Bentota
Where the river meets the sea.
The wide sands of the west coast, an hour and a half from the airport, with the sun going down straight ahead and the Madu River wetlands just inland.
Galle · The south coast of Sri Lanka
The Handpicked Collection
Twelve private villas and boutique hotels, and the whole stay arranged around the one you choose.
Now showingMiss CeylonUnawatuna
12Addresses, each one visited
10Places along the coast
32Experiences, arranged privately
130 kmFrom Bentota to Hiriketiya
1Private page for the whole stay
West to east
A coast of stories, one road long.
Galle Fort
A fort that is still lived in.
Dutch ramparts of the seventeenth century around whole streets of merchants' mansions, a lighthouse, cafés, and the most beautiful cricket ground in the world beneath the walls.
The hills
Behind the bay, the jungle.
A few minutes inland the coast gives way to rice fields, rubber and tea, peacocks on the lawns and the sea glinting far below.
Talpe
Lagoons the reef keeps calm.
Natural rock pools, coconut palms down to the sand and turtles feeding in the sheltered water at Dalawella. Galle Fort is twenty minutes away.
Koggala
A lake of islands.
Mangroves, cinnamon islands, stilt fishermen at first light, and estates of tea along the ridges above the water.
Weligama
A bay, and the hills above it.
A long surfing bay, whales off Mirissa in the season, and in the hills behind, a plantation house built in 1912 to win a bride.
Hiriketiya
The end of the road.
A horseshoe bay with surf for every level, jungle on three sides and a temple cut into the rock nearby.
The collection
Every address, handpicked.
- Kirana, a Santani Villa
- Seven Pillars
- The Fort Printers
- Sisindu T
- Miss Ceylon
- Why House
- Tanamera Estate
- Sisindu C
- Kahanda Kanda
- Kurulu Bay
- Halala Kanda
- Ginger Palm Villa
Bentota · Private villa
Kirana, a Santani Villa
Front-row seats to the west coast sunset.
Explore Kirana, a Santani VillaGalle Fort · Private villa
Seven Pillars
A heritage townhouse on Lighthouse Street.
Explore Seven PillarsGalle Fort · Boutique hotel
The Fort Printers
An 18th century mansion inside the ramparts.
Explore The Fort PrintersUnawatuna · Boutique hotel
Miss Ceylon
A factory-loft retreat between jungle and rice fields.
Explore Miss CeylonTalpe · Private villa
Tanamera Estate
Three bedrooms, coconut palms, the whole horizon.
Explore Tanamera EstateTen settings
Ten ways to wake, each its own.
A loft above the rice fields, a townhouse inside the ramparts, a lawn that runs into the sea. We know each one by heart, and the people who keep it.
See the whole collection
01Inside the rampartsThe Fort Printers · Galle Fort
02Above the paddy fieldsMiss Ceylon · Unawatuna
03A lawn, then the oceanSisindu C · Habaraduwa
04Among the teaKahanda Kanda · Koggala
05Over a quiet lakeKurulu Bay · Ahangama
06A walled gardenWhy House · Talpe
07The whole horizonTanamera Estate · Talpe
08Firefly HillHalala Kanda · Weligama
09Paces from the surfGinger Palm Villa · Hiriketiya
10Sunsets, straight aheadKirana, a Santani Villa · Bentota
Drag, or use the arrows, to see them all
Journeys
Routes we have already driven.
Heritage, romance, wildlife, the surf, or a whole month in the sun. Take one as it is, or as a first sketch for your own.
All 11 journeys
HeritageCulture
Heritage of the South
Dutch ramparts, rock temples, mask carvers and the plantation hills, with a historian for company.
- Galle FortThe Fort Printers, 3 nights
- WeligamaHalala Kanda, 3 nights
- KoggalaKahanda Kanda, 2 nights
RomanceWellness
Slow Romance
A beach for the sunsets, then a honeymoon villa with its own pool among the tea.
- BentotaKirana, a Santani Villa, 3 nights
- KoggalaKahanda Kanda, 4 nights
WildlifeNature
The Wild South
Blue whales, wild elephants and leopards, from a bird island above a lake and a villa by the surf.
