The villa
A private home made for being together
Kottamba Kanda is a generous six-bedroom private villa near Hiriketiya, arranged across the main house and a separate two-bedroom cottage in the gardens. It sleeps up to 15 guests, every bedroom with its own ensuite bathroom.
There is space to gather, eat, swim and spend time together, with enough room for everyone to retreat when they wish. The main villa brings the group together around its open living spaces and pool-facing verandah, while the cottage offers a little more privacy within the gardens.
The main villa
The heart of the house is a large, light-filled living room with vaulted timber ceilings and a first-floor gallery looking down into the space. It is a place for slow mornings, games, reading and escaping the heat of the day.
There is a bar for pre-dinner cocktails, a separate TV room and a generous dining verandah overlooking the pool. The villa's professional-grade kitchen sits behind the scenes, supporting the relaxed, generous food prepared by Roshan, our chef.
Four ensuite bedrooms are arranged across the ground and first floors, accommodating families and groups with different needs.
Bedroom One
Ground floor · Sleeps 2
A calm, garden-facing bedroom with a four-poster bed dressed in plush hotel linen. Double doors open onto the verandah, where two planter chairs offer a quiet spot for morning coffee or a moment out of the sun. Sri Lankan art, an antique wardrobe and custom block-print robes add warmth and character, and the generous ensuite has a double vanity and a walk-in shower.
Bedroom Two
Ground floor · Sleeps 2
A relaxed ground-floor bedroom with a four-poster bed, plush hotel linen and double doors opening directly onto the verandah. Settle into the planter chairs with a book or a pre-dinner drink, then return to a room layered with Sri Lankan art, an antique wardrobe and custom block-print robes. The spacious ensuite has a double vanity and a walk-in shower.
Bedroom Three
First floor · Sleeps 2
A flexible first-floor room that can be made up as a double or a twin. It looks across the gardens to the jungle beyond and has a light-filled ensuite bathroom with a double vanity and a generous shower, which makes it a good room for friends, teenagers or couples.
Bedroom Four
First floor · Sleeps 2 adults and 2 children
Designed with families in mind, this room has a queen-sized bed and a set of bunk beds for children up to 12 years old. It looks out over the garden and the jungle beyond, with a naturally lit ensuite bathroom with a double vanity and a generous shower.
The TV room
Additional accommodation for 1 guest
The separate TV room can accommodate one additional guest and has access to its own shower room and WC. It is particularly useful for a teenager, a nanny or a member of the group who would enjoy a little more independence.
The Cottage
Set among the gardens, the cottage is a relaxed two-bedroom addition to the main villa. With its own living area and verandah, it gives guests a little more privacy while remaining fully part of life at Kottamba Kanda.
It is particularly well suited to grandparents, a second family, older children or friends who like their own space at the beginning and end of the day. The cottage is not let on its own; it is added to a booking of the main villa.
Bedroom Five
Cottage · Sleeps 2
A comfortable queen bedroom with an ensuite bathroom, set within the calm of the garden cottage.
Bedroom Six
Cottage · Sleeps 2
A flexible ensuite bedroom that can be arranged as either a twin or a double, depending on your group.
The grounds
The pool and gardens are at the centre of life outdoors. Natural stone tiles run around the large pool, which has a waterfall edge, a shallow step for toddlers and views across the lawn towards the jungle beyond.
A sunken lounge by the pool is made for an afternoon cocktail, and the pool deck has plenty of sun loungers for stretching out with a book. Children have their own natural play area, built from Sri Lankan timber, and there are broad grass lawns at the front and back of the house for cricket, boules, badminton or simply letting off steam.
Considered for the setting
Kottamba Kanda is powered by a full roof of solar panels, which lets us run the villa more sustainably while keeping a connection to the main electricity grid for complete reliability.
Our story
Kottamba Kanda was created by the Campbell and Jongman families, who met while living as expats in Abu Dhabi. We shared a love of Sri Lanka and the idea of creating a holiday home in Hiriketiya for our own families: somewhere that felt generous, relaxed and connected to its setting.
The journey from first idea to opening took around two years. Along the way, the house was shaped with the care and expertise of architect David Kenyon, Nile Construction and the garden designers Greenery at Heart.
We are enormously grateful to the many people in Sri Lanka who shared their time, knowledge and craft with us. Kottamba Kanda is the result of those relationships as much as of the building itself, and we are delighted to share it with other families and groups who love to explore new cultures, spend time in nature and be close to the sea.
Find your place in the house
Main villa
- Living room
- Bar
- TV room
- Dining verandah
- Four ensuite bedrooms
The Cottage
- Living area
- Verandah
- Two ensuite bedrooms
The grounds
- Pool with waterfall edge
- Sunken lounge
- Pool deck
- Children's play area
- Front and rear lawns
Common questions
How many bedrooms does Kottamba Kanda have?
Six ensuite bedrooms: four in the main villa and two in the separate garden cottage. The TV room in the main villa can take one more guest, so the whole property sleeps up to 15.
Can we book the cottage on its own?
No. The cottage is only added to a booking of the main villa, so the property is always taken by one party at a time.
Is Kottamba Kanda suitable for young children?
Yes. The gardens are fenced, the pool has a broad shallow step, there is a timber play area, a cot and a highchair, and Bedroom Four has bunk beds for two children up to 12 beside a queen bed for their parents.
How far is the villa from Hiriketiya beach?
Hiriketiya bay is a short walk down the hill, around four minutes on foot, close enough for an early surf before breakfast and far enough that the villa stays quiet.