The reef from above: surf breaking white over dark rock and sand, palms at the water's edge.

Ahangama · the south coast

Three houses by the reef.

Wella, Pol and Gal: two, three and four bedrooms, each booked whole, behind one wall on the sea side of the coast road. From $240 a night, the whole house.

The plot

One wall, three houses, and the reef across the sand.

Built the way this coast builds when it builds well: polished cement floors, teak louvres, laterite walls and breeze block screens that keep the sun out and let the wind through. You book a whole house, and the staff come with it.

3 houses 9 bedrooms 3 pools 2 minutes to the sand

A long pool under palms, the trees reflected in still water. — Wella’s lap pool, before breakfast.

A terrace under a timber pergola: a hammock, a long table, and a small pool beyond. — Shade until noon.

A lawn under frangipani and coconut palms, a white parasol at the pool’s corner. — Pol, in the grove.

An outdoor shower against a stone wall grown over with creeper, white towels on a timber rack. — The outdoor shower.

The houses

Pick a house, not a room.

Demo exchange rates, set Friday, 9 October 2026

Wella House
Wella means sand
Two bedrooms, a 12 m lap pool, and the sand two minutes away.
- 2 bedrooms
- Sleeps 4 + 1 child
- 12 m lap pool
From $240 a night, the whole house
Dates for Wella House
Pol House
Pol means coconut
Three bedrooms on one floor and a fenced plunge pool, in the coconut grove.
- 3 bedrooms
- Sleeps 6 + 2 children
- Fenced plunge pool
From $360 a night, the whole house
Dates for Pol House
Gal House
Gal means stone
Four bedrooms and an 18 m pool facing the sea, on the rocks at the end of the plot.
- 4 bedrooms
- Sleeps 8 + 2 children
- 18 m pool facing the sea
From $560 a night, the whole house
Dates for Gal House

Northlight noteThe price on each card is the lowest night that house sells in the coming year, not a teaser. A guest who finds a higher price three steps later leaves.

A breeze block screen beside a bed of leaves, in black and white.

The houses, in detail

Shade at eleven, a breeze at three.

Every house has a breeze block wall on its west side and louvres you open by hand. The rooms stay cool without the air conditioning on, and the light comes in as patterns on the floor that move through the afternoon.

Walk through Pol House

Breakfast on a timber table: egg hoppers, omelettes, curries in small bowls and tea.

The service

The people come with the house.

A villa is only as good as the people looking after it. These are ours, and what they do for you.

Breakfast
Cooked in your kitchen every morning, at the time you ask for: egg hoppers, fruit from the market, eggs any way and proper Ceylon tea.In every rate.
The cook
Lunch and dinner whenever you want them, rice and curry or the day’s fish. You pay what the food costs at the market and nothing for the cooking.Or book dinners with the house.
Housekeeping
Every morning while you are at breakfast or on the beach, and again in the evening if you want the beds turned down.Daily, every house.
The tuk-tuk
A driver is on call for the house. Ring Nimal and he is at the gate in a few minutes; you pay the driver the local fare.Day and night.
Nimal
The house manager lives on the plot and answers his phone. The cook, the housekeepers, the driver and the surf teacher all come through him.Your one number.

Northlight noteOn a villa site the staff are half the product. Owners abroad usually leave them out; a guest choosing between two villas books the one that says who will cook breakfast.

Surf

Surf, honestly.

The waves around Ahangama are good from about November to April, best from December to March, when the mornings are offshore. From May to September the southwest monsoon makes the sea rough and most surf schools close. These are the breaks a few minutes from the gate, and who they are for.

December to MarchBest: clean, offshore mornings
November and AprilGood, quieter
May to SeptemberMonsoon: rough, for the experienced

Kabalana BeachBeginners and upAhangamaBeach break, several peaks
MarshmallowsImprovers; good on a longboardAhangamaDeeper reef, lefts and rights
The RockIntermediate to advancedOff Kabalana BeachReef A-frame, the left is longer
SticksIntermediate and upAhangamaReef, left and right peaks
Gas StationIntermediateAhangama, east endReef, shallow at low tide
Lazy Left and Lazy RightImprovers to intermediateMidigama, about 3.5 kmReef, a left and a deeper right
RamsAdvancedMidigamaShallow reef, a right that barrels
Weligama BayFirst lessonsWeligama, about 9 kmSand, gentle

Getting here · 5.97° N, 80.37° E

On the coast road, on the sea side.

About 165 km from Colombo airport by the expressways, the last stretch along the coast. We send a car to meet your flight.

Colombo airportabout 2½ to 3 hours
Galle Fortabout 25 to 40 min
Weligamaabout 15 min
Mirissaabout 20 to 30 min
Midigamaa few minutes

Stilt fishermen on their poles among the rocks off the south coast.

Questions

Ask before you book.

The answers to what guests ask us most, from the time the cook comes to whether the pools are fenced.

