Hatton, Kandy and the Tea Country, Sri Lanka

Life on a Sri Lankan tea plantation has its own unhurried pace and distinctive vistas, and the perfect way to savour both is a stay in a converted planters’ bungalow high in the Hill Country overlooking Castlereagh Lake. Say what you like about their impact on the local forest, the island’s 19th-century tea pioneers certainly knew where to site a house.

Each of these five immaculately restored period properties have spectacular views from their verandas. The interiors have been richly refurbished, but retain a colonial-era feel, with luxuriously upholstered suites, wingback armchairs and clawfoot tubs in their bathrooms – as well as a manager, chef, butler and team of liveried room boys on hand to ensure your comfort. The only features that would have looked out of place in the 1930s are the glorious spring-fed swimming pools in the grounds.