Immediately south of the Beruwala resort strip, the work-a-day little town of Aluthgama. literally “New Town”, is one of the liveliest along the west coast — a bustling little place with lively fish and vegetable markets, plus a surprisingly good selection of unpretentious little shops selling masks and wood carvings. The town also boasts a string of attractively low-key guesthouses backing onto the beautiful Bentota Lagoon — a good alternative to the less attractive resort hotels to the north and south.

About 16 km (10 miles) inland lies Brief Garden open daily from 8am to 5pm; with an entrance charge. There was nothing remotely brief about Brief, which was a lifetime’s work for its creator, the acclaimed landscape artist, sculptor and bon-vivant Bevis Bawa — the elder brother of Geoffrey Bawa, the celebrated architect. Brief got its name because Bawa’s barrister father bought the land with money from a suc­cessful legal brief. Bevis Bawa cleared the surrounding rubber plantation and went on to create a verdant romantic folly of inviting alcoves, nooks and bow­ers. The house is even more appealing, a beautiful colonial villa stuffed full of miscellaneous artworks — including a stunning mural of Sri Lankan life by Aus­tralian artist Donald Friend, which dominates the hall — and artefacts, as well as assorted mementoes of Bewis Bawa’s life and times, including photographs of some of the celebrities who visited, such as Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh