Owl and the Pussycat Hotel

With a name taken from a poem by the Englishman Edward Lear, the Owl and the Pussycat wears its literary inspiration on its sleeve — and if you were to imagine what a modernist Sri Lankan boutique hotel dedicated to a Victorian eccentric might look like, you’d be very much on the right track. It’s set right on the water, with a direct view onto the Indian Ocean, just down the coast from Galle, not far from Unawatuna Beach, one of the island’s finest.

It’s a modestly sized hotel, spread across four small buildings containing just 17 rooms and suites; the better ones face out to sea, but all are stylish, colorful, and comfortable. They vary widely in size as well — the largest two-bedroom suite is four times the size of the humblest standard room.

There’s a cozy swimming pool and a bit of outdoor lounge space overlooking the water; this section of beach isn’t swimmable, but it is picturesque. Public spaces also include a drawing room with a capacious library, and Botanik, the restaurant, serving simple and modern Sri Lankan fare in an air-conditioned dining room or al fresco facing the sea.