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23 Palms is designed along the lines of a Dutch period bungalow with high roofs, arched doorways, columns and verandahs. The cooling ocean breeze and the tropical sun seeps through the slatted timber doorways that surrounds the villa making it light and airy within. The interiors are a tasteful blend of American, European and Asian art and furniture.
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Aditya is another must-have property in Sri Lanka’s increasingly impressive boutique market. This 12-suite hotel sits on a secluded stretch of beach in Rathgama, midway between the hedonistic beach resort of Hikkaduwa and the historic old town of Galle, and oozes class and style. It suites are so impressive some guests never leave them.
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Youthful surfers, Colombo ex-pats and independently-minded travellers have grown to love the genial, laid-back atmosphere encouraged by the Norwegian owners. An airy café-style eating area opens onto palm-fringed gardens with sun loungers, hammocks strung between trees, short, medium and long surf boards for hire, and the beach a few metres away.
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Alankuda Beach is a tranquil eco-retreat designed with an elegant, deliberately rustic style on Sri Lanka's sparsely populated north-west coast. Its wattle-and-daub cabanas lie amidst swaying palms, sandy beaches and the ocean which is home to dolphins and whales during the season. A stunning infinity pool is a concession to modern comforts.
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Amanwella is set in a mature coconut grove fronting a crescent shaped beach near the village of Tangalle. This is a super-luxurious and chic escape developed and managed by the exclusive Aman Group, and already recognized as one of Sri Lanka’s leading beach property. Amanwella has 30 contemporary suites, each with their own private pool and terrace.
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Amaya Reef is a reliable mid-market beach hotel in Hikkaduwa, a chilled-out resort which sprang to prominence as a favourite haunt on the Sixties backpacker trail and is regaining its youthful, informal feel, with one of the best surfing beaches in Sri Lanka and a scattering of decent beachside bars, restaurants and sporadically-appearing nightclubs.
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Ambalama, located 7kms south of Galle, is a stylish Sri Lanka beach villa on a pristine beach at Dahawela. It has four bedroom suites situated either side of an infinity pool with uninterrupted views of the Indian Ocean. Enter the house across stepping-stones over a water pool and into an open-plan sitting-cum-dining area. White terrazzo floors and high ceiling encourages cool airflow.
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Amor Villa is a homely holiday bungalow on the fringe of Unawatuna on Sri Lanka's Galle coast. A heritage bungalow with an additional new wing offers comfortable beachside accommodation at a reasonable price.
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Apa Villas is a delightful, small boutique hotel, consisting of three separate villas, by a coral beach in Thalpe, a few miles south of Galle, It was named after Hans Hoefer, the founder of the Apa Guides – later to become the Insight Guides – and his photographer’s eye has ensured another Sri Lankan villa of beauty and refinement.
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Auraliya has a prime position in Thalpe, beach settlement for Galle’s well-to-do. It is ideal for families, benefiting from a lovely swimming beach made safe by a protective coral reef, This spacious, six-bedroom Sri Lanka courtyard villa has a large swimming pool, formal dining area and a large garden with frangipani trees and coconut palms. High ceilings provide an airy and fresh feel.
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Austrian Beach is a 10 roomed Ayurveda wellness retreat that provides relaxing and curative therapies amidst a peaceful setting overlooking the magnificent southern beaches near Dickwella. Austrian Beach only caters to Ayurvedic clientele.
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Barberyn Beach Ayurveda Resort
Barberyn is an idyllic setting where the crashing sea merges with swaying palms and tropical jungles. The ocean breeze, sounds of birdcall, the flautist by nightfall, Yoga at the edge of the sea, and the gentle touch of Ayurvedic therapists as they soothe your worries away – all add up to a rejuvenating experience that you with renewed vitality.
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Nominated as one of the top 20 villas in the world, The Beach House is a truly exceptional holiday property. The villa faces south over gardens towards a sandy cove just outside Sri Lanka’s southern fishing town of Tangalle. Tangalle’s wonderfully sunny micro-climate also makes this a fabulous place to do nothing.
