A hotel of character and star-class, set in an emerald teascape 6,800 feet above sea level, only six degrees from the Equator. In the mountain range, which gave the world Pure Ceylon Tea, the hotel began as a factory built in the days of the British Raj. It has been converted so that much of the original style and machinery remains, a reminder of the past in perfect blend with innovations of the present.

To stay at the Tea Factory is to experience a hotel like none other. Step into its reception, and you are where the factory's leaf drying process was carried out. The atrium is latticed with steel and at its top, two giant wooden fans capped with brass remind you that the bedrooms are on floors that used to be the withering lofts. The tea packing room is now the hotel's popular bar. Where tea was sifted and graded is the hotel's fine restaurant of class; its modern kitchen used to be the engine room.

The cuisine is definitely "my cup of tea", whatever your preference. The withering lofts have been transformed into 57 bedrooms of cosy, carpeted comfort. Wood is the main material used, with doors, shelves and cupboards (plenty of them) left in their natural colours. The windows remain as they were in their original square wooden frames and these provide a glorious view from any bedroom or bathroom. Each bathroom has a bathtub and shower. Every bedroom is heated and has a built-in dressing table with wrap around mirrors, and beds designed for a perfect night's sleep. The view from the rooms at the front of the hotel is a wonderful panorama of tea and at its rear, a peaceful pastoral scene of hamlets, hills and forest, as well as more tea meets your gaze.