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No place reveals the soul of Geoffrey Bawa, the acclaimed Sri Lankan architect, better than his country home, Lunuganga. When Bawa purchased the site in 1948, it was nothing more than a derelict rubber estate sitting on a promontory in the Dedduwa Lake, 2km inland from the Bentota coast. But over the next fifty years, he painstakingly transformed it into one of the most seductive, passionate pleasure gardens of the twentieth century.
From the heart of the estate, turn to the south, and a wide swathe of green field, fringed by thickets, swells gently upwards to Cinnamon Hill. Beyond, the lake glimmers and draws the eye to the hills in the distance. Turn to the north, and a glorious azure sweep of water and sky swings into view. Here, the edge of the land falls away in a dramatic cliff to reveal a water garden filled with lilies and ornamental rice paddies. This is the complex, Arcadian magic of Lunuganga: a single turn transforms an enthralling, idyllic perspective into an ecstatic, unrestrained panorama. To wander through Lunuganga is to be confronted with a palimpsest of influences, ideas, and memories.
The entire estate is now run as a country house boutique hotel offering an unparalleled opportunity to experience the architect’s vision as he intended.
The guest suite is located in the main bungalow opposite Bawa’s master suite of rooms. A spacious and lavish suite, it is elegantly decorated with objets d’art, paintings, and antique furniture that evoke memories of colonial planters’ clubs. The heart of the room is occupied by a luxurious king-size bed. In the bathroom, large windows frame views of palm fronds outside and filter in dancing patterns of light; a shower is set into an alcove opposite a large porcelain tub.
A sitting area opens onto a completely private courtyard, offering a space for a secluded and tranquil engagement with nature.
The Glass Room Suite is located on top of a portico that separates the entrance court from the Eastern Terrace. Built in the late 1970s, the suite is walled entirely with glass and is capped with a vaulted timber ceiling. Bawa’s vernacular sensibilities usually led him to use glass sparingly, so this room represents an unusual and experimental design within his oeuvre. The effect is romantic and ethereal: perched among the branches, the suite is suffused with light and birdsong.
The suite is elegantly furnished with a queen-size four-poster bed, planter’s chairs, and antiques from the Dutch period, and these distinctively colonial flourishes provide an astonishing contrast with the Modernism of the glazed walls.
The Gallery Room is the largest suite on the estate and is located on the far side of the Eastern Terrace, about 50m from the main bungalow. Originally built as a cowshed in the 1970s, it was later converted into a gallery housing part of Bawa’s art collection. When used as a suite, a king-size antique four-poster bed sits in the centre, creating an extravagant, expansive sense of space throughout the room. In the bathroom, the textures of rough granite are contrasted with an ornate Victorian bathtub.
A patchwork of transom windows allows the suite to capture the play of light and shade as the day progresses. Outside the entrance is a private courtyard with beautifully weathered ochre walls and surprising gothic flourishes.
The Gatehouse was the first addition to Lunuganga, built in the early 1970s to house architectural assistants that came to work on projects over the weekend. The Gatehouse is nestled in a grove of trees at the foot of Cinnamon Hill about 100m away from the main bungalow, and the guest suite is an intimate space that occupies the top floor of the house. Large alcove windows from both bedroom and bathroom open onto the lush, green foliage that fringes the hill. The bathroom features twin vanities and is framed by a salvaged antique column. A beautiful batik print created by the artist Ena de Silva adorns the wall above the double bed.
In the veranda on the ground floor, a stunning mural by the artist Laki Senanayake offers a reminder, as it gently fades over the years, of the remarkable circle of artists who once gathered here.
The Cinnamon Hill House was the last addition, in the early 1990s, to Lunuganga and it echoes themes from the creative renaissance of Bawa’s later years. The heart of the house is a double-height loggia which is a space for dining and entertaining or for quiet contemplation while a cool breeze wafts across the Dedduwa Lake. The accommodation consists of two bedrooms, both with innovative, secluded open-air bathrooms that enliven the senses to the life of the garden outside; in the bathroom for the master suite, the branch of a tree serves as a towel rack.
