Villa Victoria

Villa Victoria stands right on the Indian Ocean at Talpe, a short drive from Galle Fort, in a beachfront garden of tall coconut palms and immaculate lawns. The house is a graceful, airy mix of whitewashed walls, tiled roofs and open pavilions, with sea views from the living spaces and the sound of the surf throughout. With five bedrooms and room for up to thirteen, it is a superb choice for multi-generational families and groups of friends who want space, staff and a front-row seat on the ocean.

A fifteen-metre pool runs through the garden between the palms, with sun loungers and umbrellas along its edge, and it glows beautifully once the lights come on at dusk. At the bottom of the lawn, a thatched pavilion sits right above the beach for sundowners and lazy afternoons, a timber deck with sofas looks out to sea, and a hammock is strung between the palms. Turtles can often be spotted in the surf from the garden, and there is a long outdoor dining table on the terrace for meals in the breeze.

Inside, two living rooms open onto the garden, with a separate air-conditioned media room with billiards, and a dining room seats up to eight. There is table tennis, board games and video games for younger guests. The master bedroom has a canopied four-poster bed, a dressing area and an en-suite bathroom, three further bedrooms have queen beds and the fifth has two singles, all with air conditioning and white mosquito nets, and some bathrooms have freestanding tubs. Five staff look after housekeeping, the garden and security, and the cook prepares meals with groceries charged at cost.