Friday, January 28, 2011

The Sun House

Here we are at the end of the first month of a new blogging year, & I think it's high time for a relaxing weekend retreat away to plan our individual blog Agendas for the year.

A lovely place where we can find a quiet corner to relax & plan our posts & think about where we want take our blogs in 2011. Over the years we've been to all sorts of 6 star retreats on these cyber weekends....some very ritzy, palatial & down right decadent. This weekend's destination will be a little different. The Sun House is a private colonial boutique hotel perched high on a hill, just 5 minutes from the ancient fort town of Galle on the south coast of Sri Lanka.

Built in the 1860's for a Scottish spice merchant, The Sun House has an wonderful ambience, albeit with a touch of peaceful, faded beauty. Galle was deeply affected by the 2004 tsunami & has spent the ensuing years regrouping & rebuilding.

The Sun House has been renovated to maintain its colonial charm and elegance. The large central living area is the heart of the house. A place where you can browse through their eclectic selection of books in the library, sink into a relaxing sofa, listen to whatever music takes your fancy or relax by the pool.

The elegant suites are filled with colonial antique furniture & dreamy four poster beds.

With wonderful names like Hibiscus, Araliya, Parrot Fish & Dumas, the spacious suites have garden & pool views & private balconies.

Complete with antique furniture, mosquito nets & colonial ceiling fans, the suites make for a truly restful place to read or write or just to dream.

Each suite as a large, modern bathroom.

And the Cinnamon Suite has a stunning outdoor bathroom with a bath tub where you can soak in absolute peace and beauty.

The Living Room overlooks the wide verandah.

And is the perfect place to meet & compare notes on how our blog planning is going.

If you are the lucky occupier of the Cinnamon Suite, then your experience is very special, as it occupies the entire first floor of The Sun House. The Suite is complete with its own library & sitting room.

And a fabulous writing desk to work at & feel the cooling sea breezes drifting through the open windows.

The Mango Courtyard is a lovely spot for taking High Tea.

The fragrant frangipani ('temple tree') garden leads down to the swimming pool.

The pool area is an idyllic and serene place to relax, read, write or swim.

As the day draws to a close, the alfresco pavillion is the place to meet for a refreshing drink & to review our progress.

Make mine a passionfruit margharita please!

A lovely night together in the Dining Room awaits us. Scrumptious & tempting Sir Lankan cuisine is on the menu.

The Griddled Squid with Blistering Sweet Chilli Sauce followed by the Lime Tart has won me!

So The Sun House it is this weekend - care to join me my friends?

Photobucket

23 comments:

  1. i love these exotic places you post.
    this place ....i love and want to be at.
    the painted floors are gorgeous
    and everything else.

    very stylish
    xxx

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  2. What an extraordinary spot. But I just adore the vintage car in the alfesco courtyard ~ it takes "accessory" to a new level.

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  3. Hahaha! Enjoy your blog agenda planing in this fantastic and cool down place!

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  4. Oh yes please Miss Millie. I can plan my own on the sun chair beside yours.
    Ness xx

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  5. This is a pretty house, I'll keep it in mind, Si Lanka is on my list, thanks for letting us all take a look

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  6. Just grabbing my sarong and I'll be there in a jiffy...

    oh, do they have egg chairs?

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  7. Oh Millie...make mine a double! I'm afraid I wouldn't get too much blog planning done. I'd be far too busy swanning and gliding around the place trying to look chic, yet casual, in white linen and a wide-brimmed straw hat.....once I got out of the frangipani bath.

    Thanks for the mini-break. As always - you're an inspiration. Meredy xo

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  8. I am totally with you on this vacation. All the peaceful white and art...dreamy. This is the first blog post I have sent to my husband to enjoy.
    Mary Ann

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  9. Cheers! We so deserve this. You are always so good at finding the best virtural get a ways. Don't work too hard this weekend.
    Love, Heidi

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  10. Millie, I have bookmarked, starred and saved this post in as many ways that I can think of 'lest I lose it.

    This is the ULTIMATE retreat for me and it has special significance to my blog...truly!

    When I was doing some research into the word serendipity, prior to launching my interweb space, one little snippet peaked my interest.

    Serendipity: The name stems either from Serendip, an old name for Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka), or from Arabic Sarandib, or from Sanskrit Simhaladvipa which literally translates to "Dwelling-Place-of-Lions Island"

    So, you can see, that visiting Sri Lanka would definitely be on my agenda [smile Lotto Gods, smile!] and this would be THE place to go.

    Thank you for sharing it and I seriously think we should set up a Lotto syndicate for Aussie Bloggers to take a retreat each year....how about it!

    Felicity x

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  11. I love the courtyard, the pool, and that outdoor bath - how gorgeous!

    I have just discovered your blog - I will definitely bookmark it - I'm originally from Australia myself, but have been living in the US for 18 years now.
    Susan

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  12. Oh, that looks stunning Millie - yes, I think it would be perfect for an unwind and relax :)

    I've awarded you with a Stylish Blogger Award - pop over to this post to collect it :
    http://annettepiperjewellery.blogspot.com/2011/01/hot-weather-sydney-shops-peaches-and.html

    Cheers!
    Annette

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  13. i am so there... order me a shirley temple! he he... on the rocks... he he

    have a wonderful weekend sweet friend... xoxo

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  14. oh Millie I am so with you - it looks amazing - I loved the slighly faded colonia granduer vibe - double yum - plus your blog is as beautiful as ever - thanks for dropping by the third - best le xox

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  15. ok, well my 'computer is definitely saying 'yes' ' to this. let me know when we are leaving, i'll meet you at the airport! x

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  16. Oh wow Millie,

    I would so love to come!!! Count me in!

    Seeing this post has me wondering if you ever went to the Camilla Cottage in NSW last year??? You know the one that was featured in Aust. Country Style mag. a year or so ago.

    If you and MOTH did manage to get away, what did you think of it???

    Hope your weekend is wonderful

    Take care
    Janine
    XXOO
    N.W. Coast Tassie

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  17. Hi Janine
    Lovely to hear from you! No sadly MOTH pulled the pin on our little side trip to Camellia Cottage. He was grumpy, so we drove straight through to Melbourne from Stirling & I can tell you it was no speakies all way until we hit Ballarat....I wish I'd flown!
    Millie x

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  18. Thanks for the invite. id love to come.Fiona

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  19. Boy I love a place like this. I am waist deep in snow.
    It is all so fabulous.
    yvonne

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  20. Oh my goodness..I feel more relaxed just from gazing at the photos!

    I love those benches that wrap around large tree trunks! And the checkerboard patio floor...to die for!

    I have a four-poster bed. I wonder if I'd like the mosquito netting like that...it's so romantic!

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  21. Hi Millie,

    I stumbled across your blog while looking for information on Stirling and thought this is amazing!!

    I was even more amused and thrilled to discover this piece of article about the Sun House in Sri Lanka, my birth country. Thank you posting this information for everyone else to see.

    The blog is already bookmarked ;) and for I will surely enjoy reading the rest of it.

    Anu

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And none will hear the postman's knock
Without a quickening of the heart.
For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?
~W.H. Auden

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