THIS PAGE COVERS

• Rekawa’s Sanctuary
• Bedroom or Suite
• Everything you need
• Wining & Dining
• Restaurant & Bar
• Menu example
• Christmas & New Year
• Transport
• Swimming
• Children
• Payment
• Free Nights
• Special Needs
• Check In
• Other

Rekawa’s Sanctuary

Inspired by his love of the island and a vision to create a year round sanctuary for himself, Nick Buckingham passionately inspires others to enjoy some of the best that Sri Lanka has to offer. An empty rugged beach, a sleepy village atmosphere and Rekawa’s very own bird and wildlife sanctuary combine adventure with a taste of local culture.

12 highly acclaimed suites & bedrooms benefit from south westerly views down the vast 6km long Rekawa Lagoon – home to abundant birdlife that can be watched from the privacy of your balcony or veranda and, by venturing onto the lagoon in a hotel canoe. With unusually generous proportions and 6 different floor layouts, all suites and bedrooms have been designed with sensitive flair. All harmonise well with the breathtaking natural environment and contribute significantly to the uniqueness of the hotel.

Contrary to the ‘boutique’ hotel norm Buckingham Place is by no means elitist or ‘taking itself too seriously’. Instead, a mood of light heartedness and caring prevails, a mood likely to illicit that feeling of knowing you’ve arrived - at a genuinely friendly and homely place that when the time comes, you’ll be very sad to leave!

Bedroom or Suite?

Rates and classification are not necessarily based on the size of your accommodation or whether it has a TV or not! Rate differentials generally reflect the extent of view over Rekawa Lagoon, a special feature such as an open-air bathroom, or a first floor or secluded location.

 

 

 

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Everything you need...

• Bright & airy space
• Smooth & Cool cement floors
• Air Conditioning
• Shaver Point
• Wi-Fi accessibility
• Drinking water
• White wall interiors
• Mini-fridge & Safety box
• Architectural features
• Soft Seating
• Hairdryer
• Outdoor furniture
• Towels & Toiletries
• Room Service Picnic Menus 
• Rain-Shower & Bathtub (1st floor suites rain-shower only)
• Large (6ft x 6ft 6”) Double Bed with Sprung Mattress/Sumptuous linen
• Rough-cut granite bathroom floors (except 1st floor suites)
• Local network Mobile ‘Phone for ‘out & about’ days
• 220-230v electricity - 3 pin square type sockets
• Handloom Blinds - large picture windows
• Iron & board

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Wining & Dining

Resident guests and visiting diners enjoy the same mouth-watering menu choices in the open-air Pavilion...

Our versatile Kitchen Crew combine fusion and traditional Sri Lankan cuisine with some good old fashioned favourites - all on one, delicious, day-long menu that changes each day over five days. Their ‘signature’ Big Village Breakfast is available to order all day as are snacks, picnics and pots of freshly ground ‘French Press’ Sri Lankan coffee. ‘Planters Five’ our selection of fine connoisseur teas will take you right through your day in the worlds No1 tea country! 

Spirits, Chilled Wine, Ice Cold Beer and the House ‘Arrackito’ are served 10am ‘til midnight (except on religious & public holidays).

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Restaurant & Bar

• Lazy Breakfast served 8.30 ‘til Midday
• Open all day - Breakfasts, Brunches, Lunches & Dinners
• Meals cooked to order - a la carte menus – no buffets
• Relaxed jazz atmosphere & spontaneous evenings
• Open-air dining
• Eclectic menus change daily
• Vegetarian choices
• Originality & interpretations
• Special diets & feasts for 4 or more by arrangement
• International Wines, Ice Cool Beer, local & foreign liquor 10am ‘til midnight
• Easier Access ramp & bathroom
• Intimate 18 – 32 capacity
• Soft lobby area – sociable ‘front room’ atmosphere
• Visa & MasterCard
• Welcoming hungry non- resident guests (by reservation).

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Menu examples (READ MORE)

Christmas & New Year

During the festive season and on special occasions we join tables together and the hotel becomes more sociable than ever! Previously; Christmas Day and New Years Eve can best be described as a fully festive but peaceful, laid back ‘family’ get together - without the obligatory disco!

