Dream Cliff Mountain Resort
Haputale, near Ella
When many of us imagine our ideal holiday escape, it includes being wrapped in a blanket of calm a million miles away from the stress-inducing energy of our rushed daily lives. Add in picture-perfect views and tasty Sri Lankan breakfasts and you’ve got the Dream Cliff Mountain Resort in a nutshell. This hidden gem offers excellent value and a warm welcome amid some of the country’s most breathtaking surroundings.
Hop off the Tea Train a stop before Ella and wend your way deep into Tea Country’s fragrant hills to hunker down in cosy beehive-shaped bungalows. If you’re feeling adventurous, hike out into the forest to peer through the Bergala Gap towards the coastline 1,000 ft below. Explore tea plantations and temples, swim in secluded waterfalls, and even zipline over the treetops for the ultimate adrenaline rush. Return to the resort to relax by the pool or sit on your balcony, cuppa in hand, gazing out at the hilltops poking through the mists, and imagine you’re floating above the clouds.
Location
High in the hills of Tea Country, at lesser-visited Haputale, this secluded resort is one stop before Ella on the Tea Train from Kandy, and well-linked by road to Uda Wallawe National Park and the south coast.
A little more detail
Tea picking & plantation hiking
Zipline and mountain bikes
Infinity pool
Waterfall swimming
From a client…
We were worried how it was going to be as we seemed to be heading into the middle of nowhere, but when you get through the gates it's like a little haven of loveliness.
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Why we love it
Discover what to expect from staying at Dream Cliff Mountain Resort
Relaxation X-factor
Whatever the elusive X-factor is, The Dream Cliff Resort has it. It’s not the most luxurious or spectacular resort you’ll ever visit, and some of the options aren’t as extensive as higher-end offerings, but the combination of the views, the journey there, and the enveloping welcome of those cosy beehive cabanas makes our shoulders instantly lower and allows us to breathe that little bit deeper. It’s a proper relaxing retreat. You don’t feel like you’re on show, or trying to live up to a glossy magazine illusion; this is the real deal.
The romance of the journey
Despite seeming to be in the middle of nowhere, the Dream Cliff Resort is well connected to other parts of Sri Lanka. Whether you make the full journey by road, or take the iconic Tea Train and hop off a stop before many of your fellow passengers to enigmatically disappear into the hills as they wend their way onwards to Ella, the journey to the resort is packed with old school adventure and a hint of the romance of venturing off the well-trodden path. This comes to a crescendo when you look out at those unbeatable mountain views from the hotel terrace.
What can you do there?
Take a journey on the iconic Tea Train to get to the resort, hike into the surrounding forests and tea plantations (even helping to pick the tea leaves if you wish), and whiz over the trees on a zipline. Enjoy traditional Sri Lankan dishes, including the traditionally abundant breakfasts, on the terrace overlooking some of the most extraordinary scenery the country has to offer. Relax by the infinity pool, soak up the tranquillity, go swimming at nearby waterfalls, and explore ancient temples.
