Introducing Amba Yaalu Kandalama: Sri Lanka's first hotel entirely managed by women
From sunset yoga to hot air ballooning, Amba Yaalu Kandalama suggests the best kind of hospitality is sustainable, soulful – and female-led.
Who’s really calling the shots when it comes to luxury hospitality? At Amba Yaalu Kandalama, the answer is simple: women.
Located on the shores of Kandalama Lake and framed by the famous Sleeping Soldier Mountain, this trailblazing boutique hotel complex is the first in Sri Lanka to be entirely managed and operated by the fairer sex. Which means, with its dedicated focus on empowerment and sustainability, it’s redefining luxury tourism in all kinds of ways.
Launched in early 2025 by the family-owned Thema Collection, whose portfolio includes 14 distinctive properties, from hotels to glamping sites, and Ayurvedic retreats across Sri Lanka, the five-star flagship Amba Yaalu Kandalama is making serious waves in a country in which senior roles in hospitality are still largely dominated by men. Yet here, every department – from reception, to management, housekeeping, and even the bar – is female-run; in the process giving new careers and real opportunities to local women.
Drawing inspiration from beloved Sri Lankan children’s novel Amba Yaluwo (The Mango Friends) and the golden age of Sri Lankan cinema, the 33-room hotel drips nostalgic glamour, with its collection of retro cameras, beautifully carved Sri Lankan Yaka masks and walls covered in posters from classic Sri Lankan films and TV shows.
But it’s also fully respectful to its natural surroundings; with its calming palette of greens and blues, the architecture blends seamlessly with the landscape. The spacious rooms themselves boast sweeping lake views and mango groves (with 457 trees) as far as the eye can see.
There’s a stillness and serenity here, with its Ayurvedic spa treatments, sunset yoga on the terrace, cocktails at the Yaka Bar, and an Organic Vegan Restaurant. (There are cooking classes on offer too, with the hotel’s Executive Chef and her all-female crew passing on the secrets of authentic Sri Lankan cuisine.)
More adventurous souls can also take to the skies in a hot air balloon, glide across the lake by boat, hop on an e-bike through the jungle, or join immersive walks through neighbouring villages.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, they’re big on sustainability here: in fact, it’s central to the hotel’s philosophy, with its 157 solar panels covering 12,000 square feet, generating 140 kW of power, plus eco-conscious farming practices on its mango plantation.
In short, the future of Sri Lankan hospitality is looking fabulous.
