Shopping for homes in Sri Lanka? If you don’t have to move right now, you can stop your search right now. There’s a remarkable, new residential property in the Central Province being planned that is fast attracting locals, foreign investors and Sri Lanka’s expats—at least those who want to have luxe digs when they return home for social and business matters. Is there a reason this particular community is getting so much attention? The answer is yes–and for myriad reasons. Its location is excellent, construction is top of the line and amenities surpass anything the Kandy community has seen in the past. Appropriately named Dynasty Kandy, this hot new address is worth a look-see if your plans to relocate will wait until next year.
An idyllic kingdom. Fiction writers work hard to conceive descriptions of lush landscapes, natural wonders and scenery that take readers from their own less-than-bucolic surroundings to places of fantasy and wonder, but Kandy didn’t have to work hard to earn a reputation for being a unique and beautiful place that beckons travelers and settlers alike. This is, after all, the last capital of ancient Sri Lankan kings, nestled into scenic hills that border the Kandy plateau, home to tropical plantations and sacred places of worship. For Buddhists, The Temple of the Tooth is a must-make pilgrimage, but for those who reside in Kandy, that’s just the beginning of the attractions that lead to UNESCO declaring the area a world heritage site in 1988. For these reasons and more, developers expect Dynasty Kandy to intrigue renters enough to snap up apartments soon after opening.
Live amid history. No memorable city is without origin myths and Kandy is no exception, though there are several background stories surrounding the area’s name and you can choose the one you like best. Some historians credit a Brahmin named Senkanda for lending his name to the area. His humble residence wasn’t a luxe apartment but a primitive cave. Other historians believe that Senkanda was an alternate name for fabled Queen Vikramabahu III while a third tale attributes Kandy’s name to the coloured gemstone Senkadagala. You don’t have to believe any of these stories, but it is fun to imagine such beginnings harkening back to around 1300 CE if you’re thinking of a future rental at the Dynasty Kandy. Royal blood lines, palace intrigue, power struggles and regime changes came and went for 2500 years until conquests by western nations like Portugal, the Netherlands and England temporarily put an end to homeland rule—a fact that’s intriguing to think about if you plan to make this area your new home.
Why settle in Kandy? Perhaps the question you should be asking when you consider renting property in Sri Lanka is, why not settle here? A homogeneous population of 125,000+ people of all faiths—primarily Sinhalese, Moors and Tamils–live amid the splendor, green hills and waterways that distinguish this area from other Sri Lankan regions. Less than 12,000 square miles in size, the Kandy area has been proclaimed a tropical rainforest by climatologists and as a result, the landscape is perpetually gorgeous. Year-round temperatures are comfortable (between 18 and 28 degrees Celsius), as the worst that can be said about the climate is that light rain and humidity during the inter-monsoonal period can be uncomfortable. Paradise? You may think you’ve found it at the Peradeniya Botanical Garden. Rent an apartment at Dynasty Kandy and you can visit daily if you like without having to give up your career, since Kandy is second only to Colombo as a Sri Lankan economic hub.
A development suited to royalty. It’s no mystery why GVR Lanka Chairman Mahasen Samaravijaya bought the first penthouse on the market at Dynasty Kandy: when it comes to apartments in Sri Lanka, he likes being a groundbreaker and pioneer. But there’s nothing pioneering about the luxe life he will enjoy as the first sky-high resident of this luxurious building once it’s complete. With views of the Mahaweli River, the expatriate wasn’t fazed by the Rs. 175 million price tag because he knows his real estate, found the apartment house to be unlike any other and suspected that once Sri Lankans based overseas learn about it, units would be grabbed up. The Dynasty is ideally located and convenient and once a proposed airport and expressway are complete, property values could escalate even further, making this an investor’s dream.
Dynasty amenities are unparalleled. At 18 stories, the Dynasty Kandy is engineered for comfort, convenience and innovation, featuring amenities even upscale private houses in Kandy rarely include. The building is tall enough to look imposing amid the region’s skyline, but not so tall that it interrupts the natural beauty of the landscape. Never before has a jogging track been designed to wrap around a building’s rooftop, but the Dynasty track is just one of the surprises awaiting residents that also include a four-hole golf putting range on the rooftop, too. There is to be parking for 114 vehicles (plus handicap access features) and for future stressed residents eager to leave the cares of the world behind, a short walk to the fourth floor will bring renters to the infinity swimming pool overlooking the Mahaweli River below.
Primed for economic success. Would the Kandy Dynasty have attracted buyers a few years ago? Perhaps. But what makes it eminently desirable today is a changing world with advanced telecommunications and heightened interest in Sri Lankan real estate that has attracted US$ 26 million in U.S. investor money alone to launch and develop the Dynasty. As one of the movers and shakers driving this real estate capitalization, Chandra Mohan projects nothing but success in the years ahead as this prime example of 21st Century of Sri Lankan residential development stands apart from other residential building start-ups. Retirement potential? Absolutely. That’s the reason for the focus on handicap enhancements and the rationale behind the design innovated by RDC Architects of Singapore. With foundations already in works, investors remain committed to opening the Dynasty at the end of 2015.
Practice patience. Your appetite may be whetted for the Dynasty after reading developer plans, but until units are ready to be rented, you must be content to wait, keep an eye on the work site if you live in Kandy, stay in touch with news sources and, of course, keep tabs on Ikman.lk, the website that keeps Sri Lankans connected via classified ads that include contemporary real estate posts. Even if you are convinced Dynasty homes have your name written all over the lease, even the aforementioned Mohan and Samaravijaya must bide their time until construction is finished. While you wait, browse Ikman.lk for furnishings. After all, once you’ve got a place, you’ll need furnishings and décor touches so friends and relatives visiting your new place have somewhere to sit once you’ve moved in!
