TV Times

TV Times

Alpine:Luxury nest in the hills
By Sanath Weerasuriya
The name Alpine is always associated with the travel and tourism industry. Austrian and Swiss Alps are considered as one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. Alpine in Nuwara Eliya would not look out of place within any ski resort due to its unique design.

Alpine in Sri Lanka has a slight difference. Over 6000 feet above the sea level in misty mountain around, Alpine is a beautiful hotel building with colonial touch. With all modern facilities in small luxury setting, the hotel is a popular place for European tourists.

Fireplace in a room is a unique attraction, which most of the modern European homes not think about. Alpine has 25 luxury rooms and one suite with television, telephone. Some rooms are with fireplace. ‘The guests are really amused to see these things in Sri Lanka. Especially the older generation is much fond of these things’ said D. G. Mahinda Kumar, the proprietor of the hotel.

Alpine is centrally located in the heart of the city and has earned a name as an eco friendly hotel, mainly due to the effort and hard work of Mahinda. “ I always wanted Nuwara Eliya to be recognized as a green destination and the travellers to spend more time in the city. Actually Nuwara Eliya is truly a destination and not a stopover as they do now.” Mahinda said.

Mahinda, who is the Vice President of the Nuwara Eliya Hoteliers Association, strongly believes that the present setup for a day or two stopovers in Nuwara Eliya should be changed.

“I think the city and the surrounding has got more than enough things and places to spend time in doing various activities at least for ten days. It is now the time to change the tag from beach destination to nature and adventure’ he added.

With all that in mind, Mahinda has started an Eco Adventure arm of the hotel. They take visitors to Horton Plains, World’s End, maintaining, camping, and trekking and other adventure activities.

‘There are unknown places too in the area. Maraya Lake is one of the beautiful places in the district. Lesser known places can be used to boost attention.’ he said.

Alpine has two specialized restaurants. Rotunda the fine dining restaurant and newly build Indian specialty restaurant ‘Agastina’. Agastina caters for buffet style diners and is the only place in Nuwara Eliya with Indian and Sri Lankan combination.

Sambar, a colonial type bar with fireplace, is a popular place with visitors. Randun Premjayanth is the GM of the hotel, who has innovative ideas. Dammika Dassanayake handles the restaurant and bar.

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