The Roundhouse at Trebartha East, Ahangama

In the early 1960s, the face of Sri Lankan tourism changed forever when surfers flocked in with their boards, taking advantage of the teardrop-shaped island teeming with coves, breaks, and barrel waves. Among the sleepy towns that transformed into surfing hotspots virtually overnight, Ahangama on the island’s south coast remains one of the most popular spots today.

But moving in among the backpacker hostels is an ever-growing scene of chic boutique hotels in the area, designed to offer guests a higher-end experience of Ahangama and the surrounding area. Among these, one of the most exciting new additions to the scene is Trebartha East: The Roundhouse – an elegant and futuristic super boutique hotel on a hilltop surrounded by twelve acres of cinnamon plantation.

Owners Benny and Patrick Latham bought the plantation land in 2017, and The Roundhouse opened its doors for the first time in February 2023, receiving the Monsoon Architecture Award the same year. The building – the brainchild of acclaimed Sri Lankan architect Dr Nerein Pereis – could be plucked straight from the pages of Architectural Digest.

In high season, the hilltop position and surrounding jungle provides much-needed respite from the punishing heat of the coast. Our visit coincides with the shoulder season between the dry summer months and the start of the southern Sri Lankan monsoon, and there is no better place to experience the magical extremes of the country’s seasonality than here.

The rooms boast fully-retractable windows, removing the barriers that separate indoor and outdoor, and the split levels of the building are connected by open-air spiral staircases. Floor-to-ceiling windows in the bathroom open to create an al fresco shower experience, and retractable windows in the bedroom offer guests the sensation of sleeping outdoors while staying fully sheltered.

The super boutique element of The Roundhouse (there are just four rooms to choose from) offers the property a sense of unrivalled exclusivity and peace. There’s no possibility of feeling crowded – always a spare corner to read a book, a vacant daybed by the pool, and little or no wait for service. Guests are encouraged to discover the essence of the cinnamon plantation, be it through the menu, which is laced with hints of the spice, or by embarking on one of the themed activities e.g. a guided tour through the plantation.

There is a sense that Trebartha East is somewhere to escape and the environment is perfectly set up for reflection and creative thought. Our room – the Hora Duplex Suite – is a refuge for creativity, comprising a lower level reading room in chic wood panelling, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a writing desk that faces onto the hotel’s gardens. It’s a cosy and beautifully-appointed space that invites relaxation and imagination.

Following the spiral staircase back to entry-level, our bedroom is a warm and open space that focusses on excellent Sri Lankan craftsmanship, featuring furniture and artworks from local designers and artisans. Everything is wood and rattan, clean lines and minimalist touches – it’s Sri Lanka meets Scandinavia. Each room boasts a king-size four-poster bed in polished wood and dressed with quality linens in a chic tonal palette. The atmosphere achieved is one of deep calm against a breath-taking backdrop, where almost everything has been custom-built to suit the space.

We spend a first magical evening by the fully-retracted windows as dusk fades to night, with the coolness of the evening breeze and a soundtrack of silence save for the low hum of the jungle and the distinctive sound of peacocks calling to each other from the trees. A tropical storm rolls in, flashes of lightning visible through the skylights in the wooden ceiling and monsoon-level rainfall batters against the roof. It’s a setting that imbues romance and drama.

The next morning, we begin our day in the communal reception room with breakfast served on a single large dining table, as though in someone’s home. Today, we’re alone save for The Roundhouse’s resident dog, but it’s an ideal set-up to accommodate gatherings of family or friends (with just four rooms, it’s a great place for small groups to take advantage of exclusive use). At the opposite side of the circular structure, breakfast has been arranged for another couple on the decking outside their room, offering a more private experience. It feels as though anything goes at The Roundhouse, and guests are invited to design their stay around how they’re feeling at any given moment.

The peaceful and spa-like character of the hotel creates an environment where it’s as acceptable to spend the day in total repose as it is to engage in one of the more adventurous activities on offer. An infinity pool follows the 360 degree curvature of the building: a semi-circle of wooden trellises with plants low-hanging over dark blue water. From the pool’s edge, the horizon stretches green in every direction, dotted with small villages and – just visible – buffalo parading through the rice paddies. We order ice cold glasses of Lion to the poolside and take it all in.

We opt for a 60-minute full body massage, which takes place in a dedicated space on the lower floor. The movements are slightly different from a standard Swedish massage, and the openness of the building’s structure means that the experience feels slightly less relaxing than the sleepy surroundings of a low-lit spa, but the gentle trill of wildlife outside provides an ideal natural soundtrack that far excels the repetitive bells and flutes of typical spa music.

The Roundhouse’s setting within a cinnamon plantation is an important part of its identity, and the activities menu enables guests to learn more about the spice and its connection to the land. Sustainability has always been a central pillar of the ethos here, starting with a five-year revitalisation programme launched by Benny and Patrick, which involved the planting of 35,000 young cinnamon plants. The growth of the plantation enables the couple to give back to the community by providing well-paid jobs to local people.

If a little more adrenalin is on the cards, the world-class swells and reggae-soaked beach bars of Ahangama are just 2.5km from the hotel – a 10-minute tuk tuk ride away, which The Roundhouse team is more than happy to organise for you. The activities guide features a list of the couple’s favourite picks for beachside cocktails and dining options. Closer to home, the hotel’s own kitchen offers an all-day a la carte menu with high-end versions of local dishes and twists on international favourites. Like most places we visited in Sri Lanka – and as probably goes without saying – the quality of the local dishes is far superior to the international equivalents.

The Roundhouse is a place to embrace quiet and total tranquillity, get one’s creative juices flowing, and to balance indulgence with nourishment. If there’s anywhere that’s going to spark the idea for your next bestseller or encourage you to redesign your home (most likely in custom-built timber), it’s this place.

We stayed
in the Hora duplex suite, priced from £250 per night (The Roundhouse has a minimum stay of two nights), inclusive of the breakfast offering described above.

We ate
Traditional Sri Lankan fish curry
Black pepper curry

We enjoyed
a 60-minute full body massage in the hotel’s in-house spa room, priced at 18,000 Sri Lankan rupees (exc. 10% service fee)

This was a press stay – all opinions are our own.