Since the end of the civil war in Sri Lanka, visitor numbers to this lushly tropical Indian Ocean island have been rising.
Better infrastructure helps. BA reinstates its Colombo flight in March and a new hotel is opening on the south-west coast next month.
In a visual nod to the area’s Arabic route, the 200-room and suite beachfront Cinnamon Bey Beruwala hotel fuses central Asian and Arabic design themes. Some eight restaurants include a rooftop Arabic fusion with a shisha terrace and private tents with charcoal grills.
Neighbouring venues Rock Salt and Raw offer “combinable” cuisine — Rock Salt cooks food on methods including hot stone and on Himalayan rock salt, while Raw is a slick sushi bar.
For a different sort of indulgence, the spa will have six treatment rooms each featuring their own outdoor deck with tennis court and hi-tech gym. Nearby lie the Unesco world heritage sites of Sinharaja rainforest — a protected biosphere reserve — and the 17th-century colonial sea fortress Galle Fort.
Doubles from £126 B&B, cinnamonhotels.com. British Airways launches a new route to Colombo via Malé from Gatwick on March 31 next year, return fares from £595, ba.com
