THERE CAN HARDLY BE A MORE ENCHANTING HOTEL

in Asia than Saman Villas. Small, perfectly located and beautifully designed, it is an unequalled private getaway for loving couples.

The 27 rooms cascade down the sides of a rock promontory pushing out into the deep blue Indian Ocean. Picture perfect beaches curve away into the horizon on both sides. The beauty of Sri Lanka is set out before you but you are in a private haven above it all.

A two-storey villa houses a superior suite upstairs and a deluxe suite downstairs, the latter enjoying a small garden. A single 'Saman Villa' occupies both floors of one villa. Every room has a delightful open-air bathroom with separate shower and bathtub, a lounge and a spacious veranda. Facilities include a minibar, satellite television, radio, CD player, telephone, safe and hairdryer. It is all put together with exquisite taste; modern comforts complementing traditional decorative elements such as carved wooden pillars and painted panels copied from temple originals.

The restaurant and bar look out over the swimming pool, which itself appears to float above the sea below. There are no buffets at Saman Villas. The evening dinner is a five course menu served at your table by perfectly groomed waiters. It is a meal to linger over. Then, perhaps, to wander upstairs to the wood-panelled library, bar and lounge for a post-prandial cocktail or a game of pool.

If the hotel is ideal for couples, it must be said it is also excellently suited for small business gatherings. There is an attractive and very well appointed conference room. Along side that is a modern gym with sauna and steam rooms attached. Herbal massages and aromatherapy body treatments complete the package.