The chic sleep: Cape Weligama, Sri Lanka
Escape with family and friends and luxuriate in your own private world at Sri Lanka’s most glamorous hotel…
Sri Lanka has always enjoyed a well-established villa-rental culture in the absence of great, grand hotels, until Cape Weligama, which opened in 2014, raised the glamour stakes on the island. The brainchild of the famous Dilmah tea merchants, this luxury resort is built around flower-scented gardens and rooted in traditional Sri Lankan style and culture. On a wild and beautiful headland near Galle, bookended by the rugged empty beaches, open-plan walauwas (villas) are angled to catch the salt-laced breezes and lingering sunsets. Here, there is every distraction a family might want: whale watching, paddle-boarding, mask painting, Kandyan dancing, cricket lessons and biking in the paddy fields. For parents, round-the-clock babysitting, free laundry, and a large book and film library are available, which also offers the possibility of a vacation from the kids.
THE DETAILS
Sleep
The King Vijaya Grand Ocean Villa is a vast structure on the cliff edge, with its own infinity pool (the Instagrammable crescent-shaped Moon Pool is next door, too) and further endless views to the distant horizons – next stop, Antarctica. The shady veranda and charming living room, bar and garden area call for long, lingering lunches, which can be easily organized by your personal butler and chef.
Explore
The historic town of Galle, with its cobbled streets and ochre-hued houses, colonial churches and charming beach-shack restaurants, offers a change of scene whenever you’re ready to leave the resort. It’s the best place to find unusual jewelry and patchwork fabrics.
Must do
Top or tail your stay at Cape Weligama and experience another version of Sri Lanka in the island’s Hill Country at Resplendent Ceylon’s sister hotel, Tea Trails. This collection of historic tea planters’ bungalows, set in the spectacular Bogawantalawa Valley, is easily accessible from Weligama via a seaplane, which connects the two resorts in only 30 minutes, rather than a seven-hour drive. Arriving on Koggala Lake by seaplane is a major highlight, as the journey takes you past some of Sri Lanka’s most iconic places of interest, including the sacred Adam’s Peak.
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