Hotel ID: 8

Heritance Kandalama is an architectural masterpiece by Geoffrey Bawa, built overlooking the eighth wonder of the world - the rock fortress of Sigiriya. The hotel sits at the heart of the cultural triangle of Sri Lanka, close to five UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The unpaved road through the jungle gives no clue to what to expect - there are no views of the hotel on the horizon. Then suddenly, as you drive up a ramp, a cave-like entrance appears. And even as you step into another world of minimalist white pillars and cool curving corridors, enormous boulders intrude, and birdsong hangs in the air. The theme continues throughout the hotel. Heritance Kandalama is shaped like the outspread wings of a bird, following the line of the cliff from which it seems to emerge. The hotel is a staggering 1 km from end to end, and rises up seven floors, yet appears to be a perfectly natural extension of the mountainside. The flat roof and timber pillars support a screen of vegetation that attracts local wildlife.