Nestled beneath swaying coconut palms mere footsteps from the Indian Ocean, Victoria Villa is an understated five-bedroom villa near Galle on Sri Lanka’s southern coast. Designed by acclaimed Australian architect Bruce Fell-Smith, Victoria’s extensive renovation in 2016 has brought the villa firmly into the modern age whilst sensitively retaining its important sense of history. Staffed by a small team including chef, this charming beach villa, a cherished family escape, presents modern artwork, shabby chic antiques and contemporary soft furnishings.
Sleep
The villa has five comfortable air conditioned bedrooms; four doubles and one twin. Bedrooms are furnished with whitewashed antique four-poster beds dressed in high thread count linen, and have private bathrooms finished in taupe marble with monsoon showers. The master bedroom is an exceptionally spacious suite with a deeply cushioned built-in window seat that offers beguiling views of the sea. Its sandstone and marble bathroom is particularly special, and features a freestanding tub, twin washbasins and a monsoon shower.
Dine
Our staff team have a long history with the villa, and are dedicated to ensuring our guests feel comfortable, secure and at home. Our experienced cook has a flair for international cuisine, and can prepare delicious Sri Lankan curries, nutritious salads, warming soups, ocean-fresh fish and seafood dishes with ease. Dine in the open plan living room, lunch on the veranda or pair breakfast with spectacular sea views from the elevated garden pavilion. No alcohol is served at the villa, but you are welcome to bring your own or purchase from local liquor shops. Galle is increasingly cosmopolitan and offers a growing range of restaurants, cafes and bars.
Relax
Calming colour schemes, multiple lounging areas and comfortable soft furnishings all add up to present a villa that offers a blissfully serene setting to relax and unwind. Curl up with a book on one of our oversized veranda day beds or rattan loungers, swap stories from the L-shaped lounge sofa in the living room overlooking the pool, or sip cocktails from the garden pavilion as the sun turns a crimson sunset pink. We also have an air conditioned lounge with a TV and DVD player for catching up on the news or tuning into a prime sporting event.
Play
The villa opens onto a spacious lawn that stretches towards the sea, and at its heart is an inviting greenstone-tiled swimming pool featuring a shallow staircase of granite stones. Palms sway loftily overhead and dapple the lawns in sunshine, and our garden offers ample space for a casual family game of cricket, volleyball or football. We have books for you to dip into and a collection of DVDs for those who wish to stay home, curl up and watch a movie. There are restaurants in the vicinity if a change of scene is needed, and bars for an evening out.
Location
Victoria is located on the sunkissed sands of Talpe, a 20-minute drive from the heritage city of Galle, neighboured by private villas and boutique hotels, and close to Dalawella’s lagoon-like swimming beach. Inland, the scene turns from blue to green as oceans of paddy fields fringe a palm-spiked interior where local villages, Buddhist temples, expansive lagoons, tea estates, spice plantations and rainforests home to diverse wildlife lie in wait of discovery. Galle’s 16th century fortress, a hybrid of British, Dutch, Portuguese and Sri Lankan architecture, is a fascinating place to wander during the cooler hours of the late afternoon.
