Paradise Road - The Villa Bentota

A cool designer resort with classy rooms and classic architecture within a whisper of the beach

This was Mohotti Walauwa, a colonial-era, plantation villa peeking at the ocean through groves of slender palms. In the 1970s, Geoffrey Bawa, the island’s most celebrated architect, converted the house into a boutique hotel, Sri Lanka’s first. It became a classic – over time, a faded classic, handed from one new owner to another – and when Shanth Fernando took it over in 2008, he endeavoured to upgrade the building (more space, more glamour, more style) without changing its sense of history or diluting its charm.

The founder of Paradise Road (the Sri Lankan equivalent of Conran), Shanth has transformed the place into a chic, seaside resort; there are 15 beautiful rooms and suites, an elegant restaurant, The Villa Café, a series of salons and courtyards (cocktail bar, gallery, library-like lounge), all in monochrome stripes, black shutters on pristine white stucco, gorgeous natural materials in earthy colours (mud, ebony, ivory, silver and stone) and all overlooking the gardens. In two acres of lawns, shaded with coconut and frangipani, there is a long, lean slate-lined pool. The beach is a just a few minutes’ walk away.

Highs

• A combination of architecture, tropical flora and contemporary style, this is utter perfection - every line, every vista, is beautifully drawn
• A marvellous sense of space: no matter how busy the hotel, you will find a corner to call your own
• The peaceful ambiance, making an idyllic retreat for lovers and romantics
• Dinner by candlelight under a garden pavilion. The food is excellent - and inexpensive, too
• Friendly, helpful staff - efficient without being starchy or formal
• Only 1.5 hours from Colombo

Lows

• The railway line that runs between the gardens and the beach: some guests wave at every passing train, but others are less enamoured by the intrusion (NB this train will not be operating from Aug 2011 to Jan 2012)
• This stretch of beach can accumulate some rubbish, but the section outside the hotel is cleaned daily
• With just 15 rooms, you will have to book early