To follow up this, we thought it would be interesting to compare how Old Ceylon has evolved into the New Sri Lanka over the last century using photographic imagery.

To start us off, here is a picture of Pettah, in Colombo:

And here are some other wonderful examples of how Old Ceylon has become New Sri Lanka…

Galle Face Hotel, Colombo

Air Ceylon

York Street, Colombo

Khan Clock Tower, Colombo

Colombo Harbour

We will be posting more of these soon

What a name- the Last House?! This enchanting villa is so named (only in Ceylon!) as it is the famous Geoffrey Bawa’s last architectural masterpiece, if not his grandest. The Last House is located on the south coastline near Tangalle, a long six hour drive from Colombo- so we do recommend you break up the journey on your way. The villa is positioned on an idyllic strip of land with a lagoon on one side and long white sand beach on the other.

Geoffrey Bawa perhaps needs no introduction to those are familiar with Sri Lankan cultural history, renowned for his mix of eclectic and modern architectural styles. The layout of this, his last project, is shaped like a horse-shoe, with kitchen, living rooms and courtyard bedrooms surrounding the idyllic swimming pool on three sides.

The advantage of this design is that while the various verandas, dining and sitting rooms are well-suited to social occasions, the property also offers privacy to friends or generations of a family. At the back of the main building there is a lovingly-tended garden with an expansive stretch of lawn leading down to the beach.

There are four double bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, as well as a twin and a single that share a bathroom. Bedrooms are beautifully furnished, airy and light. The rooms can comfortably accommodate up to 11 guests.

Master Bedroom: situated on the upper floor with a balcony overlooking the pool and the sea beyond, this is an exquisite suite furnished with a king size bed. The ensuite bathroom has a Victorian bathtub and shower.

Family Room: Located upstairs and has twin beds with an attached second room with both sharing one bathroom.

Turquoise Room: Located on the ground floor opening out to the gardens and the sea beyond, this is a spacious room with a private garden and ensuite bathroom. The room is furnished with a king size bed.

White Room: Situated on the ground floor next to the Turquoise room, this also has sea views and a private garden.

The living and dining areas overlook the 10-meter swimming pool. The interiors are tastefully designed with a mix of antiques and contemporary furniture, local art and artifacts. The many courtyards, verandas and balconies offer much privacy and many secluded spaces for guests to relax in. Local rice and curries and western dishes are served according to guest’s wishes in the gardens, the main dining room or in your own private courtyard or balcony.

As Flee Winter says quite rightly:

“Some may feel a little isolated this far round the coast, so it is important to bring company and entertainment with you. The Last House is absolutely perfect for family gathering and friendly reunions. No local restaurants or gift shops to pop out to.“

There is a full complement of staff, including an excellent chef. Unlike most villas, the Last House is sold on an “all-inclusive” basis with a per person fee charged each day for three meals and all your beverages, including house wine Prices come in at around $1,000 per night for the whole villa and in this case we recommend booking directly with the villa.

In a previous post, we featured Helga’s Folly, our pick for an unusual place to stay in Kandy. However, this is not everyone’s cup of tea and many people do find it lacks the necessary comforts. And so here we feature our second top choice in Kandy: Kandy House. Even if you do stay at Helga’s Folly and have the time, this beautiful boutique hotel is evidently well worth checking out. The hotel is located 12km from the center of Kandy and about a three and a half hour drive from Colombo airport. It is extremely tastefully and elegantly decorated and set amidst an authentic jungle.

Formerly the grand ancestral home of one of Kandy’s most influential aristocratic families, Kandy House sits on 6 acres in a quiet village area close to Kandy. Filled with antique furniture, there are nine suites set around a central two storied courtyard and a ninth room in the garden. From the veranda where guests have breakfast and dinner, the garden descends to a palm fringed infinity pool designed in the shape of a traditional paddy field.

