Activities
There are limitations to do activities in a hotel depending upon its location and resources avaialble. The hotel TCV is a hotel integrated with the nature and surrounded by rich Tea, Cinnamon and rubber plantations and open to many joyful activities for guests during their stay in the hotel. In addition, Ratnapura means City of Gems, heritance to many precious gem stones found in the country. Pelmadulla Valley is very famous for the most precious Gem stones found in the country and many gem pits can be seen around the area. Specially some of the gem pits are visible to the hotel location as well. In addition, rock carvings formed in the Kirindiella water streams gives you a unique experience of enjoying the water therapy. As such, some of the activities, which related to the natural resources available in the area, that can be engaged during your stay in the hotel are listed below,
1. Cinnamon harvesting and processing
2. Tea harvesting
3. Rubber harvesting
4. Gem cutting and polishing
5. Water therapy
Generally, there is no any other hotel within the island exposed to this much of activities integrated with nature.
1. Cinnamon Harvesting
Cinnamon is a cash crop which grow in the mid and down south of the country and Sri Lanaka Cinnamon has been named as the best Cinnamon of the world. The process of cinnamon production involves growing the cinnamon trees, harvesting the bark, and processing it into the cinnamon sticks that we use in cooking and baking. Cinnamon trees grow to a height of about 2 to 3 m and have a dark, papery bark. The bark is stripped off the branches, and the inner bark is carefully removed in thin sheets. The harvested bark is then left to dry in the sun for several days, after which it is rolled tightly into cinnamon sticks. The sticks are then stored in a cool, dry place until they are ready to be sold.
The hotel has its own cinnamon plantation which spread over 6 Acres (2.5 Hectares) of land and process cinnamon in its Cinnamon Processing Centre throughout the year. Guests are encouraged to learn more about the process of cinnamon production through participatory activities in guided harvesting and processing of cinnamon which is an unique experience during your travel within the country. In addition, we also offer cooking classes and demonstrations on how to use cinnamon in Sri Lankan cuisine.
Overall, a visit to a cinnamon plantation in Sri Lanka is a unique and remarkable experience that allows visitors to learn more about this important spice and its production.
2. Tea harvesting
Similar to Cinnamon productions, Sri Lanka is world renowned as the best Tea production country in the world. The tea plantations in Sri Lanka are located mainly in the central highlands, particularly in the regions of Nuwara Eliya, Kandy, Ratnapura and Badulla areas. The climate and soil in these regions are ideal for growing tea, and the high altitude provides the perfect conditions for producing high-quality tea.
Remarkably, the hotel has its own tea lands within the hotel premises and guests are privileged to entertain doing participatory activities in tea harvesting and understanding different stages of tea production from plucking to final outcome. Moreover, staying in a place surrounded by rich tea plantations will give you a unique experience and guests are allowed to use summer huts within the tea plantations for their relaxations which gives an utmost feeling about living within a lush greenery rich plantation and enjoy the beauty of Sri Lanka.
We are searching the possibility of arranging a day tour to the Tea Factory within the area to give you a unique experience in tea production.
3. Rubber harvesting
Rubber plantations in Sri Lanka are an important part of the country's agriculture industry. Rubber trees were introduced to Sri Lanka in the late 19th century, and since then, rubber plantations have become a major source of income for many farmers in the country.
The rubber production process involves tapping the trees to extract the latex, which is then processed into rubber sheets. The tapping process is done early in the morning, and the latex is collected in cups attached to the tree. The collected latex is then processed by adding coagulants to solidify the liquid and then pressing it to remove excess water.
During you stay in the hotel you are privileged to experience the Rubber harvesting and processing lesson including visit to the Rubber plantations in the neighborhood, experiencing the tapping process and collecting the latex.
4. Gem cutting and Polishing
Gem cutting and polishing is a process that involves shaping and polishing rough gems to enhance their beauty and value. The process of cutting and polishing a gem is a skilled craft that requires precision and expertise. Here are the steps involved in the gem cutting and polishing process:
- Assessing the rough gemstone: The first step is to examine the rough gemstone and determine the best way to cut and shape it to maximize its brilliance and beauty.
- Planning the cut: Once the gemstone is assessed, the gem cutter plans the cut to make the most of the rough stone's natural features. The cutter decides on the shape, size, and number of facets to be cut into the stone.
- Marking the gem: After the plan is developed, the cutter marks the gemstone with a pen or ink to indicate where the cuts will be made.
- Cutting the gemstone: The cutter then cuts the gemstone with a saw, following the marks to create the desired shape and size.
- Pre-polishing: The next step is to pre-polish the gemstone, which involves grinding and smoothing the surface of the gemstone with increasingly finer grits of abrasive material.
- Faceting: Once the pre-polishing is complete, the gem cutter begins faceting the gemstone. This involves cutting a series of flat surfaces, or facets, onto the gemstone, which will reflect and refract light to create brilliance and sparkle.
- Final polishing: The final step is to polish the gemstone to a high shine, which is done with a series of fine polishing wheels or laps. The gemstone is moved around the wheel or lap until it achieves the desired shine.
The final result is a beautiful, sparkling gemstone that is ready to be set into jewelry or displayed as a valuable piece of art. The gem cutting and polishing process is a delicate and intricate craft that requires skill and expertise to achieve the desired results.
During your stay in the hotel you are guided to craft gemstones and carrying the product with you after crafting. This would be one of the most rear and remarkable experience while your stay in the country.
5. Water Therapy
Water therapy is a natural process that you can enjoy in the downstream of the Kirindiella water fall which is unique to the location and cannot be experienced in any other places. In the Kirindiella stream, few locations were identified as suitable for the water therapy which are composed of rock carving formations and shallow for a person to sit and enjoy the feeling of water flowing across the body making the therapy of relaxation while enjoying the surrounding nature.
This is very unique to the location and rear experience you can enjoy in the life time. Unfortunately, water therapy cannot be done in rainy days due to high water flow and in other days its normally available.