Stow House

Stow House stands on a hilltop above the Indian Ocean near Dikwella, on Sri Lanka’s south coast, a long, low pavilion of glass, timber and stone with sweeping sea views from almost every room. Clean-lined and quietly elegant, it feels a world away from the busier beach towns, and suits families and small groups of friends who want peace, privacy and the sound of the waves below.

The centrepiece outdoors is a fifteen-metre infinity pool set into the lawn, edged with a timber deck and a shady pergola, with the ocean stretching away beyond the palms. Manicured gardens surround the house, there is a barbecue for evenings outside and a table tennis table, and a cinnamon gate at the bottom of the garden opens onto the rocky shore and a small, hidden beach that the staff will happily show you.

Inside, the living room sits at the heart of the house, open to the garden and the sea, with an L-shaped sofa and board games, and there is a separate dining area and a gallery kitchen. The king bedroom has its own en-suite, while the Pandanus and Garden rooms each have a queen bed and share a bathroom, and every bedroom opens onto the terrace, with quality linen, mosquito nets and a safe. A manager, two housekeepers who also cook and a gardener look after the house, preparing meals from set menus with fresh local ingredients, often the day’s catch landed by fishermen right in front of the villa.