Palm Hotel Sri Lanka

A bold new boutique hotel hidden between the jungle and paddy fields of laid-back surf town Ahangama on the South Coast of Sri Lanka. PALM is a relaxing and tranquil place with an amazing swimming pool, restaurant and bar area.

Inspired by Shoreditch warehouse conversions, vintage travel and Geoffrey Bawa’s Lunuganga, PALM reflects a new era of modern sustainable design in an area known for its century-old gingerbread cottages and basic surf shacks. Partly constructed from shipping containers, the double-height glass and steel pavilion opens to the outdoors and presides over a breezy palm grove sprinkled with black A-frame cabanas. Interiors are softened by pastel pinks, cane furnishings and basketry, and still-young gardens that bring the outdoors in.

Owners Miriam and Laurie are very involved, and live on-site so their local knowledge is excellent. They have trained a happy and helpful team offering service with a homespun feel. The hotel has a pool and a CrossFit gym (purposefully non air-conditioned) brimming with equipment rescued from the couple’s former Shoreditch gym when they left East London for Sri Lanka in 2018.

PALM’s stylish, uniquely styled and affordable accommodation is already proving popular with creatives, families and upmarket surfers.

The A-Frame cabanas are much roomier and nattier than their names suggest – beyond their glass-fronted facades lie simplistic yet spacious interiors characterised by poured cement, low-slung beds with pillowy-soft linen, floor-to-ceiling windows and white rattan ceilings.

Soft pendant lighting sets a soulful tone while locally sourced toiletries and Bluetooth speakers come as welcome extras. The loo is indoors though the shower is in a private open-air courtyard clad in tropical plants. The cabanas dot the palm grove and overlook patches of the garden with space for sitting out.

The all-day dining pavilion is a statement building constructed from steel, glass and inky shipping containers. Young British chef Emily Dobbs oversees the open kitchen and Sri Lanka’s legendary hoppers, which she championed at East London’s Druid Street market, are on the menu here. Expect Lankan flavours fused with western tastes using garden-grown or locally sourced ingredients.