Comilla Bungalow

Comilla Bungalow is a century-old Dutch-style plantation house near Wathurugama in Gampaha District, inland from Sri Lanka’s west coast, set at the top of a working coconut estate among fields of pepper and tropical fruit. Restored with care, it keeps its long wooden verandas, high timbered roofs and ivory walls while adding thoughtful modern comforts, and with five bedrooms it suits families and groups who want countryside calm, birdlife and easy days rather than a beach scene.

Outdoors, an infinity pool with a broad timber deck looks over the garden, with sun loungers and a poolside table for meals in the open air. Lawns shaded by old lychee trees stretch around the house, peacocks wander through, and the colonnaded verandas are lined with planters’ chairs for tea in the afternoon. At night the bungalow and garden are softly lit, and a sheltered dining pavilion beside a reflecting pool makes a lovely setting for dinner.

Inside, the lofty living rooms have sofas, ceiling fans and bookshelves, opening straight onto the verandas and greenery. The five bedrooms are named rather than numbered, from Knox Studio and Stork Studio to the Sunset and Silva lodges, and each has air conditioning, a TV, its own balcony and an en-suite bathroom, several of them partly open to the sky with showers and bathtubs. A small team provides housekeeping and personal guest assistance, with breakfast included.