Spread over 10 acres of naturally landscaped greenery, Sigiriya Jungles is an upmarket resort, tastefully designed by a renowned architect in the Audangawa Village, about 5 kms from the Sigiriya Rock Fortress.
The Hotel was built by Devindre Senaratne who is also, Chairman, Sigiriya Jungles. Talking about his vision for the tourism industry and its growth in Sri Lanka, he said; “Sri Lanka enjoys plenty of goodwill in our main tourism generating markets and is also sparking interest from new emerging markets, which bodes well for the industry. There has been an uptick in inbound tourists and we hope the government continues to leverage on these favourable factors to attract greater tourist numbers to the island.”
Sri Lanka’s tourism product is diverse, ranging from nature, wildlife, tea plantations, beaches to cultural sites and natural beauty, within a short distance of each other, which makes it such a unique destination. “I have great optimism for the tourism industry of Sri Lanka, which has emerged from the shadows after 30 years,” he says.
With Senaratne’s extensive experience in the travel and tourism trade of Sri Lanka for over three decades, he wanted to build a unique property. “My successful stints with a local hotel group and JourneyScapes, my experience in attracting business from tourism generating markets, and the level of interest in Sri Lanka, convinced me that the time was right for me to foray into my own venture. Decades of interacting with tourists and what they expect from their holiday in Sri Lanka has given me clear insights into the kind of tourism offering I needed to design. I also knew that I wanted to develop a unique niche offering, that would stand apart from the many hotels that dot the island.”
One of the main attributes of the resort is its central location being made accessible to the country’s cultural triangle which comprises, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya, Dambulla and Kandy. The strategically located resort offers guests the facility to embark on exciting cultural, religious or adventure excursions, facilitated by the hotel staff.
Talking about the features of the property, he said, “My wish was to do away with the abundance of concrete and long corridors which seem clinical and have become a common feature in most hotels, and to trade it for a seamless blend of indoors and outdoors, where guests could commune with nature. My brief to the eminent architect Vinod Jayasinghe was to create ‘living spaces’ and not a hotel as we know it. An exclusive design feature of the property is a large iconic wooden bridge which provides extraordinary vistas of the Sigiriya Rock and the Pidurangala Monastery, and also of the verdant environs. Sigiriya Jungles offers a matchless signature luxury experience.”
Sigiriya Jungles has 60 furnished rooms overlooking the Sigiriya Rock Fortress.
Despite its location in a tranquil environment, the resort offers plenty of opportunity for rest and recreation.
It has an outdoor pool, a spa and wellness centre and a fitness centre for pampering guests.
“We realize that operating in the heritage location of Sigiriya requires us to run our operations responsibly, which has inspired us to establish water treatment plants to recycle water, reverse osmosis plants for drinking water, sewage treatment plants, solar energy and the planting and nurturing of indigenous plants,” Senaratne adds.
Devindre Senaratne Chairman of Sigiriya Jungles has over 32 years of experience in the hospitality industry.