98 Acres Resort & Spa

98 Acres Resort & Spa is a boutique luxury property set within a working tea estate of the same scale — 98 acres — above the village of Ella in Sri Lanka's Uva Province highlands. The resort sits at approximately 1,000 metres elevation on the Passara Road, with panoramic views across the valley toward Ella Rock, Little Adam's Peak, and the southern escarpment of the central highlands. Ella town, with its cafes, train station, and Nine Arch Bridge trailhead, is approximately 3 kilometres by road.

The resort's architecture integrates chalet-style accommodation units into the tea plantation contours, with each building positioned to maximise valley sightlines without requiring guests to share the view. The 36 chalets are finished in polished timber, natural stone, and locally woven textiles, with private terraces whose morning light catches across the tea rows as estate workers move through the plantation below. The design is deliberately low-density for the acreage, creating a genuine sense of isolation despite being reachable from Ella town in under 10 minutes.

Room categories span Standard Chalets and Tea Plantation Chalets, with upper-tier units positioned at higher elevations for superior views. All rooms are air-conditioned, have en-suite bathrooms with rain showers, and include private outdoor seating. Several chalets connect for family configurations.

The main restaurant operates on an open terrace above the valley, producing Sri Lankan highland cuisine — tea-infused sauces, mountain vegetables, freshwater fish — alongside a competent Western menu. Breakfasts include an extensive array of Ceylon tea varieties. The kitchen sources produce from the estate and surrounding highland farms.

The spa occupies a dedicated pavilion and offers Ayurveda treatments alongside Western massage using tea-leaf-infused oils developed with the estate's own harvest. An infinity pool positioned on the valley edge provides one of Sri Lanka's more dramatic swimming settings. Morning yoga is held on an open deck. The activities team organises guided hikes to Ella Rock (3.5 km, moderate difficulty), Little Adam's Peak (2 km), and Nine Arch Bridge, as well as tea factory tours showing the full processing cycle from leaf to cup.