Kandy House was restored in a style that combines classical Kandyan period architecture with Dutch colonial furnishings and a soft, colorful and elegant finish. Large shady verandas, double hammocks and tropical lawns encourage one to find a comfortable and quiet corner to relax or read. Kandy House is a good base to explore Kandy and its surroundings: the botanical gardens, the Temple of the Tooth and the magnificent Victoria Golf and Country Club.

The menu is comprised of Oriental, Western and Sri Lankan specialties. Favorites include sugarcane prawns, juggary-cured tuna, jak seed gnocchi, chocolate-chili-cinnamon pudding and homemade durian ice cream. Everything is bought fresh from local markets each day. Breakfast and dinner is served on your own veranda or in the dinning veranda overlooking the garden. Dinner is always preceded by cocktails in the Butterfly Bar on the courtyard. Madhur Jaffry, the renowned connoisseur of Eastern food, once said: “I could settle down and live here!”

As this is one place that we haven’t actually stayed in ourselves (although we have heard great things from friends), we thought that we’d do a bit of digging up of travel reviews. 90% are excellent, for example this review from Trip Advisor:

The Kandy House is set in the hills in Kandy and is a beautiful colonial house. There is no air conditioning but I do think this would detract from the overall feel of the place if it were there. The fan in the room above the bed should be enough to keep you cool and in the early morning we found ourselves covering up as the area cooled in the shade of darkness. The house only has 8 rooms but each has its own style. We went for the big veranda room with a four poster bed, separate study/lounge area, veranda and victorian roll-top bath with separate shower. the room looks and feels lovely. The whole place has a really relaxed feel and the food is superb. On the day we left we had to be up early to travel to Colombo for our flight. The staff had made up a breakfast pack for us with water, fruit and delicious sandwiches.

There are a few games set up for the guests to play. We discovered one that looked a bit like draughts but involved flicking the pieces into pockets. two of the staff came over and saw we were struggling a bit so they gave us a great lesson in how to play the game. It feels like a family place rather than staff/guests/management. Everyone who was there seemed completely chilled out. Try out the pool, loungers and swing at the back of the house.

Sri Lankans are relaxed, friendly people and both this and the Fortress in Galle had picked the best staff possible. Really enjoyed my stay!

The 10% of negative comments seem to be in regard to two things- firstly that no children under twelve years old are allowed to stay and secondly those guests who missed having an aircon. So either of these two things are prerequisites for you, don’t stay at Kandy House. Many actually liked having no aircons and found the fans ample for cooling, and of course there are those discerning luxury travelers who couldn’t be happier to know that there will be no screaming children about

Rates for the nine suites vary hugely, as each one is different, but approximately you should expect to spend from $200 – $350 per night. As usual, we recommend contacting the hotel directly to make your booking.

In a previous post, we gave our top accommodation pick for Colombo: Park Street. If that happens to be full or you fancy something a little different, here is our second top pick for a boutique hotel in Colombo to suit the luxury traveler: Casa Colombo. This hotel is very conveniently and centrally located down a private lane just off the Galle Road.

Casa Colombo is a stunningly restored 200 year old Moorish mansion originally built by one of the wealthiest Indian trading families of the time. Combining old world charm with contemporary design, Casa is a tribute to the creative talents of its owner: Lalin Jinasena who innovatively custom designed everything from the cutlery and crockery to the furniture and fabrics- solely using craftsmen and materials from Sri Lanka. With no reception desk, Casa Domos personally look after you during your entire stay by taking care of any needs that may arise be it getting you a poolside drink, taking you on a city tour or sending an important business fax.

While Casa Colombo retains the fabulous Moorish architectural style that includes charming mosaic floors, it is unconventionally infused with an edgy personalized design that blends contemporary furniture, vibrant colors and the very latest technology. Space is an added luxury in each of the highly individualized suites while perhaps the most striking feature of the hotel is the pink mosaic swimming pool that could easily be the only one of its kind in the world! Glass and cement canopied day beds beside it come with two tune selectors for chilling in the tropical sun ideally with a glass of the CASA Nova signature cocktail.