Both bedrooms feature king-size beds. In addition, the house contains staff quarters and a separate pantry, and guests are attended to by a private butler. It is located on the summit of Cinnamon Hill about 250m away from the main bungalow, and is the most private space in the estate. Reservations can be made for individual bedrooms or for the house as a whole.
The Cinnamon Hill House was the last addition, in the early 1990s, to Lunuganga and it echoes themes from the creative renaissance of Bawa’s later years. The heart of the house is a double-height loggia which is a space for dining and entertaining or for quiet contemplation while a cool breeze wafts across the Dedduwa Lake. The accommodation consists of two bedrooms, both with innovative, secluded open-air bathrooms that enliven the senses to the life of the garden outside; in the bathroom for the master suite, the branch of a tree serves as a towel rack.
Both bedrooms feature king-size beds. In addition, the house contains staff quarters and a separate pantry, and guests are attended to by a private butler. It is located on the summit of Cinnamon Hill about 250m away from the main bungalow, and is the most private space in the estate. Reservations can be made for individual bedrooms or for the house as a whole.
Property Facilities
Internet Access (Complimentary), Restaurant
Room Facilities
Air Conditioning, Complimentary Wi-Fi, En-Suite, Fan, Mosquito Nets, Shower, Tea / Coffee, Verandah
Activities on Site
Bird Watching, Cooking Courses, High Tea, Natural History Tours, Walks (Guided), Walks (Self Guided)
Location: Bentota
Duration: 3-4 hours
Host: Lunuganga & Brief guides.
Group size: 1+ (private tour)
What to wear: Cool, lightweight clothing, a sun hat, sun cream and your camera
Other: There are four guided tours of Lunuganga a day (9.30am, 11.30am, 2pm and 3pm)
This inspirational experience takes in Lunuganga and Brief, two houses and gardens created over
a period of many years by a pair of brothers, Geoffrey and Bevis Bawa. They are two of Sri Lanka’s
most famous sons, and their private estates (now held in trust) are superb examples of tropical
modernist architecture and inspirational landscaping. Geoffrey was Sri Lanka’s most famous architect whose inspiration continues to this day, and Bevis, his younger brother, was a landscape architect.
Lunuganga was the holiday home of Geoffrey Bawa. This exceptional estate, crafted out of rubber
plantations on the banks of the Lunu Ganga (salt river), provides telling insights into the life’s work
of this legendary architect. Geoffrey was famous for his tropical modernist style of architecture,
features of which include blurred boundaries between indoor and outdoor areas, linear verandas,
and windows that framed views both inside and outside of a room. The house, at the top of a small
hill, enjoys views of the lake and of Cinnamon Hill, and though you can only peep indoors, it’s enough to get the gist. There are four guided tours a day (though private tours are possible given enough notice), which provide good insights into the creativity and lifestyle of this great man. We’ve included lunch as well as the tour as it’s the best way to really appreciate the house and gardens – as you sit and dine in tranquillity on the front veranda, enjoying a magnificent curry spread, you can take in the lake views.
After visiting Lunuganga, you’ll move on to Bevis Bawa’s former home, Brief Gardens. This estate
is much smaller than Geoffrey’s, though the gardens seem to have more detail. What the garden
lacks in far-reaching views, it makes up for in interesting sculptures, archways and garden features.
The house itself, a low slung cottage, can be toured, and inside is a lot of artwork by friends of
Bevis, including an exceptional mural representing a tapestry of Sri Lankan life, by Australian artist
Donald Friend who came for six days and ended up staying six years. There are also photos of Vivien Leigh and Lawrence Olivier, two other notable house guests who stayed here during the filming of Elephant Walk in 1953.
Location: Lunuganga | Mihiripenna
Host: Eva
Group size: 1+
What to wear: Lightweight sports/yoga clothing or breathable shorts and T-shirts
Southern coast is an emerging yoga destination and full of promise of spiritual renewal and reawakening. If you’d like a yoga session, we can connect you with Eva Priyanka Wegener, one of Galle’s best yoga teachers and a practitioner of Hatha Vinyasa Yoga (certified with Yoga Alliance, E-RYT +500). Eva has practiced yoga and meditation since 2002 when she was first introduced to Buddhist meditation on a retreat in Sri Lanka.
