‘Mandara Rosen Kataragama’ : An elegant scenic paradise 

Kataragama,the Sacred land of God Skanda is a hotspot for many devotees and travellers. For those taking a ride from Kataragama to Colombo, a one-night stay at a close by hotel would be an ideal choice. When travelling along the deserted roads in the dry zone, one will not forget to catch a glimpse of an elegant looking hotel situated at the foot of Wedihiti kanda amidst a scenic green backdrop.

Mandara Rosen Kataragama, a mini paradise situated a few kilometres away from the Kataragama devalaya is the only four star hotel in the deep down south which offers you an experience of a lifetime. From cosy bedrooms to pools with underwater music and mouth-watering meals, Mandara Rosen offers a variety of facilities that would keep its guests entertained while also giving them a homely feeling where privacy and intimacy is guaranteed.

The hotel offers a total of 60 deluxe rooms, tastefully designed to ensure that every guest is well and truly pampered. Rooms are exceptionally spacious and are equipped with hot/cold water baths, A/C, mini bar, tea/coffee making and Internet facilities. In addition to that, rooms in the ground floor are accompanied by a mini-terrace and a balcony for rooms in the upper floor, exclusively for those who like to enjoy the chirping of birds and the southern breeze. Guests are greeted with an attractive fruit basket followed by tempting chocolates.
Another main attraction of the hotel is the pool that offers underwater music much to the amusement of its guests which was the first of its kind in Sri Lanka. Surrounded with fragrant Araliya trees and wooden sun loungers with fresh towels, the pool is the ideal place to cool off on a hot sunny day.

Dining at Mandara Rosen offers you a one-of-a-kind culinary experience with a range of dishes to tempt your taste buds. The hotel’s main restaurant can accommodate close to 100 guests while catering a range Indian, Thai, Chinese, European, Far Eastern and Sri Lankan cuisines. In addition to conventional menus, arrangements can be made to cater to specific guest requests, depending on the situation. Apart from the normal service, in-room dining facilities are also available, allowing guests to enjoy their meal in privacy. The bar upstairs is capable of accommodating close to 15 people and offers a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. It is also equipped with a pool table and a television.

The coffee shop right near the lobby too offers a range of beverages and snacks and is capable of accommodating close to 40 guests. Beverages include cappuccino, espresso and other coffee infused items along with snacks such as waffles and other delicacies.

Situated amidst a backdrop of two massive Khomba trees is the Mandara pastry shop adjacent to the main premises which offers a range of mouth-watering delicacies from seeni sambol buns and mini pizzas to sugar doughnuts, cupcakes and ice cream. In addition to that it also includes a kottu and hopper station.

Other facilities of the hotel includes the Tamarind Spa which offers you signature treatments and soothing massages to help you whisk away in to an oasis of peace and calm. Guests are given a wide array of treatments including numerous signature rituals, body treatments, facial treatments and wellness packages by its well-experienced therapists. Treatments include steam baths and body massages which take approximately one hour and 20 minutes. The fitness centre at Mandara Rosen offers state-of-the-art equipment to help guests maintain fitness regimens during their stay. Fitness equipment include a range of treadmills, racing bikes, body sculptors, dumbells of various weights and cross trainers that provide useful cardio and body fat information to ensure a controlled workout. Mandara Rosen also provides a conference hall which allows people to host corporate meetings and other small functions and is capable of accommodating close to 100 people.

According to the Resident Manager, Mr. Dharmasiri Silva, the main attractions of the hotel include the Kataragama devale, Wedihiti Kanda, Yala National Park, Kirinda Lighthouse and temple and Kumana wetland sanctuary. “The hotel provides safari rides to Yala and many of our foreign guests love the experience. In addition to that Mandara Rosen also offers excursions to many places including camping sites at wildlife sanctuaries, Arugam Bay (destination of International Surfing Competitions) en-route visiting the Lahugala Nature Reserve renowned for its elephant gatherings, ancient sites of Buduruwagala, which reflects distinct Mahayana influence dating back to the 3rd and 9th century AD and Sithulpawwa and Maligawila, situated 17 kilometers off the main Kataragama–Buttala Road from the Kumbukkan Oya junction.”

“The hotel also maintains its own vegetable plot and most of the time we are able to use our own produce such as chillies, spinach, tomatoes, banana and brinjal,” he added.

For more details call 04 47 2236030,011 2506078/9 or log onto www.mandararosen.com.

By Kamanthi Wickramasinghe
Photographs by Nisal Baduge