Ayurvedic Archives - GlenMyu Estate Luxury Bed and Breakfast

Exciting new plans in Sri Lanka

Holiday, Things to do on holiday in Sri Lanka / By Mikeez

Exciting new plans in Sri Lanka.

Exciting new plans in Sri Lanka at GlenMyu Estate.

We had a choice, and circumstances led us in, what we hope, is an exciting new direction for GlenMyu Estate, which will enhance the experience for our guests.

Our reviews reflect how much our guests love the experience at GlenMyu Estate.

Never, ones to sit on our laurels, we have plans to make our guests stay in the Sri Lankan Hills even better.

Exciting new plans in Sri Lanka.

We had choices to make. Hopefully our plans will enhance the experience for guests at GlenMyu Estate.

The Old Greenhouse

This building was once a greenhouse.

It was originally a cow shed which was dilapidated when the land was purchased. We rebuilt and extended the structure with the help of some local craftsmen.

You can see how beautiful the stonework is which makes it quite an attractive building. Perhaps a little too attractive for a greenhouse.

For a while it was housing to our cow and chickens. The ducks had an enclosure stuck onto the end of the building.

We aso had a nursery for seedlings and plants.

When the clear plastic roofing broke and the roof started leaking we decided that there was no point in replacing the clear roof.
Our chickens were getting wet in the wetter parts of the year and we were worried for their health.

A new metal roof was installed and the chickens were dry!

Plans change

Lots of our guests at GlenMyu Estate had a look at the building as Ruwanthi carried out her tour of the garden.

There were many suggestions for the property and we did consider converting the building into family accommodation.

After the busy tourist season that ended in April we decided that we would proceed and convert it into accommodation.

Let down....again!

With the builder lined up, the construction was due to start after we had moved the cows 9now two of them), the chickens and the ducks.

The new cow house was complete and Maali and Boo Boo were moved into their new home.

A new duck house was constructed next to the cow shed, so Maali and Boo Boo had some company.

We had already constructed a new home for some of the chickens some time back. The batch that lived in the greenhouse were moved into where we had a cow shed when we just had Maali.

So, we were all ready to go – we thought!

Unfortunately, the builder did not return to start on the conversion of the greenhouse. We had experienced this in Sri Lanka in the past, so it did not come as a surprise.

A lucky break

The absent builder resulted in a little bit of luck for us.

We were not convinced that developing the old greenhouse into guest accommodation was the right way to go.

I was a little concerned about the noise from the chickens, who may have disturbed our guests having a good nights sleep. There were also lots of other little factors that made us a little nervy about diving into building new accommodation.

Excited again - Our builder came back to us!

The builder came back and we were really pleased. Unfortunately he had to deal with some personal matters which led to his absence.

We were just happy that we could get back on track with our new project.

Our exciting new plans revealed!

So, what do we plan to do?

Now that the contractor has returned to work we plan to convert some of the space into additional staff accommodation.

That’s not very exciting!

Here is the exciting bit!

The lower floor will be a place for guests to enjoy Ayurvedic massages and treatments. We also plan to conduct yoga classes from here.

An additional experience at GlenMyu Estate for our guests

Many of our guests have requested massages and treatments whilst they have been on holiday at GlenMyu Estate.

Although we didn’t have adequate facilities massages were performed outside near the pool or in a bedroom which happened to be empty at the time. We were not happy with this and wanted to provide a better experience for our guests.

We had considered building a separate unit for these treatments, but with only three bedrooms at GlenMyu Estate, it would be a large investment with little return. There was also some difficulty in identifying a place on the estate which would work for a new building.

Although GlenMyu Estate sits in five acres, it was a challenge agreeing on a site which would keep the privacy and level of the experience for our guests. our guests like the fact that the swimming pool is not overlooked by bedrooms or other facilities. this is important for us as most hotels have their rooms overlooking the pool.

Dual purpose makes a lot of sense.

The dual purpose building makes a lot of sense and we will be able to provide a beautiful environment to look out to whilst guests are enjoying their treatments.

A deadline we would like to aim for!

Our experience in Sri Lanka, dealing with contractors has been varied and we know that it is a challenge meeting deadlines.

We hope and pray this we will have a better experience and deliver on time.

Our guest are important to us

We feel blessed that guests want to come back again and again to GlenMyu Estate.

A German couple from Dusssledorf were recommended to stay at GlenMyu Estate by other German customers.

They came and stayed for three nights.Our guests loved it so much that they booked again for the Festive period in 2023 for ten nights! We were delighted and humbled.

Our lovely guests enjoyed some massages when they stayed at the estate, albeit we didn’t have proper facilities.

The change in plans for the old greenhouse has provided the opportunity to create a space for Ayuervidic Massages and treatments in this building.
As it will be away from the main house it should be a perfect environment to experience these traditional treatments.

A deadline to meet

Our returning German guests have booked to stay again for 5 days over Christmas in 2024.

