The Credentials
Situated on one of the Southern Province’s loveliest beaches, KK Beach Hotel is located south of Galle on a tranquil stretch of south-coast shoreline. It’s a place where powdery golden sands and the wild Indian Ocean meet luxurious beach style, and there’s a formidable cocktail list to boot!
Architecturally speaking, the building blends traditional Sri Lankan forms with the modern Western beach house aesthetic. Bright white minimalism and thoughtful planting ensures that the hotel is well-embedded in its show-stopping surroundings. This is a place where nature is at your fingertips; bright, airy rooms open up onto uninterrupted sea views, the tropical gardens step out onto the sand, and the poolside service is attentive in a way that feels deeply personal.
From the moment we arrive, the staff offer a warm welcome, immediately serving us ice-cold lemongrass tea and a cool towel to melt away the journey. The common areas have a relaxed vibe: interiors are considered, but happy to let nature take centre stage. The palm trees have been perfectly art directed, just enough rugged sway to feel powerful, but undeniably kept since falling coconuts pose a serious – if slightly decadent – threat to life. The bar area is comfy and inviting, and the highly regarded ‘Bamboo Restaurant’ has views across the twenty metre infinity pool and ocean beyond.
Style
Owned by interior designer George Cooper, the hotel boasts ten ocean-view rooms and suites decorated in a New England style. In our room, a nautical theme dominates with striped soft furnishings, polished concrete and rattan rugs. Heart-shaped light pendants add a playful touch, one my daughter takes great delight in. There are crisp white bed linens and fluffy towels. The bathrooms are sleek and clean with walk-in rain showers and plenty of deliciously scented products. In the wardrobe, there are soft linen robes in a pencil stripe that match the bedding (I’m later thrilled to see these for sale in the onsite boutique.)
Downstairs, the lounge area, with its concrete pillars and open plan design, is open to the elements; a traditional design feature here in Sri Lanka. There are chunky textured lamps, Ikat-print cushions, squishy sofas and huge candles – the overall effect of which suggests Hampton’s beach club – a sumptuous spot for a lazy cocktail. The popular Bamboo Restaurant with its jungle picture wall looks out across the emerald-hued pool. Burnt orange parasols remind us that we are in the heart of cinnamon cinnamon-growing country.
Dine
The hotel offers full board, so we take our meals onsite. On the first evening, we delight in traditional chicken and creamy coconut soup and a spiced laksa. There is freshly caught red mullet and a zesty spiced tuna tartare. My husband has the ‘best paratha he’s ever had’ in accompaniment to the Jaffna mutton curry, a fiery, dark and highly aromatic dish from the most northern tip of Sri Lanka.
The seared tuna salad is fresh and zingy, and the poke bowl with its cornucopia of raw veg and cooked grains proves to be the perfect distraction for our one-year-old. It’s also worth mentioning that the chef is happy to prepare custom dishes for little ones, and Clara is lucky enough to sample a range of omelettes, dhals, steamed vegetables and freshly caught fish.
Sri Lankan breakfast is available to pre-order. The menu varies on a daily basis, but we sample hoppers with eggs (a bowl-shaped crepe) served with a light curry and a coconut pol sambol… heaven. The Sri Lankan omelette is also a hit, and we soon discover firm favourites on the buffet table. In particular, buffalo curd and local kithul treacle are made from palm sap. Needless to say, the selection of fresh tropical fruit and juices are some of the best we’ve ever had.
Who Goes There
A mix of young, trendy Euro power-couples, mother/daughter adventurers and larger British families with grown-up kids who have clearly taken on quite a few rooms. You get the sense that this is the sort of place that people return to year after year. I should also add that it’s a fantastic place to visit with young children. Not only are the pool and beach easy to access, but the staff are always on hand to make holiday parenting a little easier… helpfully swooping in with cots, high chairs, snacks and a customised children’s menu without you even having to ask.
The Spa
The brand new spa is located at KK Beach’s sister hotel – Kahanda Kanda– a more grown-up sister, incidentally, which is strictly adults only. Unlike KK Beach, it’s located a few miles inland, a mere twenty-minute Tuktuk ride from KK in the heart of a tea plantation. Pillared terraces are surrounded by elegant channels of water that glimmer in the setting sun. George’s exceptional taste and flair for design is present here too… muted tones meet vibrant colour and dramatic walkways. Large colonial-style couches dressed in linen surround the bar area, some of the suites boast four beds, treetop forest views and the newly appointed villas even come with their own private pools.
As well as the brand new spa, there’s a well-equipped gym located high in the tree tops, for those who think might deem it necessary to see monkeys swinging in the trees as they pump iron. I don’t visit the gym on this occasion, but I am lucky enough to have an aromatherapy massage with Sri in one of the spa’s newly finished treatment rooms. Her technique involves the use of fragrant Ayurvedic oils and a soothing rhythmic technique that blends Swedish and Sri Lankan traditions. I’ve been experiencing neck pain, so Sri makes a point of working through the knots in my upper back. As she continues, I find myself slowly drifting off to the sound of the wandering peacocks and the monkeys playing in the trees. As Sri works her magic on my tangled muscles, I feel myself audibly exhale and start to unravel a little… The KK Collection has proved to be the perfect place from which to begin our Sri Lankan adventure.
The Details
A room at KK Beach Hotel Sri Lanka starts from £226 during peak season, which is from the months of December – April.
