Lunuganga

The dream house and magical lakeside gardens of Sri Lanka's most famous architect, now a blissful hotel for those seeking peace and quiet

Lunuganga is, quite simply, a work of art. Its breathtaking gardens are like a suite of serene outdoor rooms, amid the wider wilderness of Sri Lanka; its plantation house is ‘a civilised outpost on the edge of the known world’. The late Geoffrey Bawa, renowned designer of Sri Lanka’s Houses of Parliament, spent 40 years transforming this once abandoned rubber estate - a few miles inland from the island’s west coast beaches - into a tropical idyll, with elegant Italianate gardens, courtyards, lily ponds, walkways, romantic pavilions and inspirational views over Deduwa lake and the surrounding jungle. It was his consummate legacy, the place he dreamed of retiring to.

Run by the non-profit-making Lunuganga Trust, you wouldn’t really call it a hotel. Discerning travellers have the chance to stay in one of 4 antique-filled suites or a two-room cottage, the latter set on the edge of a cinnamon plantation in a secluded corner of the gardens. With a full staff and catering service, this is a privileged opportunity to explore the genius of Asia’s best-known architect, famed for his monochrome motifs, exquisite compositions of light and shade and harmony of landscape and architecture.

Highs

• There are some 15 acres of tranquil gardens - from immaculate lawns of spreading frangipani to a dense jungle of palms and banyans - providing hours of idle wandering right on the doorstep
• The intimate plantation house can take a maximum of 9 guests, with a separate cottage for 4 (with butler service)
• The elegant suites are packed with quirky collections of art and antiques, especially the Gallery Room (it’s truly like spending the night in an art gallery)
• It’s an inspiring place to read, sketch or finish your novel
• Boat trips and bird-watching tours can be arranged

Lows

• Only the main Guest Suite has air conditioning
• No children under the age of 12 are accepted
• There’s no swimming pool, but it’s close to Bentota’s beaches and guests can use a nearby pool
• There’s a lack of comfortable outdoor seating. Sun beds, we’re told, are not in keeping with the Bawa spirit, but we longed for something to lounge on
• Some of the exterior paint and woodwork is a bit grubby, but maintaining the estate is a huge undertaking and weathering is part of its natural order