My wife and I have stayed at some hundreds of hotels over the last 60 years, and we are both hard-pressed to name a more enjoyable facility. Set high up on a bluff, villas are spread out from the main building in two wings with half facing the sandy beach to the north and half facing the sandy beach to the south. There was a sense of peace and calm throughout the hotel. Maybe it wasn’t fully-occupied, or it could be that people ate at different times. Although attracted to the sparkling, clear water of the large communal swimming pool, we were fortunate enough to have booked one of the villas with a private pool. Depending upon how hot we felt, we could rotate between shaded sun-lounger, covered patio, or air-conditioned inside lounge. We booked the very reasonable half-board which offered various Asian and Western dining options. In a land that’s capable of serving up delicious meals, these were amongst the best that we had experienced in the previous two weeks. The delightful staff really made the hotel stand out. Unfailingly polite, we were greeted on every contact irrespective of their role. After a free fifteen-minute foot massage, my wife managed to fit in six spa treatments over three days so managed to strike up quite a relationship with the masseuse. In a country that is cricket-mad, you only had to mention the magic word and the conversation picked up a pace. Sudath, our “personal butler”, was a treasure. He attended to the room, served each meal, and was overwhelmed with joy after each Sri Lankan victory. Although we didn’t test his drink-making ability, he was certainly an expert at making animal shapes with towels. As a thoughtful, parting gesture, we were presented with a framed photo of the two of us which is on display back home. Well done to Wester, the general manager, and all his staff.