Cape Weligama - Luxury hotel in Weligama, Sri Lanka
In February of this year I ended my Sri Lanka trip at the beautiful Cape Weligama. This hotel sits atop a promontory 40 meters above the Indian Ocean, with beautiful views all around. The resort has 39 private villas, designed by renowned architect Lek Bunnag, which are surrounded by 12 hectares of lush tropical greenery. The crescent-shaped infinity pool has the best I have seen from a pool, overlooking the waves in the Indian Ocean and Jungle Beach beneath.
I was lucky to be staying at an Ocean Villa, a beautiful 130 m2 villa with a spacious bathroom with twin marble vanities, a stone bath tub and a rain shower with steam room. The villa also has a private verandah that gives access to a semi-private infinity pool (pool shared with 1 or two other villas). The villa is equipped with a coffee machine and glass water bottles, a desk and sitting area with tv. air conditioning, a large walkin closet, a minibar and a Sonos playbar. What I really liked about the vibe and the design of the villas was the colonial style in a luxury way. Think neutral colors, lots of wood and old fashioned maps on the wall.
It was such a pleasure to simply walk around the premises and enjoy the green gardens and of course take a dip in the amazing infinity pool on top of the cliff. As a matter of fact, I could choose between three pools: the “Half Moon pool” (adults only), the “Cove Pool” (kids welcome) and my own semi-private pool. Of course, the beautiful thing was also that I could just walk down and go directly to the beach to just paddle right out into the waves. A surfer´s dream come true! And if you are not big on surfing, you can always go snorkeling or just a swim in the beautiful waters where you can spot many fish and sea turtles. Not a big salt water fan but do want to work out? No sweat :)! You can always go to the gym where you can find various cardio and weights machines and free weights.
With chef Nishantha Pushpakumara at the helm of the Ocean Terrace restaurant, there is no other option than that the food is delicious. You can enjoy your meal here again with the beautiful views of the Indian Ocean. Breakfast is also served in the restaurant, or in your room if you prefer. I liked so many things on the menu, that I chose to have two breakfasts and multiple juices :). Next to the restaurant you can find the Surf Bar, which is a relaxed but also refined place for traditional Ceylon high tea, as well as sunset cocktails and after-dinner nightcaps under the stars.
Cape Weligama is part of the Resplendent Ceylon group. In 2021 the group established Sustainability Committees across their resorts to help drive a new sustainability agenda across Climate Action, Land & Sea and People & Culture. The sustainability initiatives of the group can be summarized as follows:
Climate action. The resorts have been actively engaged in measuring and monitoring their dependency on non-renewable energy sources. Changes have included small actions like switching to LED lights to larger actions such as increasing the renewable energy capacity. No public areas are air conditioned (restaurant, bar, reception, etc.) as they are naturallyventilated through purposeful design.
Journey to zero plastic. Cape Weligama, Wild Coast Lodge and Ceylon Tea Trails are currently assessing their plastic footprint. While efforts have been made to eliminate single use plastic water bottles and straws, a continuous self-audit is made to identify where the highest plastic footprints are across the supply chains and all resorts work to find alternatives from local vendors. These efforts go beyond the boundaries of the resorts in this journey. By collaborating with partners who share the same values, Resplendent Ceylon hopes to achieve meaningful impact. At Cape Weligama, plastic waste collection units have been established along the public Weligama beach which draws in people for the perfect surf conditions and pristine beaches. These units, set up in partnership with Eco Spindles, are made entirely of repurposed materials including discarded sun beds, further easing the impact on landfills. The plastic waste collection units serve as a centralized location to collect PET plastic waste which is transformed into monofilament and yarn used to make cleaning brushes and clothing, respectively.
Water Management. With all resorts measuring water usage, Resplendent Ceylon is able to work towards reducing its dependence on ground water sources while working towards creating solutions to reuse as much of the water (treated after use) as possible in the resorts´ gardens.
Food Waste. While food waste is actively minimized, any remaining waste is either sent to livestock farms in the localvicinity or in the case of Wild Coast Lodge, also used to produce a reasonable quantity of biogas which,depending on occupancy, is used to fuel the staff kitchens. At Cape Weligama, using innovative techniques, all remaining food waste is composted through a method using ‘effective microorganisms’. This results in all the goodness of organic compost without the release ofthe greenhouse gas methane or the unpleasant odor usually associated with composting. The resultant liquid fertilizer is used in the gardens and vegetable patch, avoiding chemical fertilizers.
Conservation. Resplendent Ceylon believes in landscape conservation – large, impactful, multi-stakeholder projects which contribute to conserving Sri Lanka’s precious ecosystems. Two such projects are the Peak RidgeCorridor in the Sri Lankan highlands and a leopard research station in Yala. The Peak Ridge Corridor, implemented by the Wilderness and Wildlife Conservation Trust (WWCT), with the support of Ceylon Tea Trails, Dilmah Conservation and a number of plantation companies aims to protect and build connectivity for leopard populations of tea country. With approximately 20 leopards having beenidentified through our camera traps and field surveys, the fragmented tea landscape of the area together with human settlements reduces the habitat available to these resident leopards. As such, this project wouldincrease connectivity between these habitats through reforesting and regenerating these lost habitats alongthe Peak Ridge Corridor.
Synonymous with Yala are its leopard populations. Together with the Sri Lanka Tourism DevelopmentAuthority (SLTDA) and the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), Wild Coast Lodge is currently workingon establishing a leopard research centre and accompanying conservancy zone. This Centre will serve as alearning point and also function as a field research station to continue studying this incredible species andits habitat.
Resplendent Ceylon understands and appreciates the role pollinators play in the food we eat and the beautiful gardens we maintain. As such, the group is working towards establishing apiaries across its resorts with the first one being set up at Cape Weligama’s butterfly garden. The abundance of native flora in the resorts means happy pollinators keeping the gardens flourishing and producing delicious honey too!
Social Impact. Cape Weligama and its surrounding local communities are located within key fisheries villages. In 2021, the MJF Charitable Foundation Centre at Cape Weligama celebrated four years of uplifting the local communities. Since its inception, the Centre has been the cornerstone of the community. Acting as asocial and educational avenue, the Centre facilitates after-school education in the arts, sciences andmathematics for the local children and provides women's development programmes in the form ofsewing and cooking lessons. This training not only empowers the women of these communities but alsoprovides them an additional income as the products created by these women are sold at the GoodMarket, a collection of Sri Lankan small businesses that are good for people and the planet. Furthermore, the organisation’s Good Works Committee drives employee-led social and environmentalprogrammes including beach cleans ups around Cape Weligama, clearing masks in Yala National Park andsupporting educational activities of the communities around Tea Trails and replanting 1500+ trees alongthe Southern Expressway.
The Blue Surfer´s opinion of Cape Weligama: Cape Weligama feels like a dream, from the location to the breathtaking views, from the friendliness of the staff to the comfort of the rooms…I wish I could’ve stayed longer. The beauty of this resort is that every villa is very private, but you don’t have to walk far to get to the different amenities. For me of course, it is also important that the hotel implements sustainability efforts. Some of which you can see (such as glass bottles in the room, absence of small bathroom amenities) but others which are not so clearly but are very important, such as composting food waste. I enjoyed every little and big big of staying here and would definitely recommend Cape Weligama if you are planning a trip to Sri Lanka.
Do you want to see a bit more of the hotel? Check out my reel here!
Location: Abimanagama Rd, Weligama, Sri Lanka