The last true oasis of Sri Lanka is tucked away in Bentota, a secret garden which used to be the country home of Geoffrey Bawa, is located in the midst of a tropical mini-forest. The Deduwa lake snakes around the estate, giving it’s visitors magical views from the main restaurant, overlooking the manicured garden, Italian renaissance statues and the grand temple tree. Reminded me of Villa Balbianello in Lake Como.

I arrived here planning to stay just for two nights and I immediately fell in love with the place and extended my getaway by another day. I stayed over in the Gallery Studio and the room was exquisite. It had lots of original paintings and sculptures, with a separate living area and a spacious washroom. The window next to the shower provided me with a view of the lake and the lower gardens. Many times I pondered upon the thought of how amazing this view really was. The chairs at Lunuganga are quite unique and they have been made for different times of the day and for different occasions. It’s not just about sitting, it’s an experience. The love chair provides two people to relax in such a way that they are facing each other, while being next to a breezy window. The relaxing chair in my room had two wheels at the back, instead of the legs. The arms of that chair extended out so that I could put my legs up and relax. The chair that I’m sitting on right now inside “Sandella” has a curved back which extends all the way to the front in a 180 degree angle. It’s perfect when you want to lean back and put your arms on the top of the chair. 

The Bawa Table was my favourite spot for breakfast and it overlooks the Cinnamon Hill. In the morning, cattle come to graze on the cinnamon hill grass and you can see the top part of a Buddhist temple in the yonder. 

The staff allows you the privacy that you need and there are old fashioned bells all around the house and the garden in case you need assistance. 

My travel partner for the 3 days was “The Brother of Jesus” book by Hershel Shanks and Ben Worthington. It’s a very interesting book which talks about the oldest evidence ever found of Jesus of Nazareth’s existence where the ossuary containing the bones of “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus” surfaced through a private collector. It talks about the possibility of whether Jesus had a brother and if so, is this the same one. 

On the day of arrival, I started off in the private garden in front of the Gallery Studio while listening to Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” album. The rustic cement chairs with moss and small plants, allowed me to dial down and get into the Lunuganga vibe. 

Had my lunch and evening tea in the main restaurant and the views were breathtaking. It really makes you gaze upon the intricate details of Bawa’s creation and how much thought had gone into every curve, hole and piece of wood that exists in the main house. 

On the first night I was so busy with my office work that I thought whether I made a mistake in coming to stay here during a busy time. Wifi connection was slow inside the room, but that’s to be expected since you are staying inside a mini-forest. A good night’s sleep was all I needed to freshen me up and the Lunuganga adventure continued. There were different exhibits available in different parts of the property and it was interesting to read and watch what inspired the artists to come up with these creations. 

The place was filled with birds, squirrels, mongoose and monkeys. The birds and mongoose were not afraid of me being around them, which shows how well the staff at Lunuganga lives harmoniously with nature. I was reading my book under a tree and the ground keeping staff were very considerate that they stopped their cleaning and left to a different part of the estate and started working there, so that they would not disturb my quiet time. 

The butlers bring the place alive with stories from Geoffrey’s life while he was living there in the house. While having breakfast, I was told that Geoffrey used to like looking at the temple I saw far away. One day the chief monk of the temple had come to Lunuganga and had asked for Geoffrey’s help to sponsor the coloring of the temple and Geoffrey had said with a straight face that he will only help to color the top half of the temple since that’s the only part he could see while having breakfast everyday and the lower part was always covered by trees. The monk had thought that Geoffrey was being serious and had got confused, but later Geoffrey had laughed it off. Even though Geoffrey never believed in any religion, he had continued to help this temple for a long time. 

In the 1970’s under the rule of Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike, a new land rule had been brought in, where unused excess land which is not used for the betterment of the country will be taken over by the government. To make sure that he doesn’t lose his land, Geoffrey had “started” several farming projects. Hence today we see the abandoned chicken shed next to the Gallery Studio and the cattle who still come to graze from the grounds. 

During one of the earlier garden tours, I was told that Geoffrey wanted the Bawa Trust to manage the Lunuganga estate to the best of their ability after he is dead and under no circumstances they were allowed to make any changes or sell the property. If the Bawa Trust can’t raise money to maintain the property, as per Geoffrey’s last will, they are to let the property be as it is and leave, so that nature can take over and engulf this magical creation and turn everything to dust. What an amazing way to make sure that your legacy stays the same and in the end, like everything else, hand it over to mother nature to do as she pleases. 

This will never be your conventional hotel stay. Imagine if you had all the money in the world to build a house and a genius brain to create the perfect garden. That’s what this is and come to Lunuganga to stay at your country estate and enjoy the Teardrop hospitality standards.