- AhangamaKurulu Bay, 4 nights
- HiriketiyaGinger Palm Villa, 5 nights
Active and sportThe sea
Surf and Salt
Waves, reefs and wrecks, with a coach and a dive master who know them, and two villas to come back to.
- TalpeTanamera Estate, 5 nights
- HiriketiyaGinger Palm Villa, 5 nights
FamilyThe sea
Family by the Sea
A walled garden by a sheltered lagoon, then a hilltop villa with a Jungle Room, and days planned around the children.
- TalpeWhy House, 5 nights
- Galle hillsSisindu T, 5 nights
WellnessCultureThe seaNature
A Month on the Coast
The winter in three homes: the fort, the ocean and the hills. Staff who learn how you like things, and no hurry at all.
- Galle FortSeven Pillars, 7 nights
- TalpeTanamera Estate, 10 nights
- WeligamaHalala Kanda, 11 nights
The days around it
Then, whatever the day suggests.
A private boat before the whale-watching fleet. A historian in the fort at eight in the morning. A table on the sand below your villa. Every experience on this coast, arranged for you alone and timed around you.
All 32 experiences
01
Whales off Mirissa
Blue whales, sperm whales and spinner dolphins pass close to this coast between December and April.
Best December to April
02
Galle Fort, on foot
The lighthouse, the clock tower, the Groote Kerk and the Old Dutch Hospital, walked with a guide inside the UNESCO-listed ramparts.
03
Stilt fishermen at first light
Fishermen perched on poles above the surf, a sight found almost nowhere but this stretch of coast. We go before anyone else is about, and meet the families who still fish this way.
04
Madu River safari
A slow boat through one of the island's great wetlands, with 64 islands and tunnels of mangrove.
05
Yala National Park
A full-day safari in leopard country, with elephants, sloth bears and crocodiles along the way.
Best January to December
06
The mask carvers of Ambalangoda
Masks for the old kolam and healing dances, carved from kaduru wood and painted by hand. A morning in a family workshop, and its small museum.
07
Handunugoda white tea
A tasting on the estate that makes virgin white tea, cut with golden scissors and untouched by hand.
08
A private catamaran at sunset
Out of Mirissa harbour as the light goes, on a boat with nobody else aboard. Calm seas from November to April.
Best November to AprilThe year on this coast
When to come.
Two monsoons take turns on this island. The south-west monsoon waters this coast from May to July; from December to April the south is at its finest, with calm seas, long dry days and whales off Mirissa. The sea stays warm all year.
Rain
The sea
Whales
Surf
Busy
Calm sea Rough Whales Surf
Drag along the year, tap a month, or use the arrow keys.
January
The dry season
- Weather
- Dry and sunny, 30°C
- The sea
- Calm
- The coast
- Busy
What is on
- Whales off Mirissa
- Duruthu Perahera in Colombo at the full moon
- Galle Literary Festival, often late in the month
We would plan
Galle Fort, on foot, Koggala Lake by boat, Madu River safari, Whales off Mirissa
Plan a stay in JanuaryFebruary
The dry season
- Weather
- Dry and sunny, 30°C
- The sea
- Calm
- The coast
- Busy
What is on
- Whales off Mirissa
- Navam Perahera in Colombo
- Independence Day on the 4th
We would plan
Koggala Lake by boat, Madu River safari, Whales off Mirissa, Sinharaja rainforest
Plan a stay in FebruaryMarch
The dry season
- Weather
- Hot and dry, 31°C
- The sea
- Calm
- The coast
- Busy, quieter late in the month
What is on
- Blue whales at their most frequent
- The surf at Hiriketiya still good
We would plan
Koggala Lake by boat, Madu River safari, Whales off Mirissa, Sinharaja rainforest
Plan a stay in MarchApril
The dry season
- Weather
- Hot, with afternoon showers late in the month
- The sea
- Calm, then lively
- The coast
- Moderate
What is on
- Sinhala and Tamil New Year, the 13th and 14th
- Easter
- The last of the whale season
We would plan
Galle Fort, on foot, Whales off Mirissa, Back roads by bicycle, Yatagala temple
