Kalkudah Beach House Hotel

Sri Lanka

A stay at this sustainable hideaway on Sri Lanka’s east coast leaves you with one question: how will you ever go back to normal living? This new addition to the Teardrop portfolio is made up of a three-bed house and two-bed villa, giving the illusion that you’ve upped sticks and swapped lives rather than just taken a holiday. And what a life it is. Sitting on a huge coconut estate, the modern villa and 20th-century main house, with its Dutch-inspired arches and white colonnaded balcony, are adjacent to a 22m swimming pool and overlook the golden strip of Kalkudah Bay. Grab a snorkel and use the direct beach access to explore the thriving marine ecosystem, or head out on trips to sites such as the ancient Unesco-recognised town of Polonnaruwa. Naturally, cuisine here is centred on an ocean-to-table concept, with the seafood dropped off daily by fishermen transformed into unforgettable Sri Lanka-inspired dishes. Normal life just can’t compete.

Words by Victoria Beardwood.

Doubles from £200, including breakfast. +94 77 363 8381, teardrop-hotels.com