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The Beach Hut lies ten minutes south of Galle, in the coastal hamlet of Dalawella, and is a fabulous addition to Sri Lanka’s southern beach villas. Its attractive price makes it popular with couples on a romantic escape, and a small bedroom for children also suits small families. The interior is chic and bright. The pool is magnificent and the beach sits at the foot of a well-tended garden.
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Bentota Beach has long been one of Sri Lanka's most trusted beach hotels. This large, Geofrrey Bawa-designed property is advantageously placed alongside a broad, sandy beach and next to a lagoon with watersports. Good sports facilities, well-regarded buffets and nightly entertainment will delight families seeking a traditional beach hotel.
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The Blue Oceanic, with its Mediterranean feel, is a well-managed mid-range property in Sri Lanka’s beach resort of Negombo. It gazes out onto the best section of Negombo beach and is among the best three-star option on this section of the coast. Negombo’s proximity to the sirport makes it a popular first or last stopping point.
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If you like water, you'll adore Blue Water: mini-ponds, streams and fountains are everywhere and its swimming pool is one of the largest in the world. Another creation of Geoffrey Bawa, Sri Lanka’s celebrated architect. Wadduwa, the start of the west coast beaches, lies barely an hour south of Colombo, putting this luxury hotel within easy range.
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Perched at the edge of an idyllic stretch of private beach in the heart of Negombo, is Browns Beach, a mid-range large hotel with very much of a homely feel that guests eagerly return to time and again. Red Dot recommends the Beach Rooms which have direct access to the beach and is a delight following refurbishments.
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Enthusiastic English owners have brought a bright and sociable feel to an old colonial beachfront property. This small independent hotel has a great location and offers an unfussy and relaxed base in one of Sri Lanka’s livelier coastal villages.
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Designed by Sri Lanka’s most famous architect, the late Geoffrey Bawa, this exquisite private house, with only three bedrooms, and set in five acres of landscaped coconut plantation, occupies a spectacular position on the idyllic south coast. Its popularity means that booking well ahead is essential.
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Club Bentota is an all-inclusive mid-range hotel with a secluded beachfront setting on the broadest beach on Sri Lanka’s west coast: Bentota. It has a privileged position between the Bentota River and the Indian Ocean on the other and a strong sporting emphasis, offering a good range of traditional beach activities for all ages.
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Club Hotel Dolphin lies in Waikkal fishing village, 30 minutes north of the international airport. Its beach is not outstanding compared to many in Sri Lanka, but the long, winding swimming pool is outstanding and rooms comparable to Colombo five-stars. Its convenience for the airport also makes it a popular first or last stop.
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Club Oceanic, which lies midway between Trinco and Nilaveli, has the white sands of the beautifiul east coast beach in front and thick foliage as its backdrop. Recommended to independently-minded travellers with a keen knowledge of Trinco's history, who want to share in the area's attempts to clamber back to prosperity.
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One hour north of the airport at Marawila, Club Palm Bay stands between a mangrove lagoon and the Indian Ocean. It has a private unspoilt beach – with that rare thing in Sri Lanka: hotel sun loungers on the beach -- a gigantic swimming pool and a wide range of watesports. Best for those who prefer a full-board deal in a traditional 4-star hotel.
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Club Villa, a large yet elegant 19th century villa, sells its 17 bedrooms individually and has a loyal clientele. It rests in a small coconut plantation, close to the broad, sandy beach of Bentota. It has a refined atmosphere and offers a calm and intelligent base from which to enjoy the golden west coast beaches.
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Coral Sands is a 75 roomed hotel with beach frontage, garden, recreational facilities and several leisure activities on offer. The long strip of beach just in front of the hotel is safe for swimming throughout the year and is also ideal for children.
