Water Garden Sigiriya

Water Garden Sigiriya seems like an evocative, almost poetic name for a hotel, but in fact it’s as sensible as they come — which testifies to the magic of its setting. Sigiriya is a fifth-century fortress built atop a natural column of rock in the island’s inland center, and the hotel’s grounds, crisscrossed with manmade pools, lakes, and streams, is quite literally a water garden.

It’s laid out so as to perfectly frame the views of the fortress in the middle distance, and its finely focused modernist architecture is in keeping with Sri Lanka’s distinctive local style — it’s the work of Channa Daswatte, one of the country’s most highly regarded architects. The 30 villas are spacious and thoroughly well-equipped; some of them feel like private islands, surrounded by the gardens’ water features, while others come with private plunge pools of their own.

A full-service spa stands on stilts above the waters of one of the estate’s ponds, while on dry land the central restaurant spills out onto a terrace from within a breezy double-height space. There’s an outdoor pool and a substantial fitness center, as well as all manner of outdoor recreation, from croquet to archery — and between the villas’ butlers and the hotel’s capable concierges, the service throughout is first-rate.