Popularly known as ‘Little England’, Nuwara Eliya was the main town in the hill country where the British planters made their home away from home. Sri Lanka’s highest point, the town has a cooler climate than much of the rest of the island, similar to an English summer, and there are many old buildings, a racecourse and a golf course which stand in testimony to the British colonial period. Endless fields of tea cover the rolling hills surrounding the town, speckled with women dressed in brightly-coloured saris plucking the tea leaves.  

As well as a variety of hotels, there are also a selection of villas in Nuwara Eliya, several of which were originally a tea planter’s residence. These elegant colonial bungalows still retain a sense of colonial grandeur and are decorated with wood-panelling and plush furniture. SriLankaInStyle recommends the following villas in Nuwara Eliya: