Twelve addresses, each one visited.

A five-star retreat built in the spirit of an old colonial factory. Every room is a loft, with walls of Crittall glass that pull the jungle indoors, raw brick, exposed copper and oversized teak furniture made nearby.

• StyleLoft hotel
• From the airport2 hrs
• CoastMinutes away

A family-minded boutique hotel set among tropical plants, fruit and spice trees. Luxury without formality, a short walk from the reef-sheltered lagoon at Dalawella Beach and fifteen minutes from Galle Fort.

• Rooms10
• From the airport2 hrs
• Galle Fort15 min

A Sri Lankan-style residence on a sprawling oceanfront estate. Doors stay open to the sea breeze, meals are served wherever you like, and the pool pavilion is yours from dawn to dusk.

• Bedrooms3
• Sleeps8
• Galle Fort20 min

A plantation house in the hills above Weligama, found in ruins in 2010 and restored by local craftsmen. Six suites under one roof, with high ceilings, French doors and complete privacy.

• Suites6
• Sleeps12
• From the airport2.5 hrs

Set along a ridge above Koggala Lake, among jungle and tea. No two villas are alike, each furnished with art and antiques, most standing alone in their own gardens and many with a private pool.

• Villas and suites12
• From the airport2 hrs
• Galle Fort30 min

A 9,000 square foot villa on a working estate of tea, cinnamon and pepper, ten kilometres from Galle. Sea in one direction, jungle in the others, peacocks and monkeys in between.

• Bedrooms6
• Sleeps14
• Galle10 km

A beach villa where the living room opens to a pool, the pool to a palm-lined lawn and the lawn to the sand. Upstairs, two large bedrooms share a wide veranda facing south to Antarctica.

• Bedrooms2
• Galle10 km
• From the airport2 hrs

A restored mansion in the UNESCO-listed fort, where contemporary design sits beside original features and heirloom pieces. Dinner is fresh seafood in the courtyard, under frangipani trees.

• SettingGalle Fort
• Built18th century
• From the airport2 hrs

Fourteen suites and cottages spread across a green hillside over the lake. Tree houses float above the view, cottages follow the local vernacular, and everything leans toward wellbeing.

• Suites and cottages14
• Pools2
• Galle Fort30 min

Three bedrooms beneath a vaulted thirty-foot timber roof, in the heart of the 17th century Dutch fort. Pillared verandas, Dutch furnishings, and the ramparts 150 metres from the door.

• Bedrooms3
• Beach and ramparts150 m
• From the airport2 hrs

A sanctuary on the unspoilt sands of Bentota. An open living pavilion, a rambling lawn with a resident kingfisher, a 20 metre infinity pool and a secluded beach for the evening.

• Suites3
• Pool20 m infinity
• From the airport1.5 hrs

A boutique villa on the tree-clad edge of Dikwella, steps from the surf at Hiriketiya. An oversized pool for after the beach, and a rooftop terrace for jungle breezes and stars.

• Rooms4
• BeachA few paces
• From the airport2.5 hrs