Kabalana House

Kabalana House sits right on the beach at Kabalana, on the Ahangama stretch of Sri Lanka’s south coast, with a lawn that runs down to the sand and some of the area’s best-known surf breaks on the doorstep. Ahangama’s cafés and shops are about a kilometre away, and the stilt fishermen are a short trip along the coast. Four bedrooms over two floors make it a superb choice for families, groups of friends or couples wanting a staffed beach house.

An 11-metre infinity pool runs towards the ocean, with a shaded pavilion and dining table at one end and loungers and parasols on the grass. Garden seating looks straight out to sea, an alfresco table seats eight, and a wide upper-floor verandah is the natural place for sundowners as the lights of the fishing boats appear on the horizon. The house stands in a gated garden of over 1,100 square metres.

Indoors, teak furniture, cool stone floors and tall windows frame the sea, with a large living and dining room downstairs, a second lounge upstairs and a fully equipped kitchen. Bedrooms have four-poster beds draped in mosquito nets, air conditioning and en-suite bathrooms, two with queen beds and two with twin singles. A dedicated team, including a chef whose cooking guests consistently praise, takes care of housekeeping and meals, breakfast is included, and lunch and dinner are charged at the cost of groceries.