My eyes were closed for my yogic savasana, but my other senses were on full alert. Frangipani trees scented the dusk air, monkeys howled as they swung from branch to branch. When I blinked them back open, the sky was a shifting canvas of marshmallow clouds. I was lying on the yoga shala at Kurulu Bay overlooking Koggala Lake, which opened last December. It is part of a clutch of grown-up hotels and lodges that have sprung up inland from Ahangama, the cool surf spot on Sri Lanka’s south coast that has been gathering pace since the pandemic. They follow in the footsteps of Palm, a tropical paradise with A-frame cabanas and new treehouse suites, where you wake up immersed in the jungle.
At Kurulu (meaning bird in Sinhala), life is centred on the beautiful restaurant and turquoise pool. I passed soft, tranquil days here, powered by tuna sashimi salads and lobster tail curries, gentle swims and occasional drifts to the good-looking spa for a massage — retreating to my cottage at night for deep sleeps. It is only 10 minutes in a tuktuk to the buzz of the town, but Kurulu Bay is a tranquil slice of heaven.
