Exciting times are ahead as we approach the final stretch of our hotel construction at SOLA in beautiful Sri Lanka. A lot has happened since our last update in May, and we’re now just 90 days away from completion—quite a milestone, considering we began this journey 310 days ago!
Construction work has been full steam ahead across all areas, including pavilion, villas, infrastructure and landscaping.
While it feels like everything is coming together, the to-do list seems to be growing longer rather than shorter—a familiar part of any hotel project!
After months of careful selection and sampling, we’ve finalized our agreements with local carpenters. They’re currently hard at work crafting custom interior furniture that will give SOLA its unique and luxurious vibe. We can’t wait to see the final results in place!
As the physical build nears completion, we’re turning our attention to another critical phase: getting SOLA ready to open its doors and welcome guests. Our General Manager will be joining the team in November, and hiring is set to begin soon for the 30+ positions we need to fill. From front desk staff to housekeeping, restaurant crew to maintenance, we’ll be building a diverse team to make SOLA truly special.
Here’s a detailed update what’s been happening on site:
Most of the major structural works have been finalized, which is a big relief. However, getting to this point wasn’t without its challenges. We faced a 4-week delay due to changes in some structural elements. This included:
These adjustments involved reworking technical drawings, getting approvals from our structural engineer, and coordinating with the construction team—but we’re back on track!
One of the most exciting moments so far has been seeing the stainless steel pavilion roof take shape. This gave us the first real glimpse of the Pavilion’s final form, and it’s shaping up to be a stunning centerpiece for the hotel!
Over the past few weeks, a team of carpenters have been hard at work preparing the timber for the pavilion roof rafters—the beautiful beams that will be visible from underneath the pavilion. It’s been amazing to watch local craftsmen carefully prepare and shape the timber on-site, ensuring each piece is ready for installation. Simultaneously, the door frames for the villas are being prepared and installed, another exciting step in bringing the villas closer to completion.
While progress is being made, the weather has been less cooperative. Heavy rains over the past few weeks have delayed our plans to put up the pavilion roof. Beyond halting certain construction activities, the rain also affects our team’s ability to get to the site.
Many of our workers come from nearby villages, often less than an hour away, but the roads are mostly unpaved and made of sand. When it rains heavily, these roads become flooded, making travel impossible. The impact goes beyond our site—local schools also close when heavy flooding occurs, preventing kids from attending classes.
Landscaping work has officially begun at SOLA! Our land spans 12,500 sqm, with a mix of slightly elevated areas and a paddy field. The landscapers have been at work at various parts of our land, and their efforts will continue right up until the final day of construction.
One of the key challenges we’ve been addressing lately is water management, especially around the paddy field. During monsoon season, water levels can rise significantly, so we’ve taken extra precautions to protect the paddy field villas. These villas are built on elevated foundations, and we’ve reinforced them to prevent water from undercutting the structures. We’re also constructing natural drainage channels throughout the property to direct water away, preventing the lower areas from flooding.
At SOLA, we are passionate about celebrating Sri Lanka’s natural beauty. We’ve made it a priority to preserve as much of the Flora & Fauna on our land as possible. Here’s a glimpse of some of the wonderful trees we’ve counted on-site since January 2024:
We love the natural beauty: To truly immerse our guests in nature, we’re adding hundreds of new trees and plants, including banana, orange, avocado, and coffee plants. We’ll also have a dedicated 200 sqm vegetable garden with herbs and pineapples to provide fresh ingredients for our kitchen and bar.
Around the pool area, we’re planting natural grass and creating cozy lounging spots with scattered lounge bags. It’ll be the perfect place to unwind, relax, and soak up the beauty of the landscape – A Green Oasis for Relaxation.
(Pictures – Left: Chameleon / Middle: Ginger / Right: Pepper)
To enhance the experience and connect our guests with nature, we’re preparing a “Walk Around the Premise” guide booklet that will feature the variety of garden species found on the property. Guests can explore the grounds and discover the rich array of plants such as ginger, pepper, cinnamon, coconuts, tea, and more.
We’ve recently planted betel nut palms in the pavilion’s garden area, adding a beautiful and natural touch to the space. These palms are known for their straight trunks and can live for an impressive 60 to 100 years! To make them an integrated part of the pavilion’s design, we’re planning to create a small garden around the palms, which will come to life with greenery and thoughtful landscaping.
In the evenings, the area will be illuminated with garden lights, creating a inviting atmosphere for guests to enjoy while relaxing under the palms.
A few weeks ago, we faced a small setback when a heavy storm swept through the site. The strong winds actually lifted the newly planted palms from their holes because their roots hadn’t grown enough to anchor them yet! But no worries – The palms are now standing strong, and we’re keeping a close eye on them as they continue to take root.
What might sound like a straightforward task actually turned out to be a challenging and time-consuming part of the project. After more than six months of effort (in some cases, this process can take up to 1.5 years), we’ve finally succeeded in getting electricity to SOLA.
The process involved countless discussions with authorities at the electricity board, navigating a lot of bureaucracy, and relying on support from our local partners. Since our property is tucked away 175 meters from the main street in a quiet dead-end road with only two residential houses, we faced a bigger challenge. Unlike areas with more basic infrastructure, we couldn’t just use the existing simple two-phase connection with basic wooden posts. Instead, we had to build a new, more powerful three-phase connection from the ground up, which involved installing three major concrete posts along the entire way.
nThis achievement was a true team effort, and while it caused a few headaches along the way, we’re happy to finally have the power needed to keep pushing forward. With electricity now in place, we’re another step closer to bringing SOLA to life.
After finally getting electricity up and running at SOLA, we’re now making progress on another critical part of the infrastructure – our water connection!
While the process has been a bit smoother than securing electricity, it’s still been a long road. We’ve been working on this for about three months now, and we just received the quote back from the offical water board. In Sri Lanka, many properties rely on wells for their water supply, but for a hotel like SOLA, this isn’t ideal. Well water can get muddy, which could clog up our pipes and systems over time—definitely not what we want!
That’s why we’re securing a direct water connection.
We’re hoping to have it in place in about six weeks, but even once the connection is made, there’s another topic to take care of:
In Sri Lanka, the government regulates water supply, only providing it about three times a week. To ensure that SOLA runs smoothly and that no one has to worry about a lack of water, we’re installing 25,000-liter water tanks. These tanks will store enough water to keep our operations going between government-supplied deliveries. So rest assured—there’ll be plenty of water for everyone to enjoy their showers and pool time!
Our villas are moving forward, and we’ve completed almost all the “hidden” work—this includes the electrical installations, wiring, and embedding toilets and showers. We’re now entering the exciting finishing stage! Each villa will feature a jungle bathroom garden, providing guests with a unique jungle shower experience. We’ve already planted the first sample gardens, giving them enough time to grow and flourish before we welcome our first guests in February 2025.
There’s still a lot to be done before the villas are fully completed. The first finishing touch will be the terrazzo floors, which have already been laid in nearly all the villas.
From November onwards, our team will be on-site to focus on the final stage of construction. During this time we will be having the first sample villa completely finished.
See some pictures of the progress in the pictures below.