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Dalip House is a hugely stylish five-bedroom villa with a wide beach frontage devoid of sun-basting tourists. It is 11 kms south of Galle, allowing you to dip in and out of its social scene at will. This impressive, recently-built villa has strong Balinese influences, which bedrooms, dining and resting areas in separate pavilions. It sleeps a maximum of six adults and four children.
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Danish Villa is a homely five-bedroomed property set amidst an acre of tropical garden on the landside of the tiny Arugam Bay hotel strip and is just a 10 minute walk away from the magnificent beaches of the south-east coast.
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Dickwella Resort has a prized south-coast location, on a headland surrounded by two sandy and tranquil beaches. It offers respectable mid-market accommodation in individual cabanas and has a very clubbable spirit, investing much enthusiasm, for instance, in its nightly entertainment programmes. A good group choice.
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The Eden Hotel is unashamedly traditional, but it remains one of the finer hotels on Sri Lanka’s west coast, and certainly the best on the Beruwela strip. It bravely strives for a sense of grandeur, but its huge swimming pool and sandy beach are the main attractions for many. Claims for 5-star status are excessive, but it has much to commend it.
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Era Beach, a luxurious eight-roomed boutique hotel, adds further lustre to the upmarket beach settlement of Thalpe, a 10-minute drive from the historic city of Galle. Era Beach unfolds within two beautifully-refurbished colonial-period bungalows which now house the main restaurant and lounge bar. An additional two-storey section houses the bedrooms and blends in seamlessly. A 23-metre swimming pool is the focus of the property and overlooks a garden scattered with palm trees and leading to the turquoise seas.
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Flower Garden in Unawatuna bay is mid-sized, personable accommodation in one of Sri Lanka’s most youthful and lively locations. As well as a relaxed and easy-going vibe, Flower Garden boasts the largest pool in Unawatuna and excellent Sri Lankan cuisine. Rooms are simple, comfortable and spacious; cabana-style bungalows come recommended.
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Frangipani Tree is a stylish boutique hotel set at the edge of a secluded beach in the upmarket settlement of Thalpe, which has benefited from Galle’s renaissance and become Sri Lanka’s stylish mini-Riviera. It has ten luxurious and utterly private suites in four villas. Each of the elegantly-furnished suites can be rented individually.
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Galaxy Lounge is a simple holiday retreat located at the secluded northern end of the Arugam bay, only a few minutes stroll from all the surfing action and the Saturday night parties on the bay at `Surf Point’. It offers comfortable accommodation in eco-friendly cabanas, some on stilts, and is set amidst a flowering garden with magnificent sea views.
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The Galle Face Hotel, hailed as a masterpiece of Victorian architecture, retains the dignified and polite atmosphere that gave it such fame in the colonial age. Sympathetic renovations and refurbishments are helping to protect its historic status in more demanding times. Rooms have polished wooden floors and panelling and antique furniture, and few fripperies. The Seaspray restaurant is blessed by an ocean frontage and there is nowhere better to watch a Colombo sunset than from the hotel’s immaculate terrace and gardens.
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Galle Face Regency is the new Regency wing of Galle Face Hotel, and has enhanced its reputation for a contemporary colonial feel. It incorporates traditional Victorian features so successfully that it blends seamlessly with the older part of the hotel. Stately wooden panelling and floors, and staunchly Victorian rooms, are resonant of a bygone age.
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Garden Beach is a small, modern hotel which offers good-quality rooms and food to the traveller on a tight budget. The sun-garden by the sea is well-tended. Garden Beach Hotel is one of only two hotels on the turtle beach at Kosgoda, where the endangered Marine Turtles come ashore to lay their eggs.
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Heritance Ahungalla is a large five-star west-coast beach property and an early creation of Sri Lanka's famous architect, Geoffrey Bawa. Rooms are well-appointed and spacious, leisure facilities are extensive and the hotel is designed to allow maximum views of a quiet beach and the Indian ocean beyond. Few beach properties are as reliable as this.
