Sri Lanka's Wild Luxury

^{Sri Lanka: lush landscapes, fantastic food, ancient culture and a growing luxury hotel scene that’s heating up fast. From fresh openings to cult favourites, the island is pulling in everyone from wellness seekers to design junkies.}

^{Here are four standout stays embracing the wild beauty of ‘The Pearl of the Indian Ocean’ that prove why Sri Lanka is the name on luxury traveller’s lips.}

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Lunuganga

Lunuganga is famed architect Geoffrey Bawa’s 1930s country estate turned boutique retreat. Nestled on 12 acres along Dedduwa Lake, its architectural designs blend colonial, Italian Renaissance, English country and Japanese influences. Operated by Teardrop Hotels with exemplary food, immaculate gardens, artisanal décor, and tranquil luxury, if you manage to book a room at Lunuganga, your Sri Lanka adventure will be even more unforgettable.

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Wild Coast Tented Lodge

On Sri Lanka’s southern edge where jungle dissolves into the Indian Ocean, lies the untapped wilderness of Yala National Park. Here, Wild Coast Tented Lodge rises like a futuristic safari camp, colliding with the raw drama of the landscape. The 28 cocoon-shaped suites offer front-row seats to elephants roaming and leopards slipping through Yala’s untamed wilderness.

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Uga Prava

New this year, Uga Prava is the new darling of Sri Lankan hospitality. From Uga Resorts, this cliff-top newcomer has claimed one of Tangalle’s best beaches as her front garden, only rivalled by a near-Olympic-sized stretch of glassy blue that melts into the Indian Ocean. Days are for lounging and strolling across lawns sprinkled with mango, pomegranate and passionfruit trees; come evening, slip upstairs to the rooftop, cocktail in hand, for a unparalleled stargazing.

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Trebartha East - The Roundhouse

Think Bodmin Moor gone tropical. From their Cornish roots to the Sri Lankan hills, Patrick and Benny Latham’s circular timber hideout spins a 360° panorama over jungle, rice paddies, and the ocean in the distance. Perched on a cinnamon plantation that is equal parts eco-utopia and Bond lair, Trebartha East offers guests the chance to explore jungle trails and terraced paddies, or hop in a tuk-tuk to Udawalawe National Park, where wild elephants roam. Equally tempting are sunrise yoga and mani-pedis under the palms.