Space and clean lines with a touch of fun
It seems that every spare perch of beach along the west coast from Bentota via Induruwa and Kosgoda to Balapitiya, is being walled off by new hotels. However, look carefully and there are a few villa and bungalow style hotels defying the urge to expand and which retain the reassuring calm of a small exclusive, boutique property.
Homely atmosphere: Paintings, plants and artefacts in the mini atrium
One of the most unusual is Saffron & Blue. It’s unusual because it isn’t a conversion of an old walauwa but a comparatively new building designed as a residence for guests; not by the ubiquitous Geoffrey Bawa but by his one time protégé, Channa Daswatte.
Although the clean lines, concrete columns and air flows of a Bawa-inspired building are evident, Daswatte has added his own touches: a flair for the bizarre and for Novel touch: Stairway made of hollow wooden cubes creating spaces that are fun as well as practical.
The entrance is typically anonymous, giving no clue to the delights within. At the end of a lane on the seaside off the Galle Road marked by a discreet signpost, about 100m south of the Kosgoda Police Station, is a wall with a door. Vehicles park on a patch of bare land opposite. There is no security guard or doorman; you’ll have to ring the bell to get in.
The door opens into an open air courtyard with a seating area of antique chairs at one end, a central rectangular pond in the middle and an open counter to the kitchen at the other end. Guests are escorted through to the heart of the hotel, a mini-atrium open to a lawn and swimming pool of enticing blue. The beach is beyond, behind a wall.
The mini-atrium is railed by first and second floor balconies serving as links between the villa’s two wings. On the first floor is the villa’s cosiest room, furnished like a hill country bungalow parlour with sofas, an extravagance of cushions and a chunky wooden coffee table. This is the television room, shared by all guests.
Inviting : A place to lounge or dive in for a dip
The master bedroom is on the second floor; it’s both spacious and simple, with a broad concrete ledge running the length of the windows and overlooking a view of beach and sea. Amusing knickknacks (are those snake baskets?) brighten corners. The bathroom is large and there is actually a Jacuzzi on the outside balcony.
A gallery overlooking the floor of the mini-atrium leads to two other bedrooms, the smaller Red Room and the larger Green Room. Both are air-conditioned and have bathrooms looking inland, while the Green Room has a Jacuzzi on its balcony with a sea view.
There are four bedrooms, each of which can be booked individually as in a hotel, with the fourth being on the ground floor. This double bedroom features an unusual staircase made out of hollow wooden cubes, which leads to an attic where there is another bed, suitable for junior.
The other side of the mini-atrium is the dining room, which has an enormous square table with seating for three guests on each of its four sides. Meals are available from set menus and can be taken there or on tables set up on the lawn, a favourite place for breakfast. Menus feature fish, chicken, pasta or vegetarian dishes.
Although the beach and the sea are a few paces away, the villa garden and pool are walled off from the beach because of the private nature of the property. This is not a place where walk-in visitors can disturb a holiday; guests arrive by prior booking.
Saffron & Blue has already won the hearts of locals and expatriate residents as a tranquil retreat from the city, as it is easily reached by taking the Southern Highway to the Welipenna interchange, driving through Dharga Town and then down the Galle Road past Bentota and Induruwa to Kosgoda. It is a welcome contrast to the large, package hotels that are its neighbours along the beach.
Managed by Jetwing, this unusual small beach resort has all the attributes of a boutique hotel as well as inputs characteristic of Jetwing properties, such as fine dining, good housekeeping, attentive service and even special varieties of tea produced exclusively for Jetwing.
Saffron & Blue has individual rooms available on special offers, and the villa can also be rented in its entirety with 24-hour availability of staff www.jetwinghotels.com.
[Via The Sunday Times]
