The Find, Ahangama
The Find is set between two of Ahangama’s surf breaks, Kabalana and Marshmallow; the water practically laps at the foundations. We don’t even have to get out of bed to watch the early birds paddling out – our room on the sixth floor has a private, sea-facing terrace. It’s owned by former-travel photographer Myles Pritchard, who created with the hotel with his partner, artist Kyla Lindholm; during our stay, she has flown in from Costa Rica to create a series of bespoke wall-hangings and surf with new friends she’s met at the hotel.
Over coffee with fresh buffalo milk, we meet a rugby player-turned-breathwork therapist and a freelance developer motorbiking around the island; guests are well-travelled, here to kick back and reconnect. Perhaps inevitably, the place is incredibly photogenic, which doesn’t hurt when your main market is digital nomads. It has a distinctly Moroccan feel, but Pritchard objects to that comparison. ‘Everything in Sri Lanka is made from clay: go into any kitchen, and everyone cooks using clay pots. That’s what inspired the colour.’
Galle Road, Ahangama 80650, Sri Lanka; thefindhotel.com
Palm Hotel, Ahangama
Ahangama’s coast is colourful and chaotic, but The Palm’s quiet, go-slow pace makes for a tranquil off switch from the noise. Despite being 10 minutes from the main beaches, one tuk-tuk driver we meet has never been this far inland, despite living in the area for the best part of four decades. It’s the kind of place that’s best in the small hours of the day; my morning shower – outdoors, surrounded by the sound of the jungle – is observed by a nonplussed, purple-faced langur carrying out his own grooming routine. I don’t see him again until dusk, when his call clashes with that of a wild peacock’s.
At breakfast, we practically have the place to ourselves – before the day-pass crowd wielding laptops and Lululemon arrive. There’s nowhere else to eat nearby, so the hotel could get away with a mediocre menu, but we’re particularly impressed with the food: fragrant, sultana-studded coconut rice becomes our morning staple, accompanied with fresh fruit juice and jam rotis, and we demolish the katsu tofu sandwich at lunch.
Nakanda, Galkadanduwa, Ahangama, Sri Lanka; palmhotelsrilanka.com
Camellia Hills, Hatton
Set deep within tea plantation territory, arriving here feels like arriving at a spa – everyone speaks in hushed tones, and service is deferential and deft. We quickly understand why: the view alone is enough to render you speechless. Lush green hills scored with terraced tea bushes ripple in every direction, leading down to the glassy emerald Castlereigh Reservoir. We stay in the Dickoya suite, which overlooks the lake and the carefully cultivated garden, where herbs and greens are grown for the kitchen.
The food is fittingly fresh and light, but it’s the thoughtful details that make this place extra-special: Damn Fine coffee in the suite, brollies and wellies for downpours, and super-soft bedding in our canopied four-poster… Mornings are too hot to do anything other than laps followed by a lazy breakfast spying on sunbirds; wet afternoons are spent meditating on the sound of rain and watching the lightning. Our fellow guests include a honeymooning couple from Colombo and a retired pair from the UK; no one is in a hurry to do anything much.
Camellia Hills, Dunkeld Estate, Dickoya, Hatton 22000, Sri Lanka; teardrop-hotels.com
Uga Riva, Negombo
If you’ve ever fantasised about taking over one of Eden Villas design-led properties, Uga Riva provides the chance to stay in a colonial-style 19th century wallawwa (manor house), without the hefty price tag. The single-storey building has barely changed in 180 years, merely updated with period pieces (in the garden, there’s a horse-drawn cart previously used by the owner’s grandparents to travel between coconut plantations) 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 Sri Lankan ceremony. An open courtyard is set around a lily pond – the blue lily is the country’s national flower – 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 and take off into the night.
At dinner, we feast on Sri Lankan rice and curry, served with a lime pickle that packs such a punch that my entire face puckers involuntarily. I have better luck at lunch with an eggplant moju wrap; food orders are taken in advance so they can be prepared as fresh as possible, and there’s a flexible attitude to the menu – the chef can effectively prepare whatever you want, if given enough of a heads-up. The coffee is good, the pineapple pastries even better: we ask for extras and stash them in our bags for our flight.
64/1, Thoppuwa, Road, Negombo 11500, Sri Lanka; ugaescapes.com
Amba Yaalu, Kandalama
Women’s equality is very much a work in progress in Sri Lanka, but projects like Amba Yaalu aim to accelerate the shift toward improved inclusion, safety and visibility for women in everyday life. The hotel opened in January 2025 and is the country’s first and only hotel with an all-female staff, placing women at the forefront of hospitality, providing them with jobs and supporting their growth. A solar-powered powerhouse where rooms are named after goddesses, it’s a transformative experience for any traveller – but is (unsurprisingly) popular among solo female travellers.
The grounds are home to a farm and thriving mango plantation, where executive chef Kaushalya Batagoda (one of the country’s only women to hold this title) holds live cooking classes – we learn how to make curry baked in banana leaf, and moringa leaf mallum. On tours of the grounds and excursions in nearby national parks, naturalist and walking encyclopedia Sithumi Devindi points out a paradise flycatcher, crested hawk eagles and Malabar hornbills. Her colleagues pack boxes of nibbles for safaris in a vintage Morris Minor or a boat tour of Kandalama Lake.
Lot 16, Pihilla Mookalana, Katupotha, Kandalama, Sri Lanka; themacollection.com
Wild Coast Tented Lodge, Yala National Park
Hotelier and philanthropist Malik Fernando’s properties have set the standard for sustainability in Sri Lanka’s hotel scene. The ultra-luxe Wild Coast Tented Lodge opened under the Resplendent Ceylon umbrella in 2017 and quickly established itself as a bucket-list booking; a honeymoon big-hitter for couples seeking romance, a sense of adventure and spectacular wildlife – the camp straddles Yala National Park and a secluded stretch of the south coast. Elephants frequently wander through camp; leopards can be spotted on safaris; and Hanuman langurs hang out over the canvas cocoons inaccurately described as tents.
One fellow guest compared the experience to being in a hot air balloon on a world tour; another feigned indignation that the property inspires such curiosity and adventure but doesn’t allow guests to wander the grounds freely (to protect the wildlife – and yourselves – a ranger escorts you to and from your room). Both agreed it was the most romantic place they’d been in Sri Lanka. Even the most reluctant guests will become all-inclusive converts; alongside meals, from lamb with coconut-braised cowpea to yaara tea ice cream, even laundry is included – a relief after a game drive in open-sided Jeeps.
Wild Coast Tented Lodge Palatupana, Yala, Sri Lanka; resplendentceylon.com
Words by: Anna Prendergast
