Need to know
Rooms
Eight villa suites and three rooms; two villa suites can be booked as a pair for families.
Check–Out
11am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in: 3pm, or earlier if the room is free.
More details
Rates don't usually include breakfast (contact Smith24 if you'd like to book half board). There’s a two-night minimum stay (three in high season). Solo travellers, contact the Smith24 Team for rates.
Also
Owner Rob Drummond worked closely with award-garnering Raefer Wallis of Shanghai’s A00 Architects to ensure the design and build tread as lightly as possible. The resort's spiral layout is lifted from the Fibonacci sequence, but we’re sure you already guessed that. If you want to come home with a new party trick, ask the hotel to arrange tuk tuk-driving or stilt-fishing lessons.
At the hotel
Free high-speed WiFi; six acres of grounds; a library of art, design, architecture and travel books; a projector for screenings; a yoga <i>shala</i> for Quantum Yoga classes, and personal trainers. In rooms: minibars in some suites, free bottled water, Spa Ceylon toiletries; three of the villas have private plunge pools too.
Our favourite rooms
Rooms in the Water Tower are cosy cabins with glorious views; the tower’s cinnamon-wood cladding makes it look somewhat like a high-end haystack – trust us, that’s a good thing. The Lake Villa’s private pool is both view blessed and shaded from fellow guests by a smattering of greenery; it’s ideal for a spot of late-night skinny-dipping.
Poolside
The resort’s glimmering lake-edge infinity pool has ionising filters, and its panoramic green-and-blue views are really rather lovely.
Spa
Each guest has a bespoke plan of yoga classes and spa treatments, involving Lara Baumann's unique Quantum Yoga approach. Classes are held in a shala floating above the bamboo grove, and treatments take place in two elevated rooms. Post-pampering, stop by the steam cavern, or head to the sheltered relaxation area, with a gently trickling fountain, white flowers and bamboo. Ayurvedic massages are tailored to individual needs, where guests can choose their preferred oils and pressure, and shirodhara (a soothing water massage) and cleanses are offered too. Active types can hop on an exercise bike, follow a 'holistic parkour circuit' around the lake (accompanied by a personal trainer, on request), or learn how to climb a coconut tree with the aid of a rope.
Packing tips
Bring binoculars to spy on the scores of birds fluttering about their lakeside habitat. Don’t forget eye masks and earplugs if you’re a light sleeper who likes a lie-in – the glorious dawn chorus is loud and proud.
Also
The hotel is not best suited to guests with mobility issues.
Children
Tri is better suited to families with older children; only children 12 years and older are permitted at the resort. In rooms, a sofa can be made up as an extra single bed (US$75 a person, each night).
Sustainability efforts
Sustainable materials and building practices are exemplary: water is solar heated and transfers are by old-fashioned fishing boat. Tri’s entire philosophy is based on going local – from team members to ingredients in the kitchen and the art displayed. A carbon-consulting company in Colombo was enlisted to conduct a comprehensive biodiversity report.