Villa Himmapana Grand Valley 5 Plus

Villa Himmapana Grand Valley 5 Plus is the largest home in a small, recently built cluster of Himmapana pool villas on the valley floor below the Kamala hills. It is a long, single-storey house laid out in an L around its garden, so every room sits on one level and opens straight onto the terrace. Crisp white walls, pale oak and a tall gabled roof give it a light, airy feel, and the jungle-covered ridges rise just beyond the garden wall.

The pool sets the tone: fourteen metres of clear water running the full length of the bedroom wing, with a raised edge that spills into the lawn and a row of loungers along the deck. At the corner of the L, the living pavilion rises to a vaulted, beamed ceiling above a deep L-shaped sofa and a smart TV, with glass doors folding back to the pool. Out on the terrace, a sunken lounge lined with cushions is the easy spot for long afternoons and slow evenings, and a long dining table sits beside a fully equipped kitchen with oven, microwave and a full-height fridge.

Five bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, line the pool and garden, and every one slides open to the outdoors. Four have king beds and the fifth has twin beds that join into a king, which makes the villa an easy fit for two families or a group of up to ten friends. One room even has its own open-air bathtub set among the plants. Daily housekeeping, security and an on-call shuttle to Kamala are part of the stay, and the beach is less than three kilometres away.