A fabulous choice of restaurants and bars for such a small hotel means that you get to dine out every night, however Colombo’s finest are all at your doorstep. With such a central location in the capital- Casa has easy access to the city’s shopping and cultural attractions, while the hotel has a private spot on Mt Lavinia Beach for the exclusive use of Casa guests.

There are twelve suites all lavishly restored. Our favorite suite (if you’re feeling flush!) is the luxurious Royal Suite with its jacuzzi in the balcony- which will set you back about $400. Alternatively, book the Ebaneza Corporate Suite (which is the most spacious of its kind) for approx. $250. You can get one of the smaller suites for around $150, but then if you’re looking to travel Sri Lanka on a budget- you’re reading the wrong blog

As usual, we recommend contacting the hotel directly to book a room to cut out any middle men- they’ll appreciate it and are more likely to give you a better deal or at the very least take special care of you!

The gardens at Lunuganga are a rare tropical Eden created by Geoffrey Bawa, Sri Lanka’s most influential architect. And what started out as an abandoned rubber estate, is now one of the most unique places to stay in the country. Over a span of 50 years, Bawa lovingly made this enchanting house and it’s gardens his spiritual home, which is known today as his most personal life’s work. The intriguing estate in the coastal town of Bentota has interesting history of evolution:

Bawa never kept a systematic record of the evolution of the garden and its chronology is now hard to unravel. One fascinating diary of events is provided by a large leather-bound visitors’ book containing a plethora of photographs and sketches as well as signatures and greetings: in 1965 Ulrik Plesner reflects on the problems of the Hilton project; in 1966 Ismeth Raheem records having seen over forty species of bird during one afternoon; in 1973 Donald Friend leaves a doodle of his museum on Bali; in 1997 President Kumaratunga approves the designs of her new Official Residence; and in 1998 Prince Charles drops in for tea.

Perhaps the most memorable visit of all, however, was on 3 January 1988 when a friend called Ray Wijewardene flew down from Colombo in a microlight and, misjudging his landing, crashed into the main roof of the bungalow.

Today, magazines like GQ and Conde Nast Travel have called the property one of the best “boutique hotels” in the country, but what makes it so special is not its luxurious edge, but its historical significance, its tranquility, its unique artistic temperament – both refined and wild.

Lunuganga is an artist’s retreat for most of the year, where The Bawa Trust invites selected artists to stay and soak in the inspiration.

But even if you’re not an artist, you can get a taste of the Bawa experience from December to April, when the chic Lunuganga resort is open for a brief spell to the public, now run by Geoffrey Dobbs, the man behind many of Sri Lanka’s best boutique hotels. The gardens are rather large in 25 acres of lush greenery in the Italian style, owing to the years Bawa spent in Italy, which they say, led him to dream of creating a civilized Italian garden in the wilderness of Sri Lanka’s coast.

Guests staying here will delight in the unexpected delights the gardens have to offer – from romantic loggias and courtyards, to secret areas, pretty ponds and stunning views – of jungles, paddies and a lake – all perfect for picnics or quiet contemplation. While the outdoor spaces merge with indoor spaces, the overall style of the accommodations are startlingly simple – probably so as not to deter from the glory of the gardens.

Still, it is done with the utmost style, and together with the superb food and drink (try the bracingly delicious Lunuganga Sour and the comfort food prepared by non other than Bawa’s cook Catherine), the six ensuite bedrooms spread out from the main house to Bawa’s studio, to the house on Cinnamon Hill, are all elegantly and comfortably furnished, with private butlers at your disposal.

Lunuganga is two hours drive from Colombo and prices start at just £155. For more information or to book your stay, contact the Geoffrey Bawa Trust or various travel companies like Sri Lanka in Style. But before you do, here’s something by David Robson who wrote Geoffrey Bawa: The Complete Works:

In 1948 as Sri Lanka was shaking off the shackles of empire, a young man dreamt of making a garden. Today the garden is in its prime but, after the passage of over fifty monsoons, Sri Lanka has lost its innocence and the young man has grown old. As he sits in his wheelchair on the terrace and watches the sun setting across the lake it may be that he reflects on his achievement. Perhaps the garden had simply been waiting there for him to discover it beneath a canopy of jungle?