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Hibiscus Beach is a relaxed 3-star in the Sri Lanka west-coast resort of Kalutara which enjoys spacious grounds and a rural atmosphere. The natural feel extends to its own private, sandy expanse, strewn with palm trees. A solid mid-range choice, offering good facilities, that rewards the unpretentious holidaymaker with surprisingly good facilities.
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Hideaway is a homely guest house with comfortable cottages and a/c rooms situated on a six-acre estate amidst flowering shrubs and fruit trees that attracts plenty of birds and even the occasional monkey. Although Hideaway doesn’t have direct access to the beach, a five minute stroll takes you to one of the main surf points in Arugam Bay.
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Hotel Moonbeam has a prime aspect on the surfing beach of Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka’s liveliest west-coach beach settlement. Hikkaduwa is young and affordable with a mildly bohemian edge and Moonbeam, with its 20 rooms and cabana-style beachside restaurant and bar, is one of its best budget options.
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The Ice Bear is welcoming, slightly eccentric and has a prized Negombo beachfront location. Time Magazine, no less, suggested that Ice Bear was "a hotel where time stands still" and called it "a Merchant Ivory confection of tea and linen." The imaginative budget traveler will love Ice Bear’s little antique flourishes, and its legendary breakfasts.
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This magnificent colonial Dutch house is set in a large tropical garden and faces south over a beautiful stretch of sandy coastline. The villa resembles a Southern walauwa -- or ancestral home -- with columns and verandahs, a central courtyard, and sprawling gardens.
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Kabalana made its name as one of Sri Lanka’s finest surfing hotels, and the more moneyed among them remain especially apparent in the peak surfing season from mid-October to mid-April. This invigorating hotel has upgraded to entice a wider spread of clientele. A palm-fringed lawn leads onto to a long, sandy stretch of quiet beach.
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Kani Lanka is boutique for the mid-range package market – and it does it with confidence. It enjoys a prime spot on the west coast where the Kalu Ganga reaches the sea at Kalutara. It offers pleasing décor and a staple range of facilities to satisfy the traditional beach holidaymaker with an eye for style.
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Kosgoda Beach Hotel is a peaceful three-star resort on a picturesque stretch of Sri Lanka’s west coast, renowned for its quiet stretch of sandy beach where turtles regularly come ashore to lay their eggs. The hotel impresses most for its strikingly good rooms and large swimming pool. It is ideal for those seeking quiet contemplation.
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Kudakalliya is a basic, eco-friendly beach bungalow on a remote, untouched slice of beach on Sri Lanka’s east coast. It lies just south of Arugam Bay, one of the finest surfing spots on the island, and a haven for fiercely-independent travellers.
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Lagoon Paradise is a basic but functional option fore the budget traveller on a sparsely-populated stretch of Sri Lanka’s south coast, nerar Rekuwa, home of a turtle sanctuary. It covers a three-acre plot of fairly rocky terrain under a canopy of coconut trees which lead down to an open grassland and a lagoon.
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At a time when Sri Lanka is gaining considerable kudos for its boutique villas, Lansiya, although built at the turn of the century, is a throwback – a simpler villa that tells not of Balinese or Seychelles opulence, but a simpler time influenced by Buddhist traditions. Its immensely leisurely, outdoors feel will attract those seeking simpler pleasures.
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The Last House, so called because it was Geoffrey Bawa's architectural swansong, is positioned on an idyllic strip of land - lagoon on one side, beach on the other - on the outskirts of Tangalle. It has long been one of best villas in the south coast and also operates as a small boutique hotel. Few villas have a better beach.
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The Lighthouse is an inspired creation from Sri Lanka’s foremost architect, Geoffrey Bawa, A haven of style, barely a mile from the historic South coast capital of Galle. This five-star boutique hotel, built tight to the coastline, has 60 deluxe rooms and suites with understated interiors showing Moroccan, Chinese and Dutch influences.