Search the answers

Type a question, or try one of these:

All 32 questions and answers

Is breakfast included?: Yes, in every house, every morning. The cook makes it in your kitchen: egg hoppers, fruit, eggs any way, toast and proper Ceylon tea, at the time you ask for.
Can the cook make lunch and dinner?: Yes. You pay what the food costs at the market and nothing for the cooking. Or book dinners in advance when you book the house, and they are on the bill.
Is the house cleaned every day?: Housekeeping comes every morning while you are at breakfast or on the beach, and again in the evening to turn down the beds if you want them to.
How far is the beach?: From Wella House, two minutes’ walk to the sand. Pol House is in the grove behind it. Gal House is on the rocks at the end of the plot, with the swimming beach two minutes along the shore.
Can we swim in the sea?: At the beach in front of Wella House, yes, from about November to April when the sea is calm. From May to September the southwest monsoon makes it rough, and the house manager will say when not to.
When is the best time to come?: December to March is dry and calm, and busiest. April is quieter and still good. May to October is the monsoon: cheaper, greener and wetter, with big surf and rough sea.
Is it good for surfing?: Very. There are beginner waves at Kabalana a few minutes away, and reef breaks at Ahangama and Midigama for better surfers. There is a board rack at every house.
Can you arrange surf lessons?: Yes, two hours with a teacher and a board, usually at Kabalana for beginners. Add them when you book or ask the house manager when you arrive.
Are children welcome?: Yes, in all three houses. Pol House is the one we built for families: three bedrooms on one floor and a fenced pool. Cots and high chairs are free.
Are the pools fenced?: The plunge pool at Pol House is fenced on all four sides with a gate that latches high. The pools at Wella and Gal are not, but we can put up a temporary pool fence if you ask when you book.
Can we get a nanny?: Yes, by the hour, through an agency the house has used for years. Add hours when you book or ask once you are here.
How do we get here from the airport?: By car, about 2½ to 3 hours on the expressways. Book the car with the house and the driver meets you outside arrivals with your name.
Is there a tuk-tuk?: A driver is on call for the house. Ring the house manager and he is at the gate in a few minutes; you pay the driver directly, at the local fare.
How do we pay?: By bank transfer. On the flexible plan you pay 30% now and the rest 30 days before you arrive. On the non-refundable plan you pay the whole stay now, for 10% less.
Can we pay by card?: Not on this site yet; bank transfer only. The house is held for three days while your transfer goes through.
What if we need to cancel?: On the flexible plan, cancel up to 30 days before you arrive and the deposit comes back in full. After that, nothing is refunded. The non-refundable plan is not refundable at any time.
What is the minimum stay?: Three nights, and five over Christmas and New Year (20 December to 5 January).
Why book here and not on a booking site?: The price is the same, but booked here the cook makes dinner for everyone on your first night, on the house, and you deal with Nimal from the start rather than a call centre.
What time is check-in?: From 2 pm, and check-out by 11 am. If your flight lands early, tell us and we will have a room ready if the house was empty the night before.
Is there air conditioning?: In every bedroom, with ceiling fans in the living rooms. Most guests sleep with the louvres open and the fan on.
Is the Wi-Fi good enough to work?: Fibre to every house, with a backup connection if the power or the line drops. People do video calls from the terrace.
Are there mosquitoes?: Some, at dusk. Every bed has a net and the bedrooms are screened; there is repellent in every bathroom.
Can we bring a dog?: Not inside the houses, I’m sorry. There are dogs on the beach that will adopt you anyway.
Who looks after us?: Nimal, the house manager, lives on the plot and answers his phone. The cook, the housekeepers and the tuk-tuk driver all come through him.
Is there a safe?: Yes, in every bedroom, and the gate is locked at night with a night watchman on the plot.
Can we have a party or a wedding?: A birthday dinner, yes. Weddings and events need asking first, because the other two houses may have guests.
Can we book more than one house?: Yes, all three if you like: nine bedrooms for up to 18 adults and 5 children. Book them one at a time here, or ask and we will hold them together.
Is it noisy?: The road is on the far side of the wall and the grove, so mostly you hear the sea and the birds. Gal House hears the reef all night.
Is there somewhere to eat out?: Ahangama has cafés and restaurants all along the coast road, most a short tuk-tuk ride away. Galle Fort is about half an hour.
Is there a doctor nearby?: There are clinics in Ahangama and a hospital in Galle, about half an hour away. The house manager will drive you.
Do you have power cuts?: Rarely, and the houses have a generator that keeps the lights, the fridges and the Wi-Fi on.
Can we arrange day trips?: Galle Fort, whale watching from Mirissa in season, tea country inland: the house manager books the car and the driver.

Northlight noteFamilies booking a whole house ask about the pool fence, the cook and the sea before they ask the price. Answered here, they don’t have to message the owner abroad and wait for the time difference.

Before you book

Two ways to pay, said plainly.

Flexible

Pay 30% now by bank transfer and the rest 30 days before you arrive. Cancel up to 30 days before and your deposit comes back in full. Inside 30 days, nothing is refunded.

Non-refundable

Pay the whole stay now and the house costs 10% less. Nothing is refunded if you cancel, so choose it when your dates are certain.

Arriving and leaving
Check-in from 2 pm, check-out by 11 am. Tell us your flight and the house will be ready.
How long
Three nights or more, and five over Christmas and New Year (20 December to 5 January).
Children
Welcome in every house. Cots and high chairs are free; a pool fence goes up on request.
Paying
Bank transfer. The house is held for 72 hours while your transfer goes through. No card is taken on this site.