This house scores points for its location, which is tranquil and rural but also not far away from restaurants, beaches and shops. It has a wonderful garden full of fruit trees such as mango, banana and avocado that you can enjoy for breakfast and its large size offers plenty of scope for children to run around and play. Loads of birds visit the garden along with the occasional monkey so it is also a haven for nature lovers. The sunken swimming pool has a generous sun deck and is walled so that you can swim and tan in privacy, however windows in the wall allow you to look through into the paddy fields beyond which makes it feel a little less enclosed. There are three members of staff, but you hardly see them as they let you enjoy the house and make yourselves at home. The house itself is beautiful and has been very sensitively restored. It has also been decorated in such a way to make it feel very much like home. There’s lots of spots to relax both inside and outside of the house, as well as in the privacy of individual bedrooms which is a highlight for groups. The fifth, single, bedroom is very useful for a nanny or a child and has a lovely balcony overlooking the paddy fields and garden. Parents should keep an eye on children using the stairs as the steps are made from unforgiving polished cement. There’s an equipped kitchen to the rear which is ideal for self-catering, however the very friendly and helpful manager (who lives in the house next door) can also prepare lunches and dinners for you with advance notice. He will shop on your account so it’s best to give a wad of cash at the start of your stay and top it up when necessary. Unawatuna Beach and lots of restaurants are a short drive away, and the staff can arrange transport for you on request.

We thought Illuketia was a charming villa in a delightfully peaceful, rural location. The house has a fabulous colonial design, is airy and spacious and filled with an interesting collection of art and antiques. The wraparound veranda is a great feature and perfect for informal dining, especially as each side offers a different view of the garden. The four double suites are cosy and well-presented however a couple of the bathrooms are a little dated and Waterlily’s (Bedroom 4) intimate size is better suited to children or just one adult.

The villa staff were quiet but efficient. They swept the house and lawns every morning, assembled huge arrangements of flowers and served up well-presented meals of Sri Lankan and eastern cuisine (they can do western cuisine too). On our most recent visit we spied aubergines, gourds, chillies and other fresh produce neatly planted in rows in the organic garden. It’s lovely to know you’re eating fresh produce from the estate (and be able to go see it growing!). This, combined with the villa’s efforts at water recycling and their use of solar power, makes Illuketia an attractive eco friendly choice.

Manager Chathuri is delightfully helpful, but since she also manages Apa Villa Talpe (where she has an office), she’s not always on-site. Illuketiya is a great villa for friends, families, groups, nature-lovers and couples, and also makes a glorious setting for small weddings, which the staff are well versed in hosting. Despite the swimming pool being a 100m walk from the house, the staff will set up tables down here underneath the great boughs of the trees for lunch or dinner; nothing seems too much trouble for them. Note that the villa is a good ten minutes inland from Galle and can be tricky to find.

Satori scores highly for location since it is set in such a fabulously serene spot though desperately easy to get to a good selection of beaches, shops and restaurants. This is the perfect place to kick back and soak in the incredibly tranquil natural ambiance, and the villa positively encourages this. The pool is a focus at the front of the house and there’s a generous terrace to either side for sun bathing, dining or barbequing in view of the jungle-carpeted hills. The house feels very homely and has a good information booklet for guests (although we found the priced estimates for daily food requirements to be too low), lots of books to browse and a cabinet with plenty of DVDs. There’s a spa pavilion in the garden for basic ayurveda treatments which is a particular highlight should you wish to be pampered without leaving the confines of the house; let them come to you! The staff kept the house in order and although service was sometimes a little laid back, they were keen to assist with everything from shopping (grocery system) and cooking to organising transport and local tours. The house can sleep eight people comfortably although since it has quite a few spare beds and mattresses it could sleep up to 12; however for more than eight people note that there’s a supplement of US $40 per person a night. Families would also love it here although with the terraced lawns and steep slopes, parents would need to keep a careful eye on young children.