Thambapanni Retreat: A formula that guests adore

Stylish is not a word usually associated with Unawatuna; raffish seems more appropriate for this popular do-it-yourself beach resort. So to find a place there as elegant as Thambapanni Retreat is to discover that Unawatuna has moved up-market.

At least part of it has. Thambapanni Retreat is at the edge of the muddle that characterises the area; up a narrow lane away from the beach to where uniformed security guards scrutinise every potential visitor. This is done to preserve the exclusive zone of peace that prevails at the Retreat. It is a hotel favoured by discerning couples not the partying young, a reputation Thambapanni's creator, Preshan Dissanayake, intends to preserve.

After acquiring the property some five years ago, Dissanayake pulled down the old house on it with great regret, as it was unsuitable for guests. However, he retained the wooden doors, shutters and antique furniture that give the new buildings a sense of mature calm. He wanted to create the kind of place he would like to stay in himself. "It's the guest's holiday here, not ours," he says, explaining why meals are served where and when requested, and only residents are allowed in the hotel.

It's a formula that guests adore. Many are repeaters and one foreign couple has stayed ten times in the past two years. What attracts them - as well as its location away from the jollities of Unawatuna - is probably the Retreat's individualistic accommodation and attentive pandering to guests' needs. A late breakfast by the pool? It's a pleasure!

The impact of Thambapanni Retreat begins beyond the entrance gates framing the flower-bedecked scene. Rooms defy logic in their design as they cling to a cliff face and have expanded vertically to 18 units. Set against a screen of tremendously tall bamboo plants intertwined with hibiscus and bougainvillaea blooms, are bright salmon-pink and white columns. They look vaguely Aztec but are perhaps modelled on the more demure wood-panelled columns of Embekke. The columns front the open-sided reception area and adjoining restaurant, with rooms above.

At their base a narrow wooden deck leads around a free-form swimming pool where water glistens clearly because the pool is made with cut and polished cement, no distorting tiles. Bougainvillaea forms a wall keeping the pool away from prying eyes next door and swimming in it is to imagine having found the luxury of a gentle jungle pond. The vegetation that survives in the Retreat is astonishing when so much of the neighbourhood is overrun with higgledy-piggledy development.

A notice in the rooms urges guests not to worry if they hear a tapping noise on the roof of their room as it's either a mammal that's chosen the roof to look for food, or monkeys leaping past. Creepers and bamboo abound and lush vegetation makes the upstairs rooms seem like tree houses. Totally shielded from view by trees is a four-storey block, each floor housing a guest apartment with balconies big enough for a cocktail party.

Many guests use their balconies for dining, with deep views of the sea in the distance over the tops of palm trees. Hammocks are slung on those balconies, and the coffee tables are adapted antiques. The room interiors feature timber floors, four-poster beds and bathrooms that are a delight of coloured cut-and-polished cement, with a bathtub of brushed peacock blue and walls a Mediterranean umber. Some rooms, like those in the main complex, are less elaborate but all have an individual charm, as well as city necessities like satellite TV, DVD player, mini bar and air-conditioning, as well as fans.

One room, number seven, is a favourite with its wall of granite, floor of wood and a mattress laid on a wooden platform on a high cement dais. An almirah stands on a plinth. Creepers dangle down into the open-roofed shower and the toilet seat is the ultimate in retro-chic: wooden. A quartet of room boys in saffron-coloured tunics works in tune to keep each room neat and tidy. Flower petals are patterned artistically on the bed sheet and strewn prettily in the bathroom.

Enchanting features, like cut-out stars and flowers of brass set into the concrete floor of the reception area, and boulders left in place as seats, add whimsy to the complex. Bowls of bright, fresh fruit invite guests to help themselves. The communion with nature is enhanced by daily yoga sessions for guests on a special first floor meditation balcony.

While seclusion is valued at Thambapanni Retreat, it's fun to stay there too. (www.thambapannileisure.com)