There is a separate blog on our trip to Sri Lanka covering places like Colombo, the Ella train experience, Galle and others but this experience below, we felt, warranted a separate blog purely because of the beauty and serenity of the location.

Nestled somewhere in the outskirts of Bentota lies the Lunuganga Estate. There must be many such locations across Sri Lanka and so it would be unwise to rate this as the best in the country but it certainly was the best location we have ever stayed at.

General Information

The Lunuganga Estate used to be the private estate of Geoffery Bawa, a legendary architect who is considered the most renowned architect of the country and one of most influential Asia architects of his generation. This is the location where he decided to retire and this is the house where he spent the last years of his life.

We were told about this place by a close friend and although it was way over our budget; we were told that it would be an experience to remember. Not an iota of regret on spending way too much but certainly regret on not having spent enough time at the estate.

We were dropped off by the driver we had booked for our trip to Sri Lanka and after an hour or so at the estate, we came to the realization that we would not be leaving this place for the duration of our stay and asked him to go home.

Right from the welcome given by their incredibly hospitable team to the layout of the entire estate to the design of the room and the bathroom facilities, everything was beyond compare. As we came to find out later on, there was not a single detail that Geoffery Bawa was not involved in and took care in making sure that everything was designed and implemented to perfection.

Lets start with the room: the room was located about 5 minutes walk from the reception area and we had to cross a large garden area which overlooked a beautiful lake. The garden was dotted with perfectly manicured trees and bushes and there were a couple of gardeners tending to the plants. The structure that housed our room was covered with vine plant which looked beautiful during the day. There was a patio which had a couple of chairs and a table. The beautiful late winter/ early spring weather helped in making everything look and feel more beautiful!

The Room

The room was done up quite nicely and was very spacious. However the bathroom, for us, was the breathtaking moment. The walls are painted rustic orange and there is an open roof portion to let sunlight in and gravel under that part to absorb whatever rainfall it can collect. We will let the pictures do more of the writing.

The Estate

There is a swimming pool perfectly positioned to face the lake and it has some sun beds for people to relax on. Needless to say, the pool was the first place after a long car ride to the Estate.

It seemed as if time moved slowly. Mobiles were left back in the room. For a while it felt as if there was nothing else to do but relax and enjoy the wonderful weather. Being from hot country, we don’t necessarily enjoy too much sun but here we basked in it. All we could hear was the chirping of birds and movement of squirrels around us.

The Estate is spread over 25 acres and there is actually an official tour of the estate which takes around 3 hours. We would strongly recommend taking that up. The attention to details are explained very eloquently by the host.

Each chair, table as well as trees are clearly placed and planned for.

Call the gentleman eccentric or down right mad but he has left a legacy on this estate which will last forever. While on tour we were shown a shack probably a 1,000 meters away on the other side of the lake with a terra cotta roof. It used to have a tin roof but the reflection of the sun used to bother Mr. Bawa while he was seated in his garden and so he funded the tin to be replaced by terra cotta!

Needless to say the interior of the common area is as meticulously planned. As such there is no reception area but there is always someone or the other to assist you in any way possible.

We had two meals at the estate, dinner and breakfast the next day. Every dish served was served exceptional. The variety on the dinner menu was just perfect and the freshness of the breakfast was just perfect. Even a friendly squirrel could not stay away!

All in all…… Lunuganga Estate has been the most beautiful place we have ever stayed at and we were made to feel at home right from the time we entered the main building! For anyone visiting Sri Lanka, this is a must visit/ must stay location!