Villa Himmapana Grand Valley 3

Villa Himmapana Grand Valley 3 is a fresh, single-storey pool villa in a small, private cluster of six Himmapana homes on the valley floor just inland from Kamala. A tall gabled roof, crisp white walls and warm oak joinery give it a light, modern look, while palms, banana plants and a strip of bright green lawn wrap around the house and the forested hills rise behind. It is an easy, low-key choice for a family or a group of up to six friends, with Kamala Beach under two kilometres away.

The pool is the centrepiece, a clear turquoise rectangle of almost nine metres with a row of loungers on the deck and lawn running right up to its edge. Under the deep overhang of the roof, a sunken sala piled with grey and orange cushions looks straight across the water, and it quickly becomes the place for slow breakfasts and lazy afternoons out of the sun. Indoors, a high, beamed ceiling sits over the open-plan living room, where a big L-shaped sofa faces a smart TV, and a long timber dining table stands beside a modern kitchen with oven, microwave, coffee machine and a tall fridge.

Every room is on one level. Two bedrooms have king beds and the third has twin beds that join to make a king, so it works as well for a family with children as for three couples. Each has its own bathroom, a desk, a TV and sliding glass doors to the terrace or garden, and one opens onto a little planted courtyard with a rattan chair and a freestanding bathtub under the open sky. Daily housekeeping, security and an on-call shuttle to the Kamala area take care of the rest.