If you’ve fantasised about taking over one of Eden Villas’ gorgeous design-led properties, Uga Riva provides the chance to stay in a colonial-style 19th-century wallawwa, or manor house, without the hefty price tag. The single-storey building has barely changed in 180 years, merely updated with period pieces and design by Nayantara Fonseka.
On arrival, we’re presented with a betel leaf, a symbol of good fortune, and invited to light an oil lamp in a traditional Lankan ceremony. An open courtyard is set around a lily pond that leads through to the swimming pool and seven large, luxurious rooms. We take a dip at dusk and are completely captivated by the flying foxes that skim the surface.
At dinner, we feast on Sri Lankan rice and curry, served with a punchy lime pickle. Lunch is an eggplant moju wrap; food orders are taken in advance so they can be prepared as fresh as possible.
Many guests are passing through Negombo on their way in or out of Sri Lanka – we squeeze in a morning swim on Negombo Beach, where we find an improbably quiet stretch of sand with virtually no other tourists. Uga Riva is just 30 minutes from the airport, making for a lovely place to land, or from which to leave. The coffee is good, the pineapple pastries even better: we ask for extras and stash them in our bags for our flight.
Anna Prendergast is a London-based writer specialising in sustainability, travel, luxury and lifestyle
