Chena Huts by UGA Escapes

In Sri Lanka’s deep south, the rustic farming villages round Tissamaharama are divided from the teeming animal and bird life of Yala, Sri Lanka’s oldest and second-largest natural reserve, by a belt of semi-protected Jungle running down to the sea. For centuries, people here have farmed small clearings in the forest called chena, sleeping beside their crops in modest huts to protect them from hungry elephants.
Here today, nestling among dunes and trees at the ocean’s edge, you will find Chena Huts, the latest addition to Uga Escapes’ portfolio of luxury hotels. Overlooking a beach where sea-turtles come to lay eggs by moonlight and elephants wander down from the nearby forest to play in the surf, Chena Huts is fringed on one landward side by tropical jungle and on the other by a saline lake where ibises, painted storks and even flamingos may be seen, wading in the shallows.
For guests at Chena Huts, easy access to these natural wonders involves no compromise with comfort or good taste. At this small, select property, the “huts’ are in fact luxurious detached, private cabins offering fine views of the surrounding wilderness and seascape.

Accommodation

To intensify the wilderness experience, this spacious Tacre property accommodates only fourteen 1130 sq ft cabins. This includes a 781 sq ft climate controlled living space. Exteriors, featuring design cues from the vernacular architecture of the region, are designed to harmonize with the jungle environment; interiors gently emphasize the ‘safari theme, with log furniture and rustic motifs that belie the ultra-modern comfort and convenience within
Each of these well-appointed cabins offered on all inclusive basis contains of a living room, bedroom, en suite bathroom and shaded outdoor deck with built-in plunge pool and an outdoor shower. The luxurious bathrooms feature free-standing bathtubs and His and Hers vanity consoles.

Location

Surrounded by unspoilt wilderness, Chena Huts is well off the beaten track, lying at the end of a specially-built road that connects with the main Tissamaharama-Yala highway a few minutes from the Yala park entrance. It is 315km from Colombo’s international airport and 26km from Tissamaharama, the nearest town. This is a place to get away from it all, to observe the magnificent profusion of wildlife and commune closely with nature.

Restaurant & Bar

Taking its name from the nearby reefs and lighthouse, famed in seafaring history and lore, the Basses restaurant is decorated to an appropriately nautical theme and features urbane dining in a spectacularly setting overlooking the Indian ocean. The Bar, filled with memorabilia that illustrate the history of Yala and its environs, is the perfect venue for a post-safari drink before dinner. Chena Huts also consists of a poolside bar (concealed behind a waterfall).

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