By Charmaine Hibbert

As we make our way up the winding backroads after coming off the main road, I am now very intrigued to see Tabula Rasa Resort and as we turn the bend our driver is waved through a secluded gate which horseshoes to bring us outside reception where we are greeted by the staff.

While I am being handed a cold towel, the azure blue of the infinity pool has grabbed my attention and that then leads my eye down to the waves crashing on the beach below and I am totally mesmerised. A nudge from James brings me back to the conversation. We take a seat as refreshing cocktails arrive and our passports are taken for the check-in while we sit back and relax.



Anouk – better known as Arnie – who is one of the owners, arrives and she explains her and her husband’s concept and the story behind their journey to this point. I could tell that one of them must have a design/creative background as I take in the aesthetics of my surroundings and it turns out Arnie owned a company that produced high-end woven furniture and her husband Arnoud was an architect and musician.

Making our way round the different accommodation options from rooms to apartments, you can feel that every little detail has been thoroughly thought through, from the colours to the selection of woods to the little bottles that hold the shower gels etc.



Room

Arnie leaves us and the staff show us to our rooms. When I enter the room I have been allocated my heart skips a beat in delight, as outside the double doors that take me to my deck which has loungers and a seating area and looks out over the jungle to the sea, is my own personal plunge pool!



The nose dive into the pillows of my four poster dark wooden king-size bed reveals fresh cotton and a nice, firm mattress. The décor is dark wood, white with splashes of red and orange, put together beautifully. The walled walk-in shower and sink are finished in a warm yellow, with white sink and stone vanity with wooden towel stand, all complementing each other perfectly.

Spa

After a sightseeing tour of Galle fort and walking through the narrow streets of the city, followed by a nice cooling plunge in the infinity pool and just chilling out watching the sun go down, it is time for my spa treatment.

The hotel is in the process of changing the spa area, but Nuwan puts me at ease as I enter and change and plonk myself face down on the massage table. As Nuwan slowly assess my body along my legs, back, shoulders and head, he begins slowly massaging each leg. I am sure he then moved to my back and I remember my shoulders popping like a well-known bowl of breakfast cereal and then it was time to turn over.



I drift in and out of sleep and then feel my head being slowly massaged and I just melt as those magic hands make every fibre in my body relax. Then suddenly Nuwan is tapping me on my shoulder to say he had finished. It was the perfect massage to finish this tour of Sri Lanka and prepare me for the flight home.

Restaurant

I meet up with James for dinner and the restaurant overlooks the infinity pool and with it now being dark, the lights are on and the pool just glimmers invitingly. It is our last night in Sri Lanka and we honour it with our last chicken curry, followed by ice cream and passion fruit.



The rest of the night is spent with James and Arnoud putting the planet to rights and planning how Sri Lanka can become an amazing golf destination and talk of a long-driving competition on an old air force base. While Arnie and I relax with a glass of wine and take in the perfect night watching monkeys and blue-winged birds in the warmth of a beautiful Sri Lankan night.

Conclusion

Sri Lanka was never one of my bucket list destinations, but now I have travelled north to south, east to west of this beautiful island, I would definitely recommend you add it to yours.



I would also recommend that you spend some time at the Tabula Rasa Resort. With the tranquility of its position looking down to the beach and out to the Indian Ocean, while sitting among the trees, you get that wonderful feeling of being in nature, but with the benefit of these beautifully designed and decorated rooms and food that is cooked to perfection.

My heart hopes this is more of a “coda” moment rather than the last time I stay here. But if it is, then it has been a beautiful and fitting finale to my trip to Sri Lanka.



Tabula Rasa Resort & Spa
Habaraduwa
Sri Lanka

T: +94 914 549 000
W: tabularasaresort.com