Reef Villa and Spa

Romantic, tropical hotel filled with original colonial antiques, set on a stunning beach on Sri Lanka’s southwest coast

Husband-and-wife team Brendan and Bernadette pooled their skills as architect and designer to create this stylish hotel on a beautiful section of Sri Lanka’s coastline. Set amid lily ponds and fringed by an exotic garden of frangipani and hibiscus, it has a calming view onto the Indian Ocean, only interrupted by swaying coconut trees.

Self-confessed antique hunters, the owners filled Reef Villa with their Sri Lankan and Southern Indian collection, showcasing the opulence of the colonial era with heavy carved doors, deep verandas and cool marble floors. The 7 high-ceilinged suites pair traditional colonialism with modern, comfortable fittings - intricate four-poster beds dating back to 1850 (when they were built for the British Raj) are now dressed in 400-thread count sheets. Dressing rooms resemble a mini museum stuffed with ceremonial objects, yet in the lavish bathrooms, huge granite tubs gleam like modernist sculptures.

Outside, the cerulean pool beckons, and come dusk the Reefresh spa is perfect for an almond oil massage. Reserve evenings for a seafood dinner under a canopy of stars: this is a routine you won’t tire of.

Highs

• Serene spa: recommended is the clay cocoon followed by an essential oil bath sprinkled with frangipani
• Fabulous food with an emphasise on seafood: think lobster thermidor, crab ravioli, grilled fish and prawn curry
• Indulgent champagne bar and good wine list
• Vast suites with sumptuous bathrooms; some have their rain shower in a leafy outdoor garden
• Polite, happy and attentive staff with good conversational English, who can't do enough for you

Lows

• Informative brochures, special offers and notices (all monogrammed with the Reef logo) seemingly cover every surface
• During monsoon season there are strong undercurrents in the sea, so it's not safe to swim May-July
• No good restaurants or shops within walking distance, so if you want a change of scene, you'll need to take a tuk-tuk