October 28, 2020

Resplendent Ceylon resorts recognised in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2020 Reader’s Choice Awards.

Condé Nast Traveler announced the results of its annual Readers’ Choice Awards with all three Resplendent Ceylon’s resorts remarkably among the top 10 hotels in the Asia Category. Ceylon Tea Trails was voted number 3, Wild Coast Tented Lodge number 5 and Cape Weligama number 8.

Condé Nast Traveler is the premier global travel title, inspiring discerning travellers. The Readers Choice Awards are announced annually and are considered to be one of the top benchmarks for luxury travel. More than 715,000 Condé Nast Traveler US and UK readers rated their travel experiences across the globe.

Malik J. Fernando, Managing Director of Resplendent Ceylon said, “We are thrilled that all three Resplendent resorts have been recognized so highly – what makes these awards so special is that we are voted for by those who have been to our Sri Lankan resorts and enjoyed their stay so much that they took the effort to vote for us. Though we are in uncertain times, Sri Lanka has always bounced back from adversity. That is why we are confident that once travel restrictions lift, travellers will rush back to Sri Lanka. And when they do, we will be ready to welcome them again.”

Promisingly, Sri Lanka ranked second amongst the top 20 countries that travellers have visited or would like to travel to. Italy came first, followed by Sri Lanka, then Portugal.

Maheesha Ratnayake, Chief Operations Officer, stated, “All of us at Resplendent Ceylon strive every day towards our goal of being the best small luxury hotel operator in the world. The fact that three hotels in the top eight listed are Sri Lankan is testament to all the hard work we have done in that journey. It has not been easy, due to the many setbacks we have experienced as a country, however, it speaks volumes about the tenacity and spirit of Sri Lankans.”

Conceived by the Fernando family, Sri Lankan tea producers and founders of Dilmah Ceylon Tea, Resplendent Ceylon’s collection consists of three distinctly original resorts, Ceylon Tea Trails, Cape Weligama, and Wild Coast Tented Lodge Yala, all connected by a thread of peerless service while contributing towards local communities and the environment through the MJF Foundation and Dilmah Conservation. Resplendent Ceylon’s guests experience the “Resplendent Journey” of Tea, Sea and Safari, designed to showcase the best of Sri Lanka through an assortment of curated experiences and luxurious accommodation, with exclusivity in mind.

Ceylon Tea Trails, in the Central Highlands, pioneered the concept of luxury tourism in Sri Lanka. Cape Weligama and Wild Coast Tented Lodge Yala have set a new standard for luxury beach resorts and tented camps. Resplendent Ceylon is the sole Sri Lankan member of Relais & Chateaux, the Paris based global fellowship of family-owned and operated luxury hotels and restaurants.