Overview

Whether you are a visitor or a Sri Lankan urbanite, a trip down south usually involves staying at a conventional beach hotel. Such hotels are all well and good, but sometimes it is refreshing to head inland to get away from the salt spray and sound of the surf and find an alternative type of accommodation with no sea views.
 
Two kilometers inland from Hikkaduwa town there is a little hideaway called the Nature Resort Hotel. At the end of a long drive-way through an avenue of cinnamon trees you arrive at a cleared natural parking lot where you leave your car. You then walk down a long wooden walkway set barely above the mangroves and glimpse wooden structures and water.
 
Placed amidst four and a half acres of cinnamon plantations and mangroves at the edge of the Hikkaduwa Lake, the Nature Resort is comprised of a reception cabin on stilts, a floating restaurant, three wattle-and-daub bungalows, and one water bungalow.
 
If you want a quick getaway from Colombo and an alternative down-south experience, the Nature Resort Hotel is the place to visit. There’s a lot to do, if you feel inclined, such as go on a river safari up the Maduwa River or a swim or snorkel at Hikkaduwa. Conversely, if you want to just chill out by the lake sipping fruit juice and pretend you are a drifter without a care in the world, that’s fine. The Nature Resort Hotel gives you a world of possibility as well as discovery . . .
 
Rooms
You will call yourself lucky enough to stay in the water bungalow, which is literally placed on the water opening directly out towards the lake. A deck/quay holds two comfortable armchairs. The wattle-and daub bungalows on terra firma amidst the mangroves have twin beds, fans and charming bathrooms. If a little dark they are certainly cool and blend into their surroundings effortlessly.
 
Dining
The Nature Resort is one of those rare places where everything is near perfect. Excellent food and drink, friendly service, and a fantastic location combine to make for a delightful experience. Exquisite blends of fresh fruit are used to produce juices that compel you to savour each sip. Each meal is a well prepared delight from breakfast to dinner with excellent and abundant choices. The highlight of a culinary experience is to take the pontoon out late one evening and sail it to the middle of the lake. There, in splendid isolation, you can dine on succulent lobster and crab and sail back for a dessert of banana fritters and ice-cream.
 
(Content Source : Travel Sri Lanka Magazine)
(Image Source   : hotellanka.lk)