[Merlin]

Next stop is Kandalama Lake (Tank) and hotel an eco-hotel built by Geoffrey Bawa, this hotel has to seen to be believed. The vegitation has reclaimed every external surface. It is constructed into the hillside with wings coming off, the entire hotel is open to the jungle except the bedrooms, bar and dinning area, giving a feeling of a zoo in reverse (the wildlife sits on your balcony observing YOU), lizards stalk moths by the lights in the corridors at night and bats come whistling round the corners.
We really didn't allow enough time here in our whistle stop tour, we decided before we went to mix wildlife and culture (oh and our wedding) so we didn't do very much intense birding/wildlife apart from Yala National Park and Bundala Sanctuary, but really wish we had here. Some highlights were Grey-headed Fish Eagle and the beautiful Brahminy Kite fishing on the Lake plus watching a Tailorbird constructing it nest right beside us at breakfast. Perhaps Indunil would like to fill in the details. We'll just have to go back one day and fill in the gaps specially Horton Plains, Sinharaja Forest and a dozen more I could mention.
1st shot is from the bar terrace looking across one of the wings.
2nd shot is from the hills behind the hotel (middle foreground is the hotel covered in jungle).