What a wonderful villa! Apsara offered us plush comfort, an excellent chef and a wonderful riverside location all within easy reach of Bentota’s long sweep of beach. We enjoyed the company of the staff who always greeted us with a smile and made us feel so welcome. The chef, in particular, stood out for his conviviality and amazing food. The house and garden were both immaculate: it felt as though we were the first ever visitors. The lighting was also especially good. The bedrooms and living areas are all air conditioned, although we just left the doors open as there was always a refreshing breeze coming off the river.

There’s a wall-mounted DVD and Blu-ray disc player in the living room (loads of DVDs) and a surround-sound music system with iPod dock set up so you can hear your favourite tunes inside or by the pool. There’s also a good WiFi connection throughout the villa so you can easily get online if you bring your own kit.

Apsara has its own private jetty and is well connected with a locally renowned water sports outfitter who can come and pick you up from the villa in their boat. There’s a good supermarket just up the road from the villa that stocks loads of imported goods and the fresh produce market is right on your doorstep too. The staff will buy groceries for you though, and with such an amazing chef to feed you (and a wonderful menu) it’s unlikely you’ll be doing much more than ‘window’ shopping.

Sagara was our favourite of the three Sri Villas; it’s intimate, comfortable and – being the furthest away from the main staff area – seemed the most private. It also has the most ‘hidden’ living and dining areas plus a kitchen that we had all to ourselves (the staff/chef have their own) making self-catering easy. There’s little true privacy outdoors and if all the properties were occupied I could imagine the ambiance would feel more like a small boutique hotel (certainly around the pool) than a villa, but if you don’t mind sharing then this is a good villa for you. If you’re a small group (maybe even a couple) looking for the personality of a villa, or perhaps are new to villa renting, this communal setup works well as having extra people around (if there are any) provides a little more atmosphere so that you don’t feel completely alone. The houseboy assigned to our villa was very polite and helpful, as were the rest of the staff who took over the cooking, cleaning, securing and beautifying while we relaxed and topped up our tans on the terrace. The food was good (there was lots of choice), the smiles genuine and their experienced system of dealing with guests shone through. I liked that fresh juices were left in the fridge for us to help ourselves to (or brought to us in chilled glasses) and that we could order whatever we liked, when we liked. Typically guests choose to pay their food bills via a grocery system (staff doing the shopping and presenting you with receipts), which we did; however you could otherwise opt to pay $40 per person per day for full-board.

This is an excellent holiday home for independent couples, families or groups of friends looking to self-cater or enjoy an extended holiday as it offers good value too. The villa’s imaginative build celebrates its picturesque and very serene natural location. The interiors feel homely and, since the rooms are spread across three floors, either sociable or intimate depending upon the occasion. When we first visited the villa back in 2009 it was brand new. Nearly four years on, the villa still felt charming, and the garden beautifully lush, but we noticed that the interiors were starting to look a little tired in places - the fish tank, particularly, looked forlorn. An iPod dock has been added though, along with many more books, CDs, DVDs and games.

The villa is set up for self-caterers. There are a few restaurants located within walking distance of the villa which means that if you don’t feel like cooking, you don’t have far to go to eat out – these include Asian Jewel, where you can enjoy a hearty English breakfast, and Kallabongo Resort. The White House manager, Chaminda, is also the manager of Sun Beach Hotel in Hikkaduwa and can arrange a chef to come to the house to cook for you with advance notice; rice and curry is recommended. A staff of two assists self-catering guests and are on hand to clean, tidy and make drinks for you throughout the day. Their English is limited, but they do understand guests’ needs. Chaminda can be called at any time to assist with more complex queries - local calls from the house telephone are free – and the villa has a very detailed information guide. The staff can arrange a tuk tuk if you’d like to head into Hikkaduwa or you could jump aboard the villa’s two (slightly dilapidated) bicycles to peddle there yourself. Chaminda can organise scooter hire or a car  for onward travel.