We aim to surprise them and provide them with a place where they can really relax when enjoying their Ayurvedic treatments.

We hope that this will be a unique offering in Sri Lanka and it will encourage other guests to spend more time at the 5 acre estate.

Early November 2024

How is the progress.

Here are some photos that I took on the day of the US elections, 4th November 2024.

We have recently had some downpours of rain which is usual for this time of year.

This will slow down the drying of concrete and plater.

We are hoping for better weather in early December when the titanium cement finish will be applied to the building.

Will we make it in time?

Building in Sri Lanka is not a Science and therefore timelines can slip.

We are trying our utmost to complete the Spa by the main tourist season which starts at the end of December 2024.

Our exciting new plans hopefully will be a fabulous addition to our guests experience at GlenMyu Estate.

Wish us luck!

Stay at GlenMyu Estate to explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country

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.

Exciting new plans in Sri Lanka Read More »

The House at GlenMyu Estate, Hotel and Bed & Breakfast, Haputale, Sri Lanka.

Ayurveda in the Sri Lankan Hills.

Ayurvedic medicine and plants, The Organic Garden at GlenMyu, Things to do on holiday in Sri Lanka / By Mikeez

Ayurveda in the Sri Lankan Hill Country - developing an Ayurvedic Garden.

When my wife purchased the 5 acres estate in Viharagalla, which she later named GlenMyu, it had been uncultivated for many years.

Historically it had been part of the larger Viharagalla tea estate and then used to grow sugar cane.

The land had become overrun by Guinea Grass which was brought in to the country as a fast growing foodstock for cattle. Unfortunately Guinea Grass is invasive and dominates local endemic species of plants and the land was in a poor state.

Lots and lots and lots of work.

There were however, several trees and shrubs that had managed to compete with the invasive grass and there were Jackfruit, Avocado, Coffee, Pepper and Cinnamon growing wild on the land.

Our priority was to build a property for ourselves so we could then develop the estate growing fruits and vegetables for our own consumption.

The Kitchen Garden

We did build a kitchen garden close to the original shack that was on the property and started growing some vegetables early on. Little did we realise that we would be fighting a battle with a host of creatures that wanted to eat our crops.

Monkeys, Wild Boar, Parrots, Bulbuls, Porcupine and an array of insects were challenges to our wish to eat wholesome locally grown organic food.

No drugs, no chemicals, just relying on Mother Nature (and a bit of hard work).

It took some time to protect the vegetable garden and work out what chemical free pest control would keep the insects away. Our steadily increasing collection of orphan dogs were an unexpected part of the solution guarding the land from would be diners.

The estate at GlenMyu is around 100 metres in elevation from top to bottom and the farming practices in the past had made the land vulnerable to erosion. It was essential that we secured the land so whatever we built did not end up at the bottom of the hill.

Neighbours who had restored and maintained their properties were really helpful in giving advice on how to manage and secure the land which we remain truly thankful.

We started planting a variety of trees around the land, ensuring that we had diversity and included a mixture if wood and fruit trees which would lead to a greater level of biodiversity and encourage wildlife to feed and live in security at the estate.

We also contacted to local agricultural department and sourced a variety of trees and plants through them including clove trees, cinnamon and ginger.

Fast Forward Three Years.

Fast forward almost three years since we started developing GlenMyu we visited the Ayurvedic Plant Nursery in Bathgoda which is located around six kilometres away.

We went to purchase a few plants to add some local diversity around the estate with a view to learning about this ancient art and eventually developing an Ayurvedic Garden which would be interesting for visitors to the estate.

We were still getting a bit of unseasonal rain in July which us normally the start of the dry season here in the hills and therefore we though we would make the best of the opportunity and establish some plants in some of the areas we had recently cleared of Guinea Grass.

A larger than expected purchase.

We ended up purchasing over 180 plants and therefore we were committed to the cause. Fortunately we had a night of rain and therefore we could start planting straight away.

My wife knew some of the plants we purchased and some would need research before being sunk into the ground. These plants will be planted around the land and add diversity to the plant stock we have and it will be interesting to see how they develop in their new environment.

The site for our Ayurvedic Garden for visitors is in the process of being cleared and made ready for planting and therefore is a project which will be developed later in 2021. We plan to have a variety of Ayurvedic plants that will be interesting but relevant to our guests and therefore we will be doing a lot of research and preparation during the latter half of the year to ensure we have another place of interest and place to relax with nature on the estate.

The 180 Ayurvedic plants that we purchased are already in the ground which will give visitors a wide variety of species to look at and also provide diversity around the Estate.

Oh No - we need more plants.

It looks like we will be visiting the Ayurvedic Nursery a little later this year again to plant in our Ayurvedic Garden – I wonder how many plants we will purchase on that trip and whether we will break 180 again!

Where is GlenMyu Estate, Hotel, B & B located?

Ayurveda in the Sri Lankan Hills. Read More »