But this is a work of art, not of nature: it is the contrivance of a single mind and a hundred pairs of hands working together with nature to produce something that is ’supernatural’. What should become of this magic world? Ought it to be frozen or preserved? Ought it to become a national monument maintained by bureaucrats and trampled over by thousands of souvenir-hunting tourists? Better by far to let the jungle swallow it up than to see it turned into a travesty of its former self.

One of the finest things you can do when visiting Sri Lanka on a luxury tour is to head up north to Elephant Corridor. It’s an experience that you won’t forget and is truly “five star” (so often said…so rarely true!). The hotel is located in Sigiraya, which is in the “cultural triangle” or the “central region” of Sri Lanka, about a four drive north from Colombo.

Surrounded by thousands of acres of jungle, the Elephant Corridor Luxury Boutique Hotel offers you scintillating views of the nearby picturesque lake, the “Kandalama Hills” and the magnificent Sigiriya Rock Fortress.

Sigiriya is known for its ancient monastery, a World Heritage Site: the “Mount of Remembrance“:

The enchanting Rock Fortress of Sigiriya is an impregnable fortress, a monastic retreat, and a rock art gallery. Built in 5th century AD to fend off a feared invasion, it is situated atop a 200m (656ft) high rock, and at the height of its glory must have been akin to a European chateau plonked on top of Uluru. There are water gardens, 5th century rock paintings of well endowed damsels, a 1000-year-old graffiti wall recording visitors impressions of the pin-ups, a couple of enormous stone lion paws and tremendous views.

The boutique hotel that is Elephant Corridor, while quite Aman in concept, is truly unique. Each room offers completely individual accommodation that is completely private and away from other guests. The rooms are not so much “rooms” as “jungle huts”- each with private plunge pools, private gardens and dining facilities where one can enjoy a private barbecue. All 21 suites have fantastic views, as well a lot of very nice touches: kimonos, hammocks, Egyptian cotton bed linen, breakfast-in-bed-trays, easel with papers and colours, allergy free pillows, down pillows, Egyptian cotton towels, designer vanity units and even binoculars. There is also special accommodation for honeymooners and those on a romantic getaway in the honeymoon suite.

With its all-suite concept of luxury accommodation, the Elephant Corridor Luxury Boutique Hotel, Sigiriya, allows you the luxury of relaxation in absolute privacy. Pamper yourself by dining on a private terrace with garden. Take a dip in your own private plunge pool. Unwind with a drink at your en-suite bar. Or, perhaps, just lie in bed and gaze across the jungle plain at the Sigiriya rock on the horizon.

Elephant Corridor also has a wonderful spa, where guests can avail of a “Personalized Intensive Regeneration Programme“, based on “General Principals Of Ayurveda and Panchakarm“. The dining at the hotel is also excellent- aside from the aforementioned in-suite dining, there is also a very tasty all-round menu at the Ambrosia Restaurant, as well as light dishes and drink at the “Ebony & Ivory” jungle bar and the “Fables & Tales” Library bar.

Of course one doesn’t go to Elephant Corridor just to stay inside all day and one the main positives of staying there are the many activities and excursions on offer. These include bird watching, nature walks, elephant rides, archery and some adventurous tours to the local Minneriya and Kaudulla National Parks, the Ritigala Ancient Gardens, the Golden Temple at Dambulla and of course to the Sigiriya Rock Fortress.

We guarantee that we will never forget your stay at Elephant Corridor- it is truly enchanting and the staff will look after your every need (you will have a private butler) from the moment you arrive to the moment that you leave. “How much will it cost?” we hear you asking. Rates are from approx. $450 – $500 per night. Do email the hotel first, though, to see if you can get a special rate. You will need at least three nights to really take full advantage of all that is on offer.