Santani Wellness Kandy

My husband and I stayed in the Mountain View Chalet at Santani for one night during our journey from Ella to Colombo. In hindsight, I would strongly recommend at least two nights—three if you have the time—to fully experience what Santani has to offer. Kandy was our penultimate stop during our 10-night Sri Lanka itinerary, and Santani promised the perfect respite we needed at this stage. While the setting and aesthetic were truly breathtaking, our experience was marred by a series of frustrating inconsistencies and service failures. Unfortunately, our 06:37 am train from Ella was cancelled, forcing us onto a later train, which delayed our schedule and caused us to miss the lunch service at Santani. Although we provided a heads-up about our ETA, we were informed that only sandwiches and fruit could be offered for lunch upon arrival. I pleaded for a hot meal after a 6-hour journey but was met with a firm no. While I understand the need for structure around meal times, the lack of flexibility felt unnecessarily rigid, especially given that lunch was included in our package. It was a bitter start to an otherwise promising stay. For each meal, we were offered two menu options: Western or Sri Lankan. A chef consultation was arranged to tailor the menu to our dietary requirements—my husband is gluten-free and does not eat red meat. The concept of personalisation sounded wonderful in theory, but the delivery fell far short. At dinner, the meals differed from what we discussed earlier, and when we questioned this, we were told certain items contained gluten. My husband’s dessert, for example, was swapped from Sri Lankan pancakes to a makeshift fruit salad—hardly the bespoke experience promised. At breakfast, they served granola containing gluten and suggested my husband “just eat a little,” as if his dietary restriction were a mere preference. This was not only disappointing but also felt deeply unprofessional. Additionally, previously requested items like a Sri Lankan omelette and mixed fruit smoothie were either forgotten or met with bizarre responses like “eat this first, and we’ll bring another.” The grounds and chalet were stunning, and the views from our Mountain View Chalet, for which we paid an additional $40 upgrade, were well worth it. The serenity and natural beauty are Santani’s greatest strengths. We also had 90-minute Ayurvedic treatments, which were very relaxing. However, there was inconsistency here too—my husband received the promised consultation with the doctor before his treatment, while mine skipped the consultation entirely. The lack of uniformity was frustrating and detracted from the wellness experience. Finally, as we were checking out at 12 noon and couldn’t stay for lunch (which begins at 12), we requested a packed meal. I specifically asked for a salad alongside my sandwich, but we were instead given fruit—again, an instance of Santani failing to meet basic expectations. Individually, these lapses in service might not see

Luxury is an understatement beyond words. The tranquility, the landscape , the peace , overwhelmed me with so much joy. The staff were so kind, the food was made with so much love. Massages were incredible. Can’t recommend this place enough, worth every penny

Santani, what can we say. We felt well and truly looked after and we will absolutely be back. The surroundings are breathtaking, the food completely unique, and every day something new. We went for all inclusive, with drinks, and it was worth every penny - our glasses were never empty, and the wine and cocktails were some of the best we had our whole trip (big shout out to Santani’s bar staff who could really smash an Arrack Sour). We tried the sunrise and sunset yoga, which was varied and good for all levels, and with the background noise of the jungle it’s really something special. The spa looks out to the forest and lake - like something out of a magazine. The team couldn’t do enough for us, always on hand to answer questions, bring drinks and snacks to the pool, make sure your meal met every dietary requirement and was different and varied every day. We want to say a huge thanks to everyone - this was our favourite spot on our honeymoon. A special mention to Shashi for looking after us and recommending places to visit for the next stop on our trip. Thank you.