100% customisable travel idea
Great sites in architect-designed houses Sri Lanka for aesthetes
Sri Lanka - Colombo - Dambulla - Kandy - Bentota - Tangalle
100% customisable travel idea
Sri Lanka - Colombo - Dambulla - Kandy - Bentota - Tangalle
100% customisable for you
Night on board, arrival the next day.
Meet your driver and settle in for the night on a quiet street in the capital, in the house once occupied by Geoffrey Bawa. The architect bought it in 1958 and made it his pied-à-terre in Colombo. He naturally puts his own stamp on all this; you can see the synthesis of Bauhaus functionalism and the “organic” architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright that characterises his work. The two rooms are combined into a suite, with a bathroom and a living area; they belong together. It’s not so common to settle into a place a great artist designed for his own use! This immediately gives the trip a special charm.
Scheduled - The capital stands in stark contrast to the rest of the country, with its dense jungles, misty mountains and peaceful villages. Crowded streets, heavy traffic with tuk-tuks, motorbikes and brightly coloured buses, and everywhere, ambitious architectural projects - Colombo is a city that has no doubts about itself. To find your way around and discover a more urban side of the island, you'll set off on a walk with a local. He knows the city like the back of his hand and shares his recommendations and anecdotes with you.
Optional - Dinner at the Gallery Café, a popular spot in Colombo set in the former offices of Geoffrey Bawa; discover Sri Lankan cuisine.
Drive to Dambulla (4 hours and 30 minutes) and check in for two nights on a rocky promontory by Lake Kandalama, once again in a hotel designed by Geoffrey Bawa. The building, in the international style, has been gradually taken over by vegetation and wrapped in leaves. This attracts birds and monkeys, which visit as familiar neighbours. From the inside, which is contemporary, sleek, Sri Lankan, comfortable, the views are beautiful; the pools are too. The main restaurant serves highly refined contemporary Sri Lankan cuisine. Well-being is another aspect of the cosmopolitan art of living. The spa and hatha yoga classes each invite you, in their own way, to harmony of body and mind. The hikes in the surrounding area achieve this as well.
Scheduled - a private tour of Polonnaruwa, the former royal capital of the island. The estate features remarkable attractions, but the Buddha sculptures - standing, seated and reclining - of the Gal Vihara, a 12th-century rock temple, are especially impressive. To get from one monument to another, you’ll have a tuk-tuk with a driver. Also planned: a visit to Sigiriya, the fortress of the mad king Kashyapa (5th century), perched 200 metres high on a block of red granite, known as Lion Rock. The site's hydraulic engineering is highly sophisticated, and the Demoiselles (royal concubines or apsaras, celestial nymphs) painted on the stone walls are exceptional - both for their beauty and because they are the only known female images from that period in Sri Lanka. You will also visit the cave temples of the Golden Temple of Dambulla. This monastery, which includes five sanctuaries, is a major pilgrimage site. In fact, it is one of the largest and best preserved cave temple complexes in Sri Lanka. It houses more than 150 statues and paintings from the Kandy school.
Optional - Fly over the stunning landscapes of the Cultural Triangle in a hot air balloon.
You’ll drive to Kandy (2 hours and 30 minutes) and check in for the night on the hills overlooking the city. The hotel offers guests a spectacular view of the surroundings. At the end of the lawn, an infinity pool makes the most of the slope. The architecture blends Sri Lankan motifs with contemporary functionality. The whole place is very light. It feels good here. At the restaurant, dishes from here and elsewhere are served, so everyone can find something to eat. The spa offers treatments that, like the sauna, ease away the day’s fatigue.
Scheduled - a visit to the Temple of the Tooth, so named because it houses a tooth of the Buddha. It is a precious relic, and possessing it ensures a certain political and religious standing. Every day, hundreds of pilgrims come to pay their respects to it. Also planned: a visit to the Royal Botanical Garden of Peradeniya, the largest botanical gardens in the country. Set within a bend of the Mahaweli Ganga, they are renowned for their collections of orchids and palm< trees.
Optional - A botanist can accompany you on your visit and bring the plants and trees to life; or you can enjoy a private yoga session in the home of a master teacher.
You’ll drive to Bentota (5 hours) and settle in for two nights at a villa designed by Bawa. A recent renovation has restored all its former glory and discreetly delivered the necessary technical upgrades. From the beautiful garden to the striking interior décor, the sense of harmony is soothing. The traditional patterns blend seamlessly into the whole. So do the two outdoor pools. In the dining room, modern Sri Lankan cuisine is served - vibrant and full of flavour. And, for a change of pace, they also prepare delicious Italian dishes. The bar is a stylish place you’ll be tempted to visit often.
Scheduled - Blue sea, green palms, golden sand. There’s no need to overcomplicate things when you have surroundings like this - just make the most of it. For as long as possible. However, let’s not forget that just about 10 km (6 miles) inland lies the wonderful Brief Garden, designed by Bevis Bawa, Geoffrey’s elder brother. With a private guide, you’ll explore this labyrinth of small gardens, terraces, stairways and cobbled paths, tropical trees, and poetic water features… Not far from here, you’ll discover Galle Fort, accompanied by a researcher and history enthusiast. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, it is the largest fortress built by Europeans in Asia. Founded by the Portuguese in the 16th century, it was later expanded and embellished by the Dutch. The trade of the Dutch East India Company made its fortune. Beautiful buildings still bear witness to this prosperity today - the Groote Kerk, a Reformed church, and the Dutch hospital, among others. And then the old streets are charming, with artists and craftspeople settled there.
Optional - A visit to the Lunuganga estate, the former residence of Geoffrey Bawa, hidden in the jungle; high tea at the splendid Amangalla hotel.
You’ll drive to Tangalle (2 hours and 20 minutes) and settle in for three nights at the southern tip of the island, on the unspoilt Mawella beach, in the testament house of the master of tropical modernism. Here you’ll find sophisticated simplicity, elegance, humanism and respect for nature - its hallmarks. Above all, you’ll feel the well-being that comes from an approach to architecture designed to enhance daily life: light structures that open widely to the outdoors, a fluid atmosphere brightened by cheerful, luminous colours, terraces and balconies. Indoors and outdoors blend together, yet the sense of intimacy remains. There is a kind of magic here.
Feeling good seems to have been the architect’s guiding principle. And it must be said that the villa is so perfectly integrated into its surroundings that you feel no urge to leave. Simply enjoy it. And what it opens onto: the beach. It’s not just poetic, it’s also practical: you can rent all the equipment you need for water or sand activities on site. On the estate, swimming pools and a croquet lawn invite you to spend a few peaceful hours. By the way, tea will soon be served in the garden…
Optional - A boat trip to see the whales.
Private transfer to Colombo airport and flight back.
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