We were in Sri Lanka for six weeks, visting everywhere from Jaffna to Dondra Head and the places in between, and Strathisla was one of the most memorable places we stayed. With so many Sri Lankan hoteliers going down the Dubai route, it's great to find a place to stay that values Sri Lanka's unique heritage. Strathisla started life as a coffee planter's house (note, not tea. Coffee was the first attempt made to drag money out of the hills) and, though it's hard to believe now, the surrounding slopes were all clear felled for the coffee plantation. That's one of the exceptional things about Strathisla: the planting. Ask Peter, the owner, to talk you through the garden and how he has designed it - he really is an exceptionally gifted garden designer. What's particularly striking is how fecund the soil is. The garden looks mature, but much of it is only a few years old. Which also reminds me to tell you to look out for the book in the lounge which shows, in wonderful photos, how Peter and Mozelle, the owners, transformed the house into what it is today.

We were lucky enough to stay when Peter and Mozelle were there too, (they might be moving permanently to Sri Lanka, but when we left that was still undecided) with their three-year-old son Patrick and baby. They are gracious hosts but don't worry if they're not around, because Jeyakumar and Priya, the husband-and-wife manager and chef for Strathisla, are just as welcoming and Priya ranks as one of the finest cooks we found anywhere in Sri Lanka. Jeyakumar's knowledge of botany is exceptional and the short walk with him into the valley is more informative than the Spice Garden visits that tourists are usually dragooned into.

Strathisla makes an excellent base for day trips to Kandy and the Knuckles (although better for the Knuckles in the dry season, as the rains bring an explosion of leeches), although slow travelling times in the hill country mean that it's not possible to get anywhere much further than Kandy and Peradeniya in a day. It works even better as a base for trips to the southern part of what the tourist board insists on calling the Cultural Triangle although its older and much evocative name is the 'kings' land'; places such as Dambulla and Nalanda Gedige are easily reached from Strathisla, while the the hill country refuge provides pleasantly cooler night time temperatures.

With hotel and guest house prices rocketing, rather unjustifiably in my opinion, in Sri Lanka, Strathisla also provides excellent value for money in comparison to similar places to stay. We only hope the puppy will survive Patrick's attentions!