You can choose to enjoy a private one on one session with Eva, either in the hotel’s Garden or at the beautiful purpose-built Sri Yoga Shala, tucked deep into the Mihiripenna hills, a 20-minute drive fromGalle. This centre is a tranquil timber construction that looks out over the palm trees and inland jungle, and also has a swimming pool and (soon-to-open) health food café.
If you prefer to join one of the group classes at the Shala(usually held from 7.30am to 8.30am and again from 9am to 10am), this is also possible. There are also other experienced visiting yogis who come and conduct classes at the Shala, and our Front Office will be able to check for you which practitioners are currently in attendance along with their daily schedules (group classes take place every day except Sunday).
About Eva
Eva holds certificates in Contemporary Dance and Hatha Vinyasa Yoga (Yoga Alliance). She received her education in Sri Lanka (Nilambe Meditation Center), Germany (Yoga Shala Berlin initial
200hour TT), India (Krishnamarchaya Yoga Mandiram Chennai), with David Swenson in Hong Kong (Ashtanga Teacher Training Immersion, 30hrs), with Louisa Sear, Rose Baudin, Lucy Roberts and Stuart Girling in Bali (Yoga Arts Australia 300hrs TT), with Sri Nanda Kumar (Senior Iyengar Teacher) at Dayananda Ashram in Rishikesh, with Sianna Sherman (Anusara‐ inspired) and Sally Kempton (Tantric Philosophy & Meditation) in London. Eva conceived and designed the Sri Yoga Shala, which opened in late 2015.
Location: Bentota
Duration: 3-4 hours
Host: Lunuganga
Group size: 1+ (private tour)
What to wear: Cool, lightweight clothing, a sun hat, sun cream and your camera
Other: There are four guided tours of Lunuganga a day (9.30am, 11.30am, 2pm and 3pm)
Spread over 15 acres, this iconic estate sits at the banks of the Dedduwa Lake in Bentota. Although the name Lunuganga translates to ‘salt river’ in Sinhala, the estate is said to have been used as a cinnamon plantation, followed by a rubber plantation during the Dutch and British period respectively, before being taken over by Bawa in 1949 to develop as his weekend bungalow. The enchanting retreat and fascinating gardens of Lunuganga was often considered a beautifully crafted experimental ground for Bawa, whose extraordinary work can be seen amidst the many architectural charms across the estate.
Now, under the management of Teardrop Hotels, the estate continues to provide telling insights into the life’s work of this prolific architect. Elements of Italian Renaissance gardens, English landscaping, Japanese garden art, and the water gardens of ancient Sri Lanka come together to form Bawa’s most extravagant creation - a mecca for those passionate about landscape design and architectural history.
Geoffrey was famous for his tropical modernist style of architecture, features of which include blurred boundaries between indoor and outdoor areas, linear verandas, and windows that framed views of both, inside and outside a room. His work has had a tremendous impact upon architecture throughout Asia and is unanimously acclaimed by connoisseurs of architecture worldwide.
Lunuganga now also includes the three-bedroom house of Bawa’s dear friend – Ena de Silva. A batik artist based in Colombo, Ena de Silva commissioned Bawa to design her home in 1962- a pivotal project in his life’s work. In 2009, Ena sold the house to The Bawa Trust, which then moved the property brick by brick from its location in Colombo to Lunuganga. The house took three months to disassemble and six years to rebuild, led by architect Amila de Mel and conservation specialist Nilan Cooray. Everything from the frangipani tree in the front courtyard to the slabs of river stone remains just as it was in the original house.
A staff member of Lunuganga will meet you on arrival and introduce you to life and times of the late Geoffrey Bawa whilst taking you on a tour through the magical gardens. Every turn and bend in Lunuganga is an interesting experience - with so many exotic plants, trees and views to take in. The house is also adorned with paintings and photographs that is a marvel in its own right. You will also have the opportunity to visit Ena de Silva’s house, if it isn’t occupied at the time.
