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| Sunday, 26 January 2003 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Orient Hotel - stepping stone to adventure in Uva by BEVERLEY JANSZ Founded in the early 70s by the late Fred Perera, Orient Hotel, Bandarawela has been given an excitingly new face-lift, whilst retaining its elegance and charm.
Located 4,000 feet above sea level, overlooking the picturesque mountain range of Uva and central hills, Orient Hotel is considered not only a stepping stone to adventure in Sri Lanka's Uva Province, but a base to a host of tourist attractions. Foreign tourists and Sri Lankans use Orient Hotel to explore the many fascinating places of tourist interest, including the Ancient Rock Temple at Dowa built by King Walagambahu centuries ago, the Temples at Mahiyangana and Muthiyangana which bear a long Buddhist heritage and significance since these had been visited by the Buddha and are sacred places of historical importance to visit. There is also Uda Walawe National Park, Hakgala Gardens, Adishan Bungalow at Haputale, Ravana Falls, Bambarakanda water falls, the tallest in Sri Lanka, Uva Rebellion Battlefield at Keppitipola, Horton Plains and Demodera Railway Loop which is acclaimed as a masterpiece in railroad engineering. This star hotel is maintained at a very high standard by Rohan Perera, Chairman-Managing Director, who is the son of the late Fred Perera, the founder of Orient Hotel. He has struck a viable combination with his General Manager, Rewatha Hettiarachchi, a veteran who has undergone training in the Swiss Hotel Management School, Les Roches in Switzerland. V. Hettiarachchi is a maestro in the hospitality industry,having worked in the Palace Hotel, Luzern, Switzerland, Sheraton Hotel in Bahrain, and also in Oman and Singapore. He has been the live wire not only in promoting tourism in the Uva Province but also in maintaining a healthy occupancy at Orient Hotel. Built in the hub of the Uva Province, the hotel has become the adventurers' paradise because of its central location and midway on route to Yala Wildlife Sanctuary and even to Kandy. Orient Hotel which opened in 1971 as a guest house with a few rooms, has developed into a star class hotel today with fifty guest rooms offering all modern facilities to the discerning travellers. Guest rooms are equipped with hot/cold water, TV, telephone, mini bar, and a 24-hour room service. The unique feature of this hotel is the provision of Night Club entertainment and the Karaoke Lounge Bar. According to Hettiarachchi, Orient is the only hotel in the Uva Province offering such facilities. With a well trained personnel cadre of 48, which includes excellent and efficient chefs, each and every guest is treated as a VIP. The restaurant, with a beautiful interior decor, offers a fabulous spread of delicious Western, Eastern and International cuisine along with exquisite ethnic dishes. A warm and courteous reception, excellent management and customer satisfaction have won the praise of many a local and overseas visitor. A perusal of the Visitors' Book at Orient Hotel would bear ample testimony to this fact. ############## CHC Nivahana Holiday Resort opens in Nuwara Eliya
Ranasinghe's vision became a reality when the doors of Nivahana Holiday Resort opened in Nuwara Eliya last month. The property is the former holiday bungalow of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. Now renamed CHC Nivahana Holiday Resort, it is located in the scenic surroundings on the Udapussellawa road, just walking distance from Nuwara Eliya town. Senior Manager Marketing/ Travel, Ceylon Hotels Corporation, Ranjith Balasuriya and his marketing team is all out to popularise this resort not only among Sri Lankans, but foreign tourists too before the April tourist season in Nuwara-Eliya. (BJ) ############## 'All Sri Lankan' at Taj Samudra's 'Friday night' Looking for a delicious spicy Sri Lankan meal? Then keep a date with Taj Samudra on Friday night. The 'Ports' Coffee Shop of the Taj Samudra Hotel offers its guests a wide spread of delicious and spicy Sri Lankan cuisine every Friday night at the 'Sri Lankan' night. The buffet includes the traditional manioc, 'Batala' del (Bread fruit) country style vegetables and dhall soup, red rice, yellow rice, fish Ambulthial, crab curry with murrunga leaves, dambala tempered, reddish curry, pumpkin mustard curry, raw mango curry, 'Keselmuwa Ambula' snakegourd curry and breadfruit curry. The special feature at the 'Sri Lanka Night' is the 'Action Station' offering hoppers and Koththu Rotti. 'Mellun', 'Kavun', 'Kokis' and may more, together with the hot Lankan curries. Sri Lankan music by a live band add flavour to the "Sri Lankan Night". Having been with Taj Samudra for quite a spell, Indian Executive Chef. K. Natarajan, with his Sri Lankan chefs comes out with his Friday speciality with a variety of Sri Lankan dishes. (bj) ############## Biriyani Festival with Indian dancer at Oberoi The popular Biriyani Festival at The Lanka Oberoi is on once again. Biriyani - that all time favourite flavoursome feast. A heavenly match of fragrant rice with various ingredients especially meats (of which lamb is a favourite). Through the years this exotic dish has evolved resulting in a myriad of mouthwatering variations which include Kashmiri Yakni Pullao (an aromatic combination of lamb,rice, almonds, walnuts and apricots with a variety of spices), Malabari Prawn Biriyani (spicy and flavourful pawn and boiled rice variation), Nizami Tarkari Biriyani (garden-fresh vegetables cooked with aromatic basmati rice) and many others ranging from vegetarian to seafood to meat based. An endless array of authentic and aromatic Biriyani from all over India, along with just the right accompaniments and delicious desserts to compliment it all in the form of a sumptuous dinner buffet will be held from the January 31 to February 9. at The Indian Restaurant of The Lanka Oberoi. To add to the atmosphere, a classical dance sequence, traditional to India and popularized the world over, will be performed during dinner on January 31, and February 1, 7 and 8. 'www.kandyhotels.com' to promote tourism in Kandy The Kandy Hoteliers Association together with Enspire Solutions has floated a website to enhance the tourist potential in the hill country, President of the association Asela Pethiyagoda said. This site 'www.kandyhotels.com' contains information pertaining to Kandy, its historical sites, adventure and eco sites and also gives information on the weather, pageants etc. Pethiyagoda said. The site is very comprehensive and knowledgeable from which prospective tourists from any country can get all necessary information on the hill country. This has been done by Kandy Hoteliers Association and the website can now be viewed by logging in on the address given. The Kandy Hoteliers Association hopes to enhance facilities for the potential client by providing them direct access to the respective hotels. Facilities of the site will be upgraded for a client to book hotels directly, get information etc. and is to be further developed for tourists paying through credit cards, to do so directly to the hotel, from their destinations. This facility would also be open to Sri Lankan guests visiting Kandy as well, Pethiyagoda said. |
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News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
Since veteran hotelier, Bodhisiri Ranasinghe assumed duties as the new
Chairman of the Ceylon Hotels Corporation, his vision was to offer Sri
Lankans an affordable holiday in Nuwara Eliya, considered to be Sri
Lanka's number one tourist attraction.
