The awesomeness of Sri Lanka’s south coast is not news to anyone who set foot on the island. Its many surf breaks, spectacular bays and lagoons, tall coconut palms, delicious food, and surreal sunsets are all stuff that makes the legend. Taking the Spice Trail experience to this end of the island has always been part of our plan and we’ve even shared a bit from the story about our south coast resort slowly taking shape. Now, we’re thrilled to invite you to come by Spice Trail Ahangama; it’s just over one hour’s distance from Colombo. We have a dreamy pool under the palms, some guest-only areas, and flexible spaces to host small families, big packs, and intimate pairs; and we’ve got some great chefs ready to serve you.
Behind this setup for the perfect southern weekend, there’s a lot of work, thought, and detail that our team put in. In 2020, 2021, and most of 2022, and even through the quiet beginnings of the Sri Lankan crisis, we spent time discovering the property, learning what works best and setting it up. Living in the tropics means experiencing nature in high definition. As much as this is fantastic, it also means managing how nature interacts with your space becomes very important; particularly on the south coast where monsoons are intense, water management is paramount. For example, every monsoon, water used to collect on the Mahavihāra road near our property, nearly blocking it for the entire village. We were determined to fix this. So, our team studied the rainwater collection and built a drainage system that helped the entire village to continue using this road section throughout the monsoon. Continuing our water sustainability practices from the east coast, we directed the water into a series of collection areas that could feed the garden. It was a win-win-win for our guests, the villagers and the Spice Trail garden.
When you visit, you’ll notice how our garden has some beautiful, extremely tall coconut palms characteristic of the south coast. When landscaping our garden, we were careful to keep as many of the original medicinal and fruit-bearing trees while adding more. Our gardener knows how the local fauna grows through each monsoon, and we love watching the landscape change every season.
The big swimming pool is one of the best things about our south coast hotel—you just have to come and see why. Surrounded by the garden, and overlooking a lush natural woodland, our pool is only for Spice Trail guests, keeping it always relaxed. Knowing that most of our guests are by the pool when they’re not surfing or spending time on the beach, we hope to develop the experience around the pool into a more and more interesting one with setups to have fun and celebrate special moments.
The guest space is a southern single-story family manor that we developed into a multiple-room villa-style guest house. You can book individual rooms for a weekend with your favorite or the entire property when you roll in with the whole crew. The hotel has been designed to make it easy to enjoy private space within individual rooms, and get a more communal experience in the living area where even a few families can easily hang out and spend time together. There are comfortable AC rooms with private courtyards and outdoor showers for those looking for more space. Our guests love this flexibility and the ‘home away from home’ feeling designed into the villa.
Our pavilion kitchen is where all the Spice Trail deliciousness happens. The fully-staffed kitchen and our team are game to keep you thoroughly fed through breakfast, lunch, dinner, and in between. Arranging a special barbecue with fresh fish or cooking up something you fancy with farm veggies are all available options. But, that’s not all. Whether it’s getting local supplies, sourcing some drinks and chasers from a nearby bar, getting an umbrella for a stroll in the rain, a beach towel for a sunset watch, extra pillows, or finding a ride to neighboring surf towns like Mirissa or Weligama, our team is there to make it happen. We’ve got you covered, rest assured.
So, if you’ve already liked what we’ve been doing in Arugam Bay for years, or have been thinking about swinging down south soon, drop by the Spice Trail to stay in Ahangama. The easy beach life, tasty goodness, and family fun of Spice Trail are now just a nice drive from Colombo. See you south for the weekend!
P. S. There’s a special discount for Spice Trail Ahangama when you book directly on our website; it’s just as easy as reserving your holiday on Airbnb or Booking.com! Find out more and book directly with us here.
Comments