The Thinnai
Jaffna back with luxury holidays
Exhausted of venturing to the same holiday destination over and over? Bored of the orthodox uninteresting vacations and places? Then Jaffna Peninsula is just the destination for Sri Lankan travellers. Jaffna is not a traditional over-commercialised or over-publicised vacation spot. However that’s part of Jaffna’s unique allure- it remains an area of un-spoilt beauty, that’s fairly new to the travel and tourism circuit of Sri Lanka. Travellers now have the choice of luxury express train or coach from Colombo instead of strenuous 10 hour drive of 400 long kilometres to Jaffna. Holiday-makers can take one of several trains to Jaffna, the fastest of which is the intercity express with limited-stop ride that covers 410 kms from Mount Lavinia in just 6.5 hours. It offers air-conditioned first class compartments too for a very reasonable price.
Once you do get to Jaffna, there’s a neverending list of potential sites and spots to explore, so do plan your trip out and allocate a few days for your northern adventure. But do not forget that it can get extremely hot during the current days, and plan accordingly. But the rainy weather is around the corner according to the Met Department.
Jaffna is fast becoming a popular tourism destination in the country. Not only recovering from three decades of war but from the Covid pandemic, Jaffna is steadily transforming into a magnet for tourists, serving up infusions of different cultures. The peninsula is loaded with hundreds of attractions and interesting places to offer visitors.
With the travel time getting shorter with the luxury train travel, the lodging facilities too in the city have improved from basic to star class accommodation. Jaffna has a few three to four star properties and ‘The Thinnai Jaffna’ is the very first five star standard hotel in the city. The Thinnai Hotel Jaffna, the region’s largest and only all-suite luxury boutique hotel, has opened to public after the pandemic, maintaining all health guidelines and adding many new features.
Owned and operated by Thinnai Group of Hotels, a member of the St Antony’s Group, the hotel offers 39 luxury suites with 58 rooms including 7 rooms with a Jacuzzi. Built on a five-acre land, the hotel has a large swimming pool, modern gym, several indoor sports plenty facilities of including open spaces a pool to table relax. and
Palaly ‘The Road, Thinnai’, Thirunelveli located at and in close proximity to Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil and Sri Nagavihara International Buddhist Centre, is the first and the only ‘all suite boutique hotel’ in the Province. Just two kilometers from the busy vibes of Jaffna town, Jaffna Archaeological Museum and Royal Palace Ruins are just five minutes away from the hotel.
Imaginatively resembling the distinctive ‘Thinnai’ (verandah) homes of Jaffna, ‘The Thinnai Hotel’ is designed to emulate terraced homes which naturally prompt the mindset of warm hospitality where rest, relaxation and rejuvenation are a requirement.
All the suites at the hotel which come in six different configurations, starting with the ‘Vaalai’ offering a single bedroom suite with a private balcony or verandah along with ‘Panai’ (banana), ‘Thennai’ (coconut), ‘Thamarai’ (lotus), Nelli and ending with the ‘Mallihai’ (Jasmine), with two bedrooms, two washrooms, a verandah, a balcony, a kitchen, and a private jacuzzi.
"As our motto is ‘rest, relax, reunite’, ‘The Thinnai’ is a family hotel. We always prefer to offer our accommodation to family units, as the hotel is built for serving the family needs" said Norman De Jonk the General Manager of the Hotel.
The single and two bedroom suites are generously appointed with a well-furnished living area, a private Thinnai or a balcony, choice of beds (twin/queen/king), sofa bed, LED televisions with cable TV in the living space and both bedrooms, two washrooms with hot and cold water, tea/coffee making facilities, wardrobes in both bedrooms, iron and ironing board, a large refrigerator, electronic safe, and a kitchen equipped with an induction cooker, microwave oven and toaster.
The Presidential Suite (Mallihai) has a private Jacuzzi overlooking the green valley of the property. Nelli is Deluxe Suites unit, which have their own private balcony, a Thinnai (verandah) overlooking a private garden. Flat-screen TVS come with cable channels, and guests can stay connected with free Wifi. Other standard amenities include mini bars and coffee makers. ‘The Thinnai’ offers specialty dining experience to its guests. Executive Chef Kosala Bandara, with years of experience behind him, is the master of Sri Lankan cuisine specialised in Jaffna culinary secrets. ‘Jaffna is famous for seafood and varied traditional Tamil preparations of authentic cuisine vegetarian and non veg. Our chicken dishes are from village fowl and we don’t serve broilers. Seafood is also straight from the beach and we do not serve any frozen seafood’ Chef Kosala said.
The Thinnai has four restaurants-‘amudham’ is the main dining restaurant, ‘Thulaa’, 24 hour coffee shop, ‘Kottil’, the Juice Bar and
‘Saaral’ bar and lounge. Serving aromatic and flavourful preparations from Jaffna and India, the Amudham Restaurant brings to life the distinct and tantalising tastes of this region’s unique and indigenous spices for guests to experience. ‘Thulaa’ popular with snacks and beverages, offers a selection of international and Sri Lankan favourites. "Butler service is our main attraction.
We serve mostly fresh organic fruits and veges from our Thinnai Organic Farm. Authentic Jaffna cuisine is very popular with travellers from the South" Norman said.
"Whether it’s a walkabout in the city experiencing the sights and sounds of Jaffna or a journey of discovery in this citadel of Hindu tradition, art and culture, The Thinnai Travel Desk offer various tours and excursions to enjoy the unspoilt beauty of Jaffnaand the adjacent interesting destinations of Mannar, Mullaitivu and other cities" added Norman.
The room rate at ‘The Thinnai’ range from Rs.17,000 (FBD- Single room suite) to Rs 68,000/(FB five pax twin room suite).