Rock Villa

Set in 2.5 acres of tropical garden at Bentota on Sri Lanka's west coast stands Rock Villa, a 170-year-old six-bedroom Wallawwa, or manor house. The villa can be taken exclusively or on a room by room basis.

The main villa comprises of the private suite, which is 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, living (TV room) and lovely large veranda over looking the garden. The suite is perfect for a family and really great value for its size.

To get to the beach you must cross a little used railway line, so do make sure you check before crossing. Once on the sea side you are treated to one of Sri Lanka's best beaches on the west coast. The hotel will organize for you to have sun downers on the beach in the evening and take the deck chairs down during the day if you like. Otherwise the is a lovely large pool situated in the middle of the garden.

Bentota is perfectly placed to explore some of the more lively cities in the area whilst basing yourself on the coast. The property is only 1.5 hours to the south of Colombo and an hour to the north of Galle meaning you can do a day trip to see the fort city and dabble in a little souvenir shopping whilst you are there.

There are 6 rooms in total. 1 large private Suite with 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, living room and TV room, which dominates the majority of the villa. There are then 2 double rooms, and then 2 deluxe superior rooms, which both have outside space. All the rooms have a modern feel to them but the villa also retains a real heritage feel by retaining vestiges of the old decor.

From May to August the Yala monsoon brings rain to the island’s southwestern half. The southwest has the highest rainfall – up to 4000mm a year. There is also an inter-monsoonal period in October and November when rain can occur in many parts of the island. Colombo and the low-lying coastal regions have an average temperature of 27°C. The sea stays at around 27°C all year. Climatically speaking, the driest (and best) seasons in Sri Lanka are from December to March for the west and south coasts.