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Mandara Resort satisfies the need for upmarket accommodation by the much-loved sandy bay of Mirissa in Sri Lanka's deep south. This 20-room boutique hotel nestles in a coconut plantation on the edge of the Indian Ocean, by the estuary of the Pollathu Modara River. Rooms are modern and plush with satellite TV, DVD/CD player and home theatre system, and four superior rooms have private plunge pools. The swimming pool with fibre optic lighting adds a touch of romance at night. Numerous watersports are offered nearby.
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Mangrove Garden offers rudimentary wooden cabanas on a gorgeous stretch of beach, in the south coast village of Tangalle. This deliberately rustic settlement has been an instant hit with independent travellers yearning for tranquil and natural surroundings. Marine Turtles often come ashore here at nights to nest.
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Max Wadiya consists of two gleaming beach villas on a beautiful stretch of sandy beach in the West coast village of Ambalangoda. Two villas have a total of five bedrooms and are set in an extensive garden scattered with coconut trees and overlooking the turquoise Indian Ocean.
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Moonhill is a gleaming four-bedroomed villa built in typical Sri Lankan style on the south coast. It is situated amidst tropical gardens just a few minutes stroll away from the magnificent sandy bays and turquoise waters of Tangalle. There is no pool but the cove nearby is ideal for swimming for much of the year.
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The famous Mount Lavinia Hotel, once the sprawling mansion of a British governor general, is prized by those who like "old colonial’’ with a beach setting. Colombo’s only true beach hotel – it has its own private beach -- lies in its quiet southern outskirts, in Mount Lavinia, and increasingly offers modern facilities alongside its undoubted charm.
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Neptune Resort is a 12-bedroomed guest house blessed with a beautiful location right on Weligama Bay, one of the most picturesque parts of the south coast, close to some fine surf spots. The bedrooms are basic, but comfortable.
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The Nilaveli Beach Hotel, about 10km north of Trincomalee, is the finest hotel on the eastern coast. The East Coast beaches, unrivalled anywhere on the island, are most glorious from April to October, but Nilaveli also offers a striking all-year-round addition to any extended tour of the cultural triangle.
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Ocean View Cottages lies on the southern fringes of the comparatively vibrant coastal village of Hikkaduwa. This welcoming beach front guest house has 12 rooms and offers some of the cleanest and comfortable accommodation on this stretch of the west coast.
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Off Rocks is a stylish and spacious beach property in Unawatuna, Galle's much-loved beach satellite. It consists of two separate villas, set on a coconut grove leading to the sea. The property can be booked by the room, by the villa or exclusively and can house up to 16 guests in seven spacious ensuite double rooms.and a swimming pool amidst gardens scattered with coconut trees.
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Olanda Beach House is a sensitively-restored beach villa with great sea views from the sought-after coastal village of Thalpe, a few miles south of Galle. It has four bedrooms, large airy rooms, and a surrounding garden scattered with swaying palm trees. This dreamy beachside villa can sleep six and offers pool, snooker table (a rarity for Sri Lankan villas) and endless tranquil moments.
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Old Bungalow is an old Sri Lankan village home, now transformed into a two-bedroom beach villa, in tranquil gardens in the south coast village of Dickwella. A new open-sided ambalama has been added at the back, opening out to the gardens and the sea beyond.
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The Palace’s charm is its idyllic location, high up on a headland with sweeping views of Mirissa’s golden beach. It provides no frills accommodation in spacious wooden cabanas, all of which have lovely verandas overlooking the Indian Ocean and a lush garden. The beach itself is a short walk down the hill.
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Palm Beach is a homely guest house run by an Italian couple – Dona and Luca who takes pride in their home cooked Italian cuisine and personal service. Their garden restaurant is popular and the rooms clean and comfortable and opens out to the front garden.
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Palm Paradise Cabanas offers rudimentary wooden cabanas on a gorgeous stretch of beach, in an undulating palm grove, near to Sri Lanka’s south coast village of Tangalle. This deliberately rustic settlement has enduring popularity and appeals to hardened, independent travellers yearning for tranquil and natural surroundings.
