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Travel through the lush valleys, enjoy the warm hospitality, pick your own tea leaves and make tea … you are in the world's best tea country. Sri Lanka's most stunning natural beauty, the Nuwara Eliya district, popularly known as the 'tea country' is proudly referred to by the locals as 'Little England'. Built during the 19th century by the British, who introduced tea plantations in Sri Lanka, the Nuwara Eliya district is the main hill resort of the country and the heart of the tea industry today. It is home to the famous Ceylon Tea and accounts for almost all of Sri Lanka's tea plantations, which is about nine per cent of the global production share.
With its mock-Tudor architecture and picturesque landscape, the Nuwara Eliya district is located 80 km from the capital, Colombo at an altitude of 6128 feet. Spectacular waterfalls dot the bending route during the three hour ride from Kandy to the district while the lush greenery of rolling tea plantations keeps travelers awestruck. Apart from the breathtaking scenic beauty of the town, what makes it special for tourists is to visit an old tea factory which has been turned into a fine hotel. The tea factory was closed in 1968 due to its obsolete and uneconomical equipment. The Hethersett Tea Factory once produced some of the finest tea in the world. It was spotted by a travel company and in 1992 turned into a unique concept hotel. The factory was built in 1935 and is located in Kandapola, about half an hour's drive from the main centre along a dodgy stretch of gravel track. It is surrounded by hills with tea plantations, referred to as the 'emerald teascape'. Its location as a tea factory, on top of one of the tallest hills in the area at 6,800 feet, was selected to catch the maximum wind trapped in the valleys. This is why sweeping winds can be heard all through the night. The hotel management very considerately provides ear plugs for the fainthearted and the light sleepers! What makes this concept hotel more interesting, apart from the picturesque beauty it offers, is its interior which has been kept in its original condition while some of the factory equipment has been incorporated into the decor. These preserved features from the original factory, including machinery and the drying loft converted into rooms, allow the guests to peek into the tea processing mechanism and discover how it used to be in the past. The highlight of the hotel is the chance to experience life as a tea picker. The local Tamil tea-pickers, dressed in saris with baskets slung over their heads, look like an organized group of butterflies spread across acres of green plants. They carry out the tedious process of tea-picking with the hand and gather the finest tea plants later to serve us cups of the best Ceylon tea. The tea factory hotel further enriches the entire experience by allowing guests to pick the tea leaves along with the tea-pickers in the field. The 'temporary tea-pickers' are then made to visit the miniature tea factory which is specifically designed to introduce guests to the process of tea manufacturing. There the leaves picked earlier are put into the wilting trays so that they can be manufactured overnight and taken by the guests as souvenirs. Besides its green beauty and elegant nature, the Nuwara Eliya district provides the entire experience of being a part of the tea fields and a day spent with the tea-pickers at Sri Lanka's only concept hotel is most extraordinary. It brings out in a tourist the most exotic nature of travel.
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