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| Sunday, 29 June 2003 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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St. Andrew's A mansion in the hill country by Beverley Jansz St. Andrew's Hotel, Nuwara Eliya which began as a 19th century Tea Planter's Clubhouse, turned a new lease of life when Jetwing Group became its owners in 1987. Since then, the hotel shares a distinctive character and charm with the other 15 star hotels of the Jetwing family.
St. Andrew's is majestically located on a pastoral landscape, flourishing in fauna and flora, surrounded by doxwood, in a charmingly laid out summer garden, overlooking the age old Golf Course. The six-acre property on which the hotel stands, has been beautifully landscaped to resemble a botanical garden. It won no loss than 36 awards at the 'April Bloom 03' held in Nuwara Eliya recently. Added to the 'Champagne Style' relaxation, the staff at St. Andrew's, from the humble bell boy to the genial GM S. Ravindra upto the time of check-out, is warm and genuine. The hotel has 52 deluxe rooms including suites and family rooms which are equipped with a comfortable lounge with deep retiring settees and armchairs. Jetwing has refurbished 28 rooms recently and are in the process of refurbishing the other 24 rooms Ravindra said. The hotel benefits from cuddling climate with delightful invigorating days and cool nights. The hotel is ideally situated for day trips to the crisp beauty of the hill country, such as World's End, Horton Plains, Baker's Falls and other places of tourist attraction in and around Nuwara Eliya. The charming Hakgala Botanical Gardens and the Hakgala Arboretum, are only eight kilometres from the hotel. The wood-panelled Billiard Room with its antique billiard table which is over 117 years old, is probably the oldest and best preserved of its kind in Sri Lanka.The bedrooms at St. Andrew's have always won praise for their blissful comfort. The rooms in the old wing are furnished in country-house style with lots of chintzy fabrics and pastel shades. The rooms in the new wins have unique furniture like four-poster beds as well as a bright cheerful atmosphere. When GM Ravindra took me around the rear of the hotel, I was amazed to see the variety of vegetables grown by the staff of the hotel. These fresh vegetable are offered to guests. Another unique feature is that members of the staff have their own vegetable plots and they maintain them. Part of the profits of the sale of these vegetables are distributed amongst the staff. During the April tourist season in Nuwara Eliya, rose plants from the hotel's nursery are sold to guests. The hotel offers a host of nature-related activities, including a walk in the cloud forest with horned lizards and flycatchers. In contrast to the soulless ambience of many modern hotels, guests feel at home in the stately upto date style of St. Andrew's Hotel. St. Andrew's is a Jetwing hotel. ####### A new experience at Golden Dragon Golden Dragon The Chinese speciality restaurant at Taj Samudra re-awakened last week, with a grand Dragon festival. The festival will go on till June 25. Chinese Ambassador Sun Guoxiang officially inaugurated the festival, held at the Taj Samudra. The Golden dragon is all geared up for a new reign. There is a new chef flown in from mainland China namely Chef Peter Zhu Lin Quin. He has a wide range of experience working in many International Hotel chains since 1990. He specializes in Cant onese, Schizuan and Hunan food with Dim sums also being his speciality. He is an expert with seafood and his dishes are very creative and innovative. Based on his expertise and creativity a new menu has been designed which is exclusive in its true sense. This will undoubtedly make Taj Samudra's Golden Dragon, the first choice for premier authentic Chinese Food.The entrance to the Golden Dragon is through a cave in the shape of a Dragon mouth. A large Dragon Kite has been placed on the roof of the Hotel to give the feel of the Dragon. Pennants have been placed along the Galle Road leading to the Hotel. So the Dragon re-awakened in all its glory and any one who walks in can experience the magic & majesty of the Golden Dragon - the greatest of all dragons. The Golden Dragon from now on will be a totally new experience for the guest coming into the restaurant. The Taj Samudra will keep this magic alive even after the Dragon Festival as the Dragon has truly re-awakened in all its glory and cannot be stopped now. (BJ) |
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