The Villa Bentota

Style

Bawa’s modernist bolthole

Setting

Surfable southwest coast

Step into the Villa Bentota, an easygoing stay designed by Sri Lankan starchitect Geoffrey Bawa, and you’ll be whisked into his world of tropical modernism: crisp simplicity, with gently swaying coconut palms and open verandas to idle on. A refresh by KK Collection – led by its eccentric British interior designer-cum-hotelier George Cooper – has made Villa Bentota an even more serene sanctum inside the racing heart of Sri Lanka’s southern surf coast. The walls are adorned with George’s favourite pieces from his local artist friends, the menu is built around a contemporary take on provincial classics, and there’s effortless access to the golden sands of Bentota’s Ventura Beach.

Facilities

Rooms

14 rooms, including seven suites.

Checkout

Check-in is from 2pm, and check-out is by 12 noon. The hotel will accommodate additional requests where possible.

More Details

Room rates include a full Sri Lankan breakfast served to your room each morning.

Also

Like the canvas hanging in your room? The artworks displayed throughout the hotel are all originals by well-known Sri Lankan artists, and they’re all for sale via the hotelier’s gallery, KK Boutique, in nearby Galle.

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Pool

On-Site Restaurant

Room Service

Spa

At the Hotel

Two acres of private tropical gardens, terrace bar, outdoor pavilion, boutique, spa treatments, beach access. In rooms: TV, free WiFi, air-conditioning, Bluetooth speakers, writing tables, umbrellas, bathrobes, slippers, tea- and coffee-making kit.

Our Favourite Rooms

It’s impossible to ignore the draw of the Mohotti Suite, a magnificent execution of Geoffrey Bawa’s architectural vision. Decorated with painstakingly restored antique furniture and with its own steep wooden staircase and sunken sitting room, you’d be forgiven for thinking of it as your own private villa. And with wide-opening windows and doors, you can fall asleep to the sounds of The Jungle Book right outside.

Poolside

The geometric precision of the Villa Bentota’s main pool is deeply satisfying, with its careful arrangement of sunloungers facing a towering garden bed of coconut palms and the promise of poolside cocktails from the terrace bar. The second pool is designed for children, allowing for carefree splashing about in the shallows without the worry of disturbing other guests. The beach is within easy reach, but is not swimmable during the monsoon season (May to September).

Spa

Sri Lanka has a rich heritage of natural wellness and healing treatments, and the Villa Bentota offers a selection that includes massage and body wraps, based around the ancient principles of Hela Wedakama: indigenous medicine that concentrates on the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of wellness. Therapists apply pressure-point techniques and deliciously scented plant-based products to help you relax. The hotel also offers week-long detox packages.

Packing Tips

Bring a GoPro with a waterproof case – not only is Sri Lanka’s west coast a famous nesting ground for the green sea turtle, but the snorkelling is first-class.

Also

Guests can take advantage of regular yoga classes held at the spa.

Children

Children are welcome, and those aged 12 and under are considered as infants. Extra beds can be added to certain rooms for $25 for children aged four to six; $30 for ages 7–11 (free for under-4s).

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

A large one – a proper Sri Lankan breakfast consists of seven different dishes served at once, plus teas and juice, don’t forget.

Dress Code

Best described as ‘tidy casual’ – no flip flops or t-shirts, but otherwise, as you were.

Hotel Restaurant

The Villa Bentota’s restaurant is a gastronomic experience that fuses the essentials of Sri Lankan and South Indian dining with a contemporary, creative flair. Chef Nalaka worked with hotelier George Cooper to devise a forward-thinking yet authentic menu. Working in unison, the pair deconstructed local and Western classics and rebuilt them with a distinct Ceylon influence, creating their own takes on well-known dishes like their burger with coconut calamari, or their signature whole mud-crab curry. All ingredients are supplied by local producers, and the restaurant’s menu plays its part in the Spa’s Hela Wedakama wellness program, by nourishing the body with ample healthy dining options. Every week there is a global theme night where the menu pays homage to a different region’s cuisine, and a weekly beach barbecue, too.

Hotel Bar

Ambalama is Sinhala for ‘pavilion’, and it is here that evening cocktails and daily sundowners are served. Take in Bawa’s poolside landscaping at the front, or look to the local railway as it bisects the gardens immediately behind. Sip your mojito as the evening service slowly canters by, waving to the cheering kids hanging out of the carriage windows as they pass.

Last Orders

Breakfast is served until 10am, lunch until 2.30pm, and the kitchen finally closes for dinner orders at 9.30pm.

Room Service

The full restaurant menu can be served to your room, or to your poolside or seaside sunlounger.

Planes

Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport is 112km away and takes just under two hours by car. The hotel offers private transfers for US$85 each way by car (for two passengers) or US$110 by air-conditioned van (for five passengers). There is also a scheduled seaplane service from Colombo which lands on Bentota Lagoon, 1.5km away.

Trains

Sri Lanka’s extensive railway network is a magically rickety post-colonial gem, and there are several daily services south, departing from Colombo’s Fort Railway Station to Aluthgama Station, 2.5km from the hotel. Large groups or the truly flamboyant soloist may want to charter the entire 75-year-old Viceroy Special steam locomotive for the journey, complete with its two saloon carriages and restaurant car.

Automobiles

It is possible to hire a self-drive car but driving in Sri Lanka is not for the faint-of-heart, especially in rural areas and at night. Should you choose to drive, parking at the hotel is free. Hiring a car and driver for transfers and day trips is a far more relaxing option, and surprisingly affordable. The hotel’s concierge can arrange this.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

The Villa Bentota’s location on Sri Lanka’s south-western coast gifts its guests any number of noteworthy day trips. The train line traces the shore from Colombo around the southern tip of the island, passing right through the villa’s gardens, and it is known as one of Asia’s great train journeys. Ride with the window down, rocking side to side with the warm breeze blowing in your hair as you gaze across the Indian Ocean, and savour the tastes of freshly roasted peanuts and small bags of sweet pineapple sold through the window while stopped in stations. Bentota itself is a resort town, with its accompanying watersports opportunities on open ocean and the river, and 10km inland are the quirky Lunuganga and Brief Gardens, on the private estate of celebrated Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa. For a taste of Ceylon’s colonial past, keep heading another hour south until you reach the town of Galle, and more specifically, Galle Fort. Built by the Portuguese in the 16th century and then heavily fortified by the Dutch 100 years later, the Unesco World Heritage Site still functions as a town but these days it’s filled with galleries, cafés, boutiques, and creative spaces. With encircling views over the sea in almost all directions, a sunset walk around Galle Fort’s raised ramparts is one of the best experiences that Sri Lanka has to offer. A little further afield, the celebrated Yala National Park takes nearly three hours each way by private car, but a jeep safari there can be a life-affirming experience – it’s worth the effort. Expect to see wild leopards snoozing in the midday shade, crocodiles prowling the oceanside lagoons, and parades of elephants stomping through the undergrowth with their young.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .