Clingendael
Kandy

Clingendael is one of Ampersand's Top 10 Secret Gems.

Tucked away in the rolling hills just outside Kandy, Clingendael is a secret worth keeping. Perched at an elevation of 80 metres on the prestigious Victoria Golf & Country Resort, this grand manor-style residence channels a bygone era of tropical glamour, where leisurely breakfasts stretch into lunch and evenings begin with G&Ts under the frangipani trees. Part of the Manor House Concepts collection - a group of characterful Sri Lankan retreats that also includes one of our favourites The Last House near Tangalle on the island’s southern coast - Clingendael shares the same philosophy of intimate scale, architectural soul and deeply personal hospitality.

Built in the elegant Dutch-Sri Lankan style, Clingendael is both generous in space and rich in atmosphere. Constructed with period materials dating back to 1782, the property is an ode to old-world refinement, with sloping terracotta roofs, creamy white colonnades, cool flagstone floors and wraparound verandahs where ceiling fans lazily stir the air. Five individually designed suites are draped in silk and filled with antiques and artworks collected from across Asia. Each has its own identity, but all share a singular sense of comfort and character, the kind of place where you immediately feel at home.

The heart of the house is its magnificent terrace, offering a 230-degree sweep across the Victoria Reservoir, the Knuckles mountain range and the wild, jungled landscape beyond. On misty mornings, you’ll wake to birdsong and silence; on sunlit afternoons, manicured gardens draw you towards the infinity pool below, edged with tropical blooms and accompanied by the hum of cicadas.

Clingendael is not a hotel in the traditional sense. It feels more like staying in the private home of an impossibly charming host, one who happens to have a team of discreet staff and a private chef at your disposal. Meals are served wherever and whenever you wish; eggs and hoppers at sunrise on the veranda, afternoon tea in the garden, candlelit dinners under the stars. The cuisine flows effortlessly from Sri Lankan to Western to Thai, with menus shaped daily around your preferences.

The pace here is unhurried, the mood gently genteel. Guests often arrive with a list of plans and promptly abandon it. For those inclined to explore, there is championship golf on the doorstep, nature walks through the surrounding estate and Kandy’s temples, gardens and markets just a short drive away.

Clingendael is a place where time stretches out, where afternoons are for swims, naps and long chapters of a good book; where every detail has been considered, but nothing feels overly polished. Romantic, refined and quietly unforgettable, it is a true hidden gem, and a natural companion to its equally distinctive sister houses across Sri Lanka.

The traveller sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.
G. K. Chesterton