THE EXPERIENCE
Indisch boasts a magical location. Set just back from a curved promontory, it enjoys direct access onto what feels like its own private strip of sand. Wrapping around this majestic five-bedroom family house like a sea of green is an emerald lawn dotted by palms, home to a generous T-shaped swimming pool. Just beyond the garden, waves crash dramatically onto the rocks and fishermen perch precariously on stilts rising out from the sea – a sight unique to this part of the island.
Indisch’s interiors are similarly engaging: brilliant white walls, soaring ceilings, polished terrazzo floors and shuttered French windows opening onto deep wraparound verandas make the house feel immensely spacious. A sound system is built into the living and dining areas and the excellent fully equipped kitchen is a triumph of tropical modern styling. The staircase is a particularly elegant inclusion; shallow steps lead up to the five bedrooms on the first floor under a ceiling that towers loftily overhead. A selection of faded antique door and window frames from Dutch-colonial Sri Lanka and Bali highlight the stunning Indonesian-Dutch or Indisch architectural design. Through a careful blend of the old and the new, Indisch feels timeless, and its giant proportions provide added luxe.
The villa is spread across two floors, of which the lower is open plan, and rooms blend into each other as they encircle a paved courtyard with fountain that bubbles and tinkles away in the background. The villa suits families well; a large flat grassy lawn surrounds the house, there are shallow areas in the pool for little paddlers and also a children’s play area with swings and slides. The rock pools on the beach, the crabs darting in and out of their holes, and the soft sand are all sure to provide further amusement for younger members of the family. For those less inclined to expend their energy, the soft towel-covered loungers on the lawn and gentle ripples in the azure swimming pool invite you to do very little at all.
With a team of 15 capable staff including an executive chef and manager, Indisch is exceptionally well-run and fabulously private. The chef’s cooking is excellent. For short stays, fixed price set meals are offered for breakfast lunch and dinner, as required, while longer-staying guests are charged for food and drink items at cost plus 10% service.
LOCATION
Indisch is located a couple of kilometres south of the fishing town of Ahangama. Enhanced by an arc of coastline to the front, the villa overlooks a rocky island, a sienna-coloured headland and also a small inlet where colourful fishing catamarans make for a very Sri Lankan scene. On the far side of this inlet little glimpses of the traffic heading between Galle and Matara can often be seen in between the palms and beachside vegetation whilst, a little out to sea, stilt fishermen sit atop their perches hoping for a good catch.
About Ahangama
A busy fishing town roughly half-way between Galle and Matara, Ahangama has an intermittent stretch of beach that opens out properly to the east at Midigama where the surf is considered to be some of the best in the south. The beach often skirts towards the road, but when it finds its own path away from the traffic beneath swaying coconut palms it feels unspoilt and is often deserted except for the fishermen who can be seen hauling their wooden catamarans onto the soft golden sand. This stretch of beach is not only famous for its surf, but also for the stilt fishermen whose characteristic pose atop a stick stuck deeply into the sea bed is often seen on postcards and gracing the covers of guidebooks, such is its uniqueness to the island of Sri Lanka. Best photographed in the early morning and evenings as they cluster in favourite fishing spots close to the shore, the fishermen and their sturdy sticks, passed down through the generations, are often absent during the heat of midday. Inland from Ahangama’s beaches is a verdant wonderland of paddy fields and jungle that hug an amazing collection of antique houses whose pretty fretwork adorned eaves, inspiring stucco columns and delicate detailing hark back to the time of the colonials and make for an interesting walking tour. Also in this area is the Handunugoda Tea Factory where you can tour the estate and taste the tea to your heart’s content. There are no western-standard restaurants in Ahangama; they get better the closer you get to Galle (20km).
About South Coast
Stretching between Galle and Hambantota, the south coast is undoubtedly one of the most popular destinations in Sri Lanka. Characterised by historically significant fortified towns, numerous picture-perfect palm-fringed beaches, a sultry turquoise sea, swathes of iridescent green paddy fields fringed by lush green jungle, ancient Buddhist temples, expansive waterways, nature-filled rainforests and tea-carpeted hills it offers enough variety to be a destination in itself; fabulous for families, groups and couples alike.
Galle is one of the region’s most significant attractions for its sixteenth century Dutch fort filled with an evocatively rich collection of buildings, boutiques, museums and luxury digs that hug a peninsular to the south of town. Galle’s popular beaches are better-facilitated, more developed and safer for swimming than those in and around Tangalle, but the further you travel east the more expansive, deserted and nature-filled they become.
Surfing, snorkelling, diving, whale watching, sailing, fishing and kayaking can all be done along this magnificent stretch of coastline as well as cycling, walking and trying your hand at Sri Lankan cookery. Inland, the scene varies as the westerly wet zone’s lush jungle interior gives way to the arid dry zone plains a little beyond Tangalle. Taking off by bicycle is often the best way to explore the hills, plains, sanctuaries and jungle whilst a boat is a must to navigate the scenic lakes and rivers that wind in between.
Some of Sri Lanka’s most popular national parks – Uda Walawe for elephants and Yala for leopards and bears – as well as a trio of its most accessible rainforests – Sinharaja, Kottawa and Kanneliya – are easily visited on a day or overnight trip from anywhere along the south coast.
ROOMS
You enter Indisch via a deep front veranda which takes you into a grand foyer typically dressed with fresh cut flowers to welcome guests inside. Directly beyond the foyer an elegant fountain forms the centrepiece of a paved inner courtyard.
To the left of the foyer, beside the elegant timber-lined staircase, is a spacious air-conditioned study with TV, DVD player and home theatre system which can be enjoyed from squashy sofas topped with cushions. A pair of doors leads onto the deep front veranda with views of the garden.
To the right of the foyer is a modern kitchen and laundry room whilst to the back, via hallways either side of the courtyard, are the living and dining areas. These are both tastefully decorated with a blend of Sri Lankan and Indonesian antiques, artefacts and period furnishings, and plenty of modern artwork adorns the white walls. The dining room looks out across the side garden and seats ten for formal indoor meals. Beyond the living and dining areas, through white louvred doors, is a deep veranda stretching the entire width of the house where you can relax on colonial-style white wicker chairs. Here, a second table offers an attractive all-day alfresco dining location. A pair of guest washrooms are located off each hallway on the ground floor.
The five bedrooms – all with ceiling fans, air conditioning and four-poster beds draped in soft mosquito netting – are on the first floor. To the front are the two expansive master suites, both of which are luxuriously fitted with king-size beds, writing desks, dining tables, safes and plenty of wardrobe space as well as a bathroom with powerful rain shower, free-standing tub and twin washbasins. Twin French windows open from these bedrooms onto a wide front balcony with magnificent views over the pool, garden and sea.
The remaining three bedrooms (one king and two twins) also offer ensuite bathrooms with powerful showers. The king-bedded room and one of the twins open onto another deep balcony with views over the garden and driveway. Both have walk-in cupboard storage, a small table and chairs and are a little more spacious than the side twin room, which is better suited to children.