To ensure continuity and so that our team can devote its energy towards looking after those staying through the festive period there are certain days on which we are regrettably unable to facilitate arrivals and departures.

Options/information

1. Last day for Christmas arrival 23rd December (from 2.30pm) minimum stay 4 nights (23rd to 27th)
2. A per-person supplement of US$95 covers 25th December (Christmas Day)
3. Last day for New Year arrival is 30th December. Minimum stay 3 nights (30th to 2nd January 2013)
4. Departures (by 10.30am) can be facilitated on 23rd/27th/28th/29th & 30th December and from 2nd January
5. A separate per-person supplement of US$95 is charged to cover 31st December (New Years Eve)
6. These separate supplements include; all meals and snacks (excluding alcoholic beverages) served on 25th & 31st December 2013
7. Supplements are charged irrespective of whether guests remain in the hotel or otherwise

Check-in - Our welcome awaits you from 2.30pm onwards.

• Check-out is 10.30am on day of departure unless otherwise agreed.

• In the case of early arrivals/departures our policy is to be as flexible as possible and to not charge extra in either case. Naturally this is dependent upon occupancy levels and prior agreement.

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Transport

Airport transfers and excursions are excluded from our rates but are easily arranged on your behalf through sub-contractors with whom we have negotiated competitive pricing and certain service quality criteria, including air-conditioned vehicles.

• Example @ 1st June 2012: c4.5 hour airport transfer to hotel is Rs.15000 payable directly to your driver. If the Expressway is on your route a modest toll charge is applicable (vehicle only).

• Float-plane air taxis to nearby Dickwella take about 1 hour, transfer from Dickwella takes a further 45 minutes – drivers typically charge cRs.3500 for this transfer. Air taxis are operated by the national airline Sri Lankan.

• Driver accommodation and meals are provided off-site at a nearby village house if required and pre-arranged. Their first night of accommodation plus a meal is free and then charged to your account at a subsidised rate of US$15 per night thereafter.

• Please advise your driver of our address and telephone numbers;
  Buckingham Place. Wellawathugoda Road, Rekawa, Netolpitiya, Near Tangalle.
  Tel. 047 489447 / 0777 407434 / 0783 004394 / 0772 326337

• There are a limited number of hotel location signposts in the vicinity of the hotel so we recommend using the map and directions on the Location page of this website.

• A Tuk-Tuk/Trishaw (with driver) can be arranged for short journeys to/from the hotel. For transporting canoes to/from the lagoon and tours of the area, charges start from cRs.600. 

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Swimming

Rekawa Beach is breathtakingly beautiful and virtually deserted. Sea bathing is not advised within the immediate vicinity of the hotel but a nearby rock pool (c15 minute walk) and much safer beaches are easily accessed by Tuk Tuk.

For cooling off under the sun our modest hotel pool is adequate for most and, not overly challenging!

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Children

Buckingham Place wholeheartedly welcomes quiet children *7 years upwards (maximum of 2) by prior arrangement. (*Recent policy change)

Specific child services, designated areas, waterslides and such like are not featured at the hotel, nonetheless the happiness and wellbeing of a guests’ child is just as important to us as that of its parents and other guests.

We can offer; a suite into which 1 extra bed can be installed in a small, air-conditioned annex room or, a large bedroom into which up to 2 extra single beds can be installed. Each extra bed is charged at US$55 per night including breakfast.

We respectfully ask all parents to consider the tranquil nature of the hotel and the quiet enjoyment of others.

Buckingham Place is predominantly the choice of nature lovers, bird watchers, quiet couples and those in need of complete relaxation - and a peaceful dining experience!! Parents are therefore naturally asked to ensure their child does not use noise emitting devices in common areas of the hotel including the restaurant and does not disrupt the overall calm ambience of the hotel and its garden. Thank you.

Although we would like to welcome children of all ages and have previously done so we have found the hotel, restaurant and garden to be unsuitable for the very young. Parents are reminded that wildlife, our feral pony ‘Ginger’ and some areas of the hotel can be hazardous even to a 7 year old, particularly in view of its tropical jungle setting and remote access location. On arrival we will discuss your child’s eating preferences rather than offer typical ‘kids menus’ then tailor choices and charge sensibly and fairly.

