Village Headman's Bungalow is a century-old house built in the traditional Sinhalese style, let as a whole to one party. It belonged to Johannas Abenayake, who served as Senior Village Headman from 1926 to 1956 and was awarded a medal by Queen Elizabeth in 1954, and it is now looked after by his granddaughter. The house keeps its veranda, office room, large living and dining rooms and traditional kitchen with antique utensils, and stands on 175 perches of land among cinnamon and coconut trees.
The bungalow sits on high ground in the village of Gonagala, inland from the coast between Bentota and Induruwa on the south-west coast of Sri Lanka. The beach is about a ten-minute drive away. Induruwa railway station is about 2.3 km from the house and Bentota station about 5.8 km, both on the coastal line between Colombo and Galle.
The drive from Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) runs around Colombo and down the Southern Expressway, and usually takes around 2 hours, depending on traffic. The easiest way to arrive after a long flight is a private airport transfer booked in advance with Lakpura: an English-speaking driver meets you in the arrivals hall and takes you straight to the bungalow in an air-conditioned car, van or coach sized for your group, from 2 up to 15 guests, at a fixed price for the whole vehicle rather than per seat. The same service works in reverse for your departure flight. Book the Colombo (CMB) Airport transfer to Village Headman's Bungalow.
The bedrooms are double and triple rooms, each with an attached bathroom, air conditioning and a television, and the house is furnished with antique pieces collected by the family. Guests share the large living room, the sitting areas and the veranda, and because the bungalow is taken as a whole, the house and its grounds are yours for the stay.
Outside there is a swimming pool with a shallow section for small children, set in a garden of coconut, cinnamon, breadfruit and other fruit trees, with vegetables grown on the grounds. The property has its own spring-fed wells, used for drinking water and for traditional open-air bathing, a Buddhist shrine for meditation, a barbecue area and secure parking. The kitchen is equipped for guests who want to cook for themselves.
The beaches at Bentota and Induruwa are a short drive away, and the Bentota River is the place for water sports and river fishing. The turtle hatcheries of Kosgoda are close by along the coast, and nearby you can see wood and mask carving, visit the Kande Vihara temple, see cinnamon growing in the plantations around the village, and visit the fish market at Beruwala. Lakpura can arrange private transfers and day tours to all of these from the bungalow.
Everything in the villa was well maintained and in excellent condition. The rooms were clean and comfortable, the bathrooms were tidy, and all facilities worked perfectly, including the kitchen and common areas. The garden and poo…
Ratings and reviews provided by TripAdvisor for Village Headman's Bungalow.
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