Rukgala is our small (boutique!) yoga and wellness-focused ‘hotel’ on the shores of the Victoria Lake near Kandy. We fashioned the property out of an old private house and added a little to give some really comfortable rooms and great places to relax in a gorgeous setting. More than the built spaces, though, we’re about offering a unique and refreshing experience of Sri Lanka in a beautiful and still quiet part of the island. We’re mostly about warm welcomes, good food, great yoga and (for those that want) some easy adventure.
07.30 - Tea on the deck with some fruit before yoga
08:00 - One-hour yoga class - Vinyasa flow or slow flow
09.30 - Slow-going breakfast
10:00 - Pool time/scramble to Bambaragala
13:30 - Easy lunch on the deck
14:30 - Chill time at the pool or by the lake/paddle-boarding or a bike ride
17:00 - One-hour sunset yoga - Yin or slow flow yoga
19:00 - Three-course healthy dinner
We started Rukgala with the intention of hosting group yoga retreats (as we had done on a gorgeous tea estate (waterfalls and all) about an hour from here. That’s gone really well and we still offer Ruk for teachers, retreat leaders and organizers wanting exclusive use.
We had a lot of people asking to come independently, though, so started offering s0-called Personal Yoga Retreats - giving people little retreat-type packages of 2- 3- and 6-night stays. You can see details of those packages here.
Most recently, we’ve found people wanting to craft their own stay entirely, so while still offering those options, we’ve added a good old-fashioned B&B option.
You can book a simple room-stay with us (breakfast included) and then add on anything from guided yoga to a Knuckles Mountains hike, a sunrise paddle-board or art therapy class.
Highlights:-
Set menus at Ruk
Breakfast - most days we’ll serve breakfast up on the top deck; a great morning spot. To give our kitchen guys a bit of head space (and to encourage a little adventure) we rotate between Sri Lankan breakfasts (rotis, dhal, kiri-bhat, egg hoppers, chutneys and sambals) and a small selection of lovely more Western-inspired options.
We’ll serve up the same home-prepped granola, spreads, curd and treacle each day.
Lunch - with breakfast never terribly early we tend towards quite light lunches - big fresh salads and light pastas; normally Western stuff but all freshly made and with local ingredients.
If the sun’s out we might try and serve lunch in the garden or even down by the boat shed with views over the lake - a nice cool shady spot in the middle of the day.
Dinner - for dinners we celebrate Sri Lankan flavors with delicious curries.
Small dishes menu
We’re not really a restaurant at Ruk and have a relatively small but dedicated team so this menu is just a nod to those that might want to veer from the planned grub for the day.
We have things like garlic and lemon tiger prawns; veggie bowls picking out the best of locally available produce; fresh-cut sweet potato fries and mutton koftas in rich tomato sauce.
All in all, we think there’s plenty to keep you happy if a Sri Lankan dinner that day isn’t gonna tick the box.
Other stuff
Drinks - we don’t have a full alcohol license but you’re welcome to bring alcohol with you.