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Payment

Transaction methods at the hotel are, local currency (Sri Lankan rupees), MasterCard & Visa Credit Cards only. Please remember to advise your credit card issuer of your holiday destination.

• Rates include a la carte Breakfast, VAT/local taxes/levies and service.

• Items paid for at the hotel such as your accommodation balance payment, food and beverages are calculated and charged for in Sri Lankan rupees.

• Local currency can be obtained in the airport Arrivals Hall and throughout Sri Lanka (including Tangalle) from ATM’s and banks.

• During the festive season a per person supplement is charged for 25th December and then again for the 31st December irrespective of whether guests remain in the hotel on these days. The supplement includes all meals and snacks served throughout these days excluding alcoholic beverages. The supplement is non- refundable/redeemable and ensures you will not go hungry or miss out on our generosity and festivities!

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Free Nights

Our 'Free Nights' offer is Suite or Bedroom specific. If applicable to your reservation the benefit cannot be transferred to other guests/members of your party or subsequent reservations.

• 'Free Nights' are non-redeemable and non-refundable - in other words they have no monetary value and cannot be used to offset extras or other services provided at or by the hotel.

• 'Free Nights' are subject to availability, offered only to clients reserving in advance and, cannot be used in conjunction with other offers.

• 'Free Nights' are calculated on and available for, nights spent in the hotel between 1st February and 15th December.

• 'Free Nights' are added as the last night (or nights) at the end of your paid period of stay. For example; 4 paid nights are followed by a fifth 'Free Night'.

• If applicable to your stay, the last 'Free Night' allocated is 14th December. The First night to be allocated is 5th February.

• Where 'Free Nights' are not calculated and shown when making an online reservation this means they are not applicable to the reservation or period.

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Special Needs - Easier Access Suite

• Comes with a small air-conditioned ‘aide’ room.

• Your aide shares the main entrance door and bathroom but in all other respects privacy can be maintained.

• Spacious bathing facilities include bathtub (accessible on 3 sides) slightly lower sink/easy tap plus a slightly raised commode with 2 support rails.

• 6ft x 6ft 6” fixed position double bed, wheelchair accessible on 3 sides.

• Suite layout with wide access doors allows wheelchair access throughout and onto the veranda and tends to suit guests with modest mobility restrictions. We naturally provide assistance when asked to though we are untrained to do so. Whilst we offer this suite and easier access facilities at the restaurant there are some uneven surfaces in our garden. Nonetheless, the hotels owner regularly uses a wheelchair around the place himself.

• The suite plus an extra bed if required is charged at normal rates.

• To check availability and suitability of our easier access suite please contact us prior to reservation and arrival.

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Other

Location: Buckingham Place and its Pavilion Restaurant are located in a generally peaceful, remote access rural village approximately 25 minutes from the nearest towns of Ranna and Tangalle. All accommodation overlooks Rekawa Lagoon and the beach is accessed within 2 minutes of leaving the hotel gates, via a short unmade footpath.

• WIFI is accessible in all Bedrooms & Suites and usage is free of charge – please bring your own devices.

• Currently all laundry is outsourced and takes approximately 2 days to be returned. The hotel does not charge for delivery/collection.

• The hotel has been reviewed by food and travel critic Royston Ellis for Sri Lanka's Sunday Times: http://sundaytimes.lk/110814/Plus/plus_09.html

• Numerous complimentary guest reviews and a 100+ photos can be found on the TripAdvisor website and more hotel images can be seen at: http://www.4shared.com/dir/5hriDXax/sharing.html

• A still images video can be viewed at: http://www.4shared.com/video/rZrEtrNk/BP_Visual_CD_-_New_Row_Project.html

• Our natural setting is blessed with an abundance of tropical birds and other interesting wildlife. We respectfully remind visitors to the island that Sri Lanka is a tropical, equatorial destination where one should not be too surprised to meet a fascinating array animals, frogs, geckos, reptiles and insects in and around this hotel or any other - monkeys swinging from our trees is a wonderful and common sight!

• Visas : Tourist and other types of travel visa (known as an Electronic Travel Authorization/ETA) must be applied for and issued prior to your arrival in Sri Lanka through a simple online process. To apply for your ETA please visit www.eta.gov.lk before travel to Sri Lanka.

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