paternal mantle and managed to combine the traditional and
modern—guided by their mother Dolly the current chairperson of the
company.
Incidentally, when the decision was made to
expand the hotel, Mom Dolly only consented on the strict condition
that not a single tree on the one hectare spread would be cut in the
cause of corporate progress.
Even at her venerable age, she is still
the official custodian of the garden and spends several morning a
week supervising the handful of gardeners in the hotel’s employ.
Her green-fingered finesse has in fact paid rich dividends, the
Mahaweli Reach garden notching up a major tourism industry
horticultural award.
In recent years the story of Mahaweli Reach has
taken yet another twist. The majority shareholding today is held by
the Maldivian entity Universal Group, which is yet another family
owned and managed company.
The synergies created by this strategic alliance
are considered especially beneficial as the Universal Group is one
of the largest hotel operators in that other Indian Ocean paradise
that is the Maldives.
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