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Paradise Beach Club is one of Sri Lanka’s most enduringly popular budget hotels. It has a wonderful beach frontage facing the spectacular Mirissa Bay. Its laid-back atmopshere and idyllic location has won the hearts of many.
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This is an experience of simple coastal village life. Life is peaceful with a lagoon on one side, frequented by many birds, and the Indian Ocean on the other. Pastissade is an understated two-storey beach house with two good bedrooms, an upstairs dining area and immediate access to the sea.
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Ranweli Lodge provides a gentle adventure experience. Its chalet-style bungalows and rooms blend sensitively with the natural environment. This enduring mid-range hotel with strong eco credentials lies on a coastal estuary, north of Negombo and less than half an hour north of the airport. It is reached by a short paddle-ferry trip over a lagoon.
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Owned and designed by a British architect, Reef Villa is an elegant blend of Sri Lankan manor house architecture and colonial grandeur. Antique Calcutta four-poster beds and ceiling-fixed punkah fans – previously used by the East India Company -- are all tastefully blended with vibrant colours and contemporary touches creating an exotic ambience.
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The simplicity of cabana living can make a pleasant change from the sophistications of a hotel. Rockside Cabanas offers good-sized wooden cabins, equipped with beds, balconies and bathrooms. With the feel of fine sand, the smell of sea-air and the sound of waves, this is very natural way to relax, forego the western world and discover Sri Lanka.
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Royal Palms has much in its favour for those seeking a hotel of 4-star standard, not too far from Colombo. It lies just over an hour south in Kalutara, where Sri Lanka’s west coast beaches begin for real. The beach strip is uninspiring, but the rooms are well-appointed, the swimming pool is outstanding and an a la carte restaurant adds extra appeal.
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Saffrons is a `Tropical Modern’ beach villa on Sri Lanka’s blissful south coast. It lies in the fishing village of Habaraduwa, close to Koggala and just 15 minutes drive from the historic city of Galle. This exquisite four-bedroom villa, which took five years to complete, will appeal most to those that like modern minimalism, clean lines and refined luxury.
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Saman Villas, one of the most sought-after small hotels in Sri Lanka, is perched on a rocky headland in Induruwa just south of Bentota. This exquisite 26-room hotel seeks to pamper its guests without becoming intrusive. Children under 12 are discouraged to protect its peaceful atmosphere.
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Sanda Kirana - meaning moonbeams - aptly describes the light that dances on the ocean waters on a full moon night at this dreamy beachside home. This four-bedroom villa, 5kms south of Galle, and meticulously maintained by its English owners and Sri Lankan staff, is carefully designed to allow natural light and the ocean breeze to dance through its many open verandahs, halls and bedrooms.
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Sceir Thurtair meaning 'Reef of the Turtles' in Gaelic, is a new four bedroomed beach villa with beautiful views of the Indian Ocean. True to its name, this stretch of the West coast is famous for the endangered Marine Turtles that come ashore to nest. This beach villa is unique with stone walls, high ceilings in the lounge area and rooms located at a split level reached via a series of steps and overhead walkway. The living room opens out to a large circular swimming pool with fountains, waterslides and a pool bar ideal for children and adults alike.
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Sea Shells is a popular and good-value beach hotel alongside two fishing hamlets at the sought-after northern end of Negombo, the most convenient resort for Sri Lanka’s international airport. All 72 bedrooms overlook a beautiful beach and the hotel’s supportive relationship with local fishermen makes catamaran fishing trips a particular attraction.
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The Serendib would not claim to be the largest, or the most ornate hotel in Bentota. But there is a hospitable feel to this simple, serene hotel that charms many. An envied position on the heart of Bentota beach, arguably the broadest beach in Sri Lanka, certainly helps. Rooms are simple but comfortabe and the public areas are stylish and inviting.
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