Plan a stay in AprilMay
The south-west monsoon
- Weather
- The south-west monsoon arrives, warm rain
- The sea
- Rough
- The coast
- Quiet
What is on
- Vesak at the full moon: lanterns in every village
We would plan
Galle Fort, on foot, Back roads by bicycle, Yatagala temple, Handunugoda white tea
Plan a stay in MayJune
The south-west monsoon
- Weather
- Showers and bright spells, 28°C
- The sea
- Rough
- The coast
- Quiet
What is on
- Poson at the full moon
- The tea hills at their greenest
We would plan
Koggala Lake by boat, Madu River safari, Sinharaja rainforest, Handunugoda white tea
Plan a stay in JuneJuly
The south-west monsoon
- Weather
- Showers easing, breezy
- The sea
- Rough
- The coast
- Quiet
What is on
- Kandy Esala Perahera begins late in the month
- Kataragama festival
We would plan
Galle Fort, on foot, Back roads by bicycle, Yatagala temple, Handunugoda white tea
Plan a stay in JulyAugust
Between the monsoons
- Weather
- Drier spells, breezy, 28°C
- The sea
- Lively
- The coast
- Quiet, with summer families
What is on
- Kandy Esala Perahera, the island's great procession
We would plan
Galle Fort, on foot, Koggala Lake by boat, Madu River safari, Sinharaja rainforest
Plan a stay in AugustSeptember
Between the monsoons
- Weather
- Inter-monsoon showers begin
- The sea
- Lively
- The coast
- Quiet
What is on
- A quiet coast and green hills
We would plan
Koggala Lake by boat, Madu River safari, Sinharaja rainforest, Handunugoda white tea
Plan a stay in SeptemberOctober
Between the monsoons
- Weather
- The wettest month: short, heavy afternoon storms
- The sea
- Settling
- The coast
- Quiet
What is on
- Deepavali, some years
We would plan
Handunugoda white tea, Galle market and the fish auction
Plan a stay in OctoberNovember
Between the monsoons
- Weather
- Showers easing, the sea calming
- The sea
- Settling
- The coast
- Moderate
What is on
- The surf season opens at Hiriketiya and Weligama
- Deepavali, some years
We would plan
Koggala Lake by boat, Madu River safari, Sinharaja rainforest, Back roads by bicycle
Plan a stay in NovemberDecember
The dry season
- Weather
- The dry season begins, 29°C
- The sea
- Calm
- The coast
- Busiest at Christmas
What is on
- The whales return off Mirissa
- Christmas and New Year
- The Adam's Peak pilgrimage season opens
We would plan
Koggala Lake by boat, Whales off Mirissa, Back roads by bicycle, Udawalawe elephants
Plan a stay in December
In their words
Written afterwards.
Throughout our stay in Sri Lanka Tharindu and team was exceptional.
You don’t need to worry about anything as they turned our dream to reality.
The Handpicked Collection recommended us some of the exclusive resorts and villas.
For owners
Your property, in the right hands.
We represent a small number of the coast's most distinctive villas and boutique hotels, and look after each one the way its owner would.
- Guests who fitIntroduced personally, never one listing among thousands.
- Settled the way we agreeAhead of arrival, on departure or on monthly credit, with every voucher and statement in writing.
- A report every monthNights, guests, where they came from and what they asked for.
- A team in GalleA short drive away, for your guests and for you.
Notes from the coast.
Open the journal
When the whales come to Mirissa
From December to April the largest animals on earth pass within a few miles of this coast.
A morning inside Galle Fort
Four centuries of ramparts, and the best of them seen before the day warms up.
Two leaves and a bud
The one thing on this island that has always been picked by hand, and where to see it done.
After dark
Tell us when.
Two dates and who is coming. We draw the rest around them.
- A quotation voucher at onceEverything you asked for, the moment you ask.
- Paid when you confirmBy card or bank transfer. Never a deposit to chase.
- A person in GalleOn WhatsApp for anything, before and during the stay.
Or let draw it for you, or message us on WhatsApp.