Not all paradise!
However, there is no place that I would rather be.
'You are living in a paradise'
When guests stay with us at GlenMyu Estate, I often hear them comment that it must be wonderful living in paradise.
Like most things, what you see looks great, but the reality is that it’s not all paradise.
A lot of work, a little bit of stress and a few obstacles in the way led top the creation of our piece of paradise.
There are still challenges every day, however, they are minor and worth meeting for us to be able to life our lives in Sri Lanka.
Far from a paradise
GlenMyu Estate was far from a paradise when we saw the abandoned five acres back in 2011.
It was in such a mess that we were not able to see much of it.
The Guinea Grass was so high that we were only able to scramble through around 150 metres of rough landscape before turning around.
Buy it, we might find something better
We had searched for a piece of land each year on our annual holiday in Sri Lanka.
The search was exhausting. We often were excited to reach the land being offered after a tumultuous journey down a never ending unmade path, only to be disappointed.
The journey had taken us ten hours on the train from Colombo Fort to Haputale followed by a Tuk Tuk ride to see what would become GlenMyu Estate.
Ru was happy that she could see some water traveling itself across the land. There was also an electricity line at the road.
I was happy that the access was from the main A4 road and not down a two kilometre bumpy track.
The price was okay, and I said to Ru that she should buy it.
I always had in my back of my mind that at least Ru would have some land. It could always be sold if we found something better.
Something that was not a paradise, eventually becomes a paradise.
After plunging a large sum into building a road that accessed the centre of the land we had to follow our money.
In the rains you come across leeches.
Having lived for many in the concrete jungle of London, where we chase away any wildlife, leeches were quite scary.
It took me some time before I accepted that giving an animal a little meal from blood that was surplus to my requirement was okay.
What I found was that if I cut the grass on GlenMyu Estate quite short on the pathways and lawn, the leeches disappear. They can’t handle any sun and really need long wet grass to live in.
So, we avoid the long grass and keep the pathways in good condition.
It took some time to create a paradise
If you have ever watched Grand Designs there is a regular pattern.
It starts with an ambitious project with a budget that may not be enough.
Delays, weather, difficulties in getting material and changes in specification along the way results in project delays.
We went through all these experiences during the development of GlenMyu Estate. There are so many stories that are in the back of my mind, one day I will put them down on paper. I think I haven’t so far as some bring back too many painful memories.
We didn’t have a timescale for the project.
The global pandemic occurred during our build and we really didn’t know that anyone would be travelling again to stay in the house.
At one point I thought that GlenMyu Estate would be an abandoned project and we would move back to the UK to a normal life.
It took around three years before we moved into the house at GlenMyu Estate.
Eventually, we moved our belongings into the upper floor of the property.
It was all worth it in the end.
The reaction reminds us that we live in paradise
‘You can never get bored of living here’
This is another phrase that we hear very often. The reaction that our guests have when they walk through the doors and see the view from the lounge makes us feel very humble.
When your landscape is similar every day, it is easy to treat it as normal and not appreciate it for what it really is.
We love having guests stay with us at GlenMyu Estate for many reasons. One is that thy keep us grounded and ensure that we appreciate this bit of paradise we have created.
Elements that make GlenMyu Estate a paradise
There are lots of elements that make this five acre piece of land in the Sri Lankan hills a paradise for us.
We are fortunate to be living in a microclimate that enables so many plants to grow. Ruwanthi is always happy to provide a garden tour for interested guests to see the spices, fruits and vegetables that we grow.
The climate is also great for us. It’s not too hot nor too cold.
Typically the temperature during the day ranges from 22 to 26 degrees Celsius. When it does reach 28 degrees there are plenty of trees to get some shade. The climate means that we don’t need to use air-conditioning. We are pleased that we don’t have that negative impact on the environment.
Nature led the way
I always say that we have worked with nature and not pushed her too much. Living on a slope, if you push too much then nature will let you know it. We have planted lots of trees and carried out as many steps as we can to stop the erosion on the hillside. Terraces of rock walls and hedgerows have been created all around the land.
Nature provides natural beauty. By working with nature it has created a more beautiful and calming environment than we could have planned.
Water
Water is important and Ruwanthi spotted the streams crossing the land on our first visit. Thankfully we have springs going through the gully or glen.
This means that we have water throughout the year which helps with the gardens.
We have created a natural spring fed swimming pool which is one of our favourite places at GlenMyu Estate. It’s refreshing whether you have been working all day or experiencing one of the Pekoe Trail Hikes or Horton Plains National Park
Surrounded by nature, it’s an amazing place to be.
A connection with nature
The whole of GlenMyu Estate is designed to connect you with nature. Ru took some inspiration from architect Geoffrey Bawa to bring the outside in.
Floor to ceiling windows in the bedrooms and lounges are focussed to make the best of the environment. It is calming watching the clouds sail along by, or sometimes come and touch the windows.
Our food menu is mainly plant based. We source as much ingredients as we can from the garden or locally to the estate.
The garden produce are one of the elements of living in paradise. Eating seasonal from the garden is when the produce tastes the best.
What a feeling I have eating mandarins that have been picked from the garden. Slicing a lemon for the occasional G & T that I know has not travelled very far adds to the taste.
Feeling like you want to stay longer
We love it but we are also sad when guests say that they would have wanted to stay longer and do not want to leave.
Unfortunately many guests only have a short time to see this wonderful paradise island. Holiday allocation limits their ability to stay in one place for too long. Recently we have had more four days stays. However, this is still not long enough to really relax on the property and also explore the places too see within reach of the estate.
Stay at GlenMyu Estate and enjoy our little paradise
GlenMyu Estate is listed on Booking.com and Airbnb.
Contact us by the WhatsApp button on our website for direct booking rates.
Stay at GlenMyu Estate as you explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country
See sights like Horton Plains National Park is a unique experience.
We only have three bedrooms and you will need to book early during the peak holiday season.
The estate is usually within an hours drive of the major sightseeing locations such as Nine Arch Bridge, Ella Town, Upper Diyaluma Waterfall, Lipton’s Seat, Bambarakanda Waterfall and many more.