Lakmal Perera

Saunter Paradise Hotel (Pvt) Ltd. in Sigiriya has recently undergone a refurbishment with an investment of Rs. 150 million, where older versions of their individual ‘cottages’ received a facelift amongst other additions. Located in close proximity to the Habarana Railway Station, the resort is situated on a land spanning over five acres of greenery.

The hotel extensively concentrates on preserving its surrounding environment and is fully nature-conscious towards the aim of further working on bringing innovation to their services without harming the natural surroundings.

“We receive a following of German and British tourists to the area. Our eco-friendly concept with the added comfort, relaxation and great food plus A’ la carte prepared by our Chef Lalith leave a memorable mark in our guests’ holidays. To attract our clientele, we deal with over 100 travel agents which includes Aitken Spence, Xpedia, Agoda, Jetwing, Walkers and LSR to name a few. We initially commenced refurbishment activities in April this year with the focus of further beautifying and expanding our offerings to our guests.

We would place ourselves as a hotel in the 4-Star class category and our aim is to go up a notch in the class system,” General Manager, Lakmal Perera said.

Saunter Paradise has also installed a Water and Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) where water would be purified and reused mainly for showering and kitchen washing purposes. From the new cottages or ‘chalets’ that have been completed, two suites have been designed especially to cater to people with differently-abled capacities.

“The entire span of land is dotted with different plant and tree species such as nelli, cashew and mango. One tree in particular was getting in the way of construction but we did not want to get rid of it, so we designed another chalet to be built engulfing the tree, in order to retain the tree in its surroundings,” Perera said.

With the chalets having received a facelift, the hotel had also implemented the Torres System for the handling of bookings and other IT related exercises.

The refurbishment commenced on April this year and having been completed recently, the hotel continues to focus on providing guests with a comfortable, healthy and eco-friendly stay.

The hotel is located in close proximity to Sigiriya and is accessible to Anuradhapura, Dambulla, Polonnaruwa, Avukana and Minneriya.

The Kaudulla National Park is also another wildlife spot which sees a keen number of safari enthusiasts. Elephant and bullock herds can be approached and witnessed grazing and bathing in reservoirs.