To move, to breathe, to fly, to float,
To gain all while you give,
To roam the roads of lands remote,
To travel is to live.

Imagine this. You go on holiday to Sri Lanka. It’s your last three days in a country that is known for its beautiful oceanside and wild surfing spots. You can choose between long white beaches with crushing waves or a peaceful lake surrounded by nothing but nature. You take the road less traveled and opt for the latter. The taxi driver gets lost and eventually ends up on a dirt road that doesn’t fit more that one car. You see rice fields and hear monkeys. Every now and then you pass little colorful huts and you wonder if people appreciate the immense beauty of nature surrounding them. And then after not even 10 min you suddenly stand in front of the gate of the Tri hotel.  The moment you enter the property you understand that you have arrived at a little slice of heaven on earth.

Where: Koggala Lake, near Galle, Sri Lanka
Stayed at: Tri Hotel – Koggala Lake, Aladuwa Watte, Pelassa, Thitthagalle, Ahangama 80650, Sri Lanka
When: Beginning of January at 29-31°C/84-88°F
Why: A sustainable luxury hotel with a focus on well-being surrounded by a beautiful lake and awe-inspiring jungle-like nature. For travelers who seek a peaceful space away from the hustle and bustle of Sri Lanka’s beaches. Tri is a boutique hotel that offers an inspiring setting for body, mind and soul. Delicious dining, yoga courses and spa treatments are just a few of Tri’s many perks.

Heaven on Earth in Sri Lanka – Tri Hotel Review

Food

Sri Lankan cuisine is a lot about curries. And an endless supply of  fresh exotic fruits. So after eating lots of delicious and various kinds of curries for one week, you wonder if the local culinary scene has more to offer than this. And then you arrive at Tri. All rooms rates are on half board basis so you will have enough opportunity to taste-test Tri’s contemporary Sri Lankan classics.

The menu is probably one of the most inventive I’ve ever seen in a hotel. It changed daily, both for breakfast and dinner. The dinner menu alone serves 7 courses made mostly with ingredients from Tri’s own garden. For breakfast I absolutely loved the bowl with fresh fruits, buffalo curd ice cream and granola. The restaurant itself feels like an open space (though there is a concrete roof) and is situated right next to the infinity pool with sublime views of the Koggala Lake.

Rooms

If it was up to me I could have spent all three days of our stay at Tri in our villa. Tri’s main hub is the water tower in the middle of the property which houses three rooms and a wonderful sunset/sunrise terrace. The other suites and bedrooms, all in a form of villas, spiral around the curve facing the Koggala Lake. We stayed at a Lake Villa with a private pool and like all villas at Tri, it came with a breathtaking view of the lake. Every morning I would get up before sunrise and listen to nature slowly waking up. To a concert of hundreds of birds, some monkeys and peacocks, you could also watch the local fishermen doing their morning business. The villas are very private – lush greenery shades from the views of fellow guest.

Hotel & Location

The main reasons why I loved our stay at Tri so much are simple. Away from the hyped (yet beautiful) beachside, Tri taps into a world of peaceful nature, slow living and a focus on well being. For some it might sound counterintuitive to stay at a hotel facing a lake (in which you can’t swim) when the beach is just 15 min away. But realising that this part of Sri Lanka is the country’s real beauty doesn’t take you long. Just like appreciating the exclusivity of the location. Only 30 min away from busy Galle yet at times all you can hear is your inner voice (and the peacocks).

Rub Drummond, the founder of Tri perfectly summed it up in an interview with Condé Nast Traveller: “[..] I believe that if you have something special, and do something special with it, then there is an impossible-to-calculate premium.“

And so Tri lives in complete harmony with nature and an hotel environment so perfectly designed that it’s hard to put a price tag on it. It’s beyond eco-friendly with living walls, recycled woods, solar panels, lush garden roofs and everything local. From the ingredients in the kitchen to the cinnamon sticks that were used as building material. Guest have access to a glass-walled library located in between bamboo plants where they can read up on local wildlife. Just above the library, there is a yoga pavilion where Lara, co-owner of Tri and founder of Quantum Yoga, teaches beginners to advanced the healing power of yoga a few times per week. And just next door spa treatments and steam rooms help you to relax even more. And make this a stay you’ll never forget.

Downside

There is not much I could suggest to improve at Tri. However as everywhere in Sri Lanka service can be slow sometimes. In general I really enjoyed taking more time to eat during breakfast and dinner, however ordering a drink on a sunny day could take a little less time.