Opening soon

Backwaters,
and everything they hold.

A villa set into the green edge of the Garanduwa lagoon — where the mangroves start and the noise stops.

Garanduwa lagoon
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The villa

Built quiet,
on purpose.

Backwaters is a private villa on the sheltered side of Mirissa — deep shade, cool rooms, and open sightlines toward the water. The architecture stays quiet on purpose, so the landscape remains the loudest thing here.

Mature forest wraps the plot on three sides. Herons work the shallows at first light; at dusk the flying foxes cross overhead. The town and the coast are easy to reach, and impossible to hear.

Lagoon outlook

Living spaces and terrace turned toward the water and the mangrove line.

Pool with lagoon view

A private pool running the length of the terrace, looking straight out over the lagoon.

Private by design

Forest boundary on three sides. No overlooking neighbours, no passing traffic.

Tropical modern

Clean lines and deep verandas, built low and cool beneath the tree line, with the lagoon breeze drawing naturally through the open living spaces.

900m to the beach

Mirissa beach, the whale boats and the restaurants, a few minutes away.

Four ensuite rooms

Four ensuite rooms in all, each fully air-conditioned — from a panoramic lagoon outlook to garden and pool views.

Lounge & full kitchen

An open lounge and a full kitchen at the heart of the villa.

Rooftop bar & yoga

A rooftop bar and lounge for sundowners over the lagoon, with a calm space set aside for yoga.

Remote-work ready

Fast, reliable fibre internet makes this a calm base for digital nomads and remote work — a place to log on and get things done, surrounded by nothing but water and forest.

Pool and terrace running the length of the villa
Pool terrace
Ensuite room opening directly onto the pool
Ensuite room
Double-height living room with rattan pendants
Living room
Poolside looking along the glass frontage
Poolside
Lounge opening to the garden
Lounge
Corner ensuite room with treetop outlook
Upper ensuite room
Floating timber stair
Stair

Garanduwa

A lagoon with an island
at the centre of it.

Ringed by mangrove and coconut, fed by the sea through narrow inlets — and almost entirely hidden from the coast road.

The lagoon

Garanduwa — the reason to come.

Garanduwa is a brackish coastal lagoon fringed with ancient mangrove, fed by the sea through narrow inlets and hidden behind a wall of green. It is calm, sheltered and shallow — flat water almost year-round, still enough to mirror the sky.

It is also one of the richest wildlife corridors on the south coast, home to more than sixty native species. Move slowly and quietly, and the lagoon opens up.

Mangrove forest along the lagoon shoreline
The mangrove line
Garanduwa lagoon and its island from above
The lagoon & island
First light over the lagoon
First light
Forest and coconut canopy around the villa plot
Forest canopy
95% sighted
Common Kingfisher diving into the lagoon

Common Kingfisher

Alcedo atthis

The electric blue flash of the lagoon. Hunts from low mangrove branches just above the surface, diving vertically with its eyes shut on impact.

99% sighted
Indian flying fox colony roosting in the mangroves at dusk

Indian Flying Fox

Pteropus medius

Among the largest bats on earth, with wingspans reaching 1.5 metres. A colony of hundreds roosts in the tall central mangroves and lifts into the sky at dusk.

80% sighted
Asian water monitor basking on mangrove roots

Asian Water Monitor

Varanus salvator

Sri Lanka's largest lizard, reaching up to 1.5 metres. Equally at home submerged or in the canopy, and often seen basking on sunlit roots in the morning.

Year round
Great egret hunting in the shallows of the lagoon

Herons & Egrets

Ardeidae

Purple herons, pond herons, little egrets and storks, patrolling the shallows from dawn to dusk. Patient, motionless hunters.

The mangroves

Ancient roots,
holding the whole thing together.

Kadol and kirala forest runs along the water's edge — the nursery for the fish, the crabs and the birds, and the reason the lagoon stays as still as it does.

First light

The lagoon at dawn,
and no one else on it.

Mist lifting off flat water, the sun coming up behind the island, and almost no sound at all.

Your days here

The lagoon is yours,
from the doorstep.

Guests wake to birdsong and flat water. We arrange whatever you'd like on it — a quiet paddle through the mangrove channels, a boat at golden hour, or nothing at all.

The beach is 900m away — close enough to walk before breakfast, far enough that the lagoon stays silent.

  • Dawn Mist on the water, birdsong, the lagoon waking
  • On the lagoon Paddle the mangrove channels, or drift the island loop
  • Birding Kingfishers, egrets and storks from the bank
  • Afternoon Shade, still air, herons in the shallows
  • Dusk Hundreds of flying foxes cross the sky
  • After dark Fireflies in the mangroves, frogs, open sky

Further afield

The coast is 900 metres away.

The lagoon is the reason to stay. But Mirissa's beaches, headlands and boats are a short walk or a few minutes' drive from the gate — so the days can be as still or as full as you want them.

Blue whale fluke lifting above the water off Mirissa

Mighty Blue Whale & Dolphin Spotting

Nov–Apr · from Mirissa harbour

The largest animal that has ever lived passes this stretch of coast through the season, alongside spinner dolphins in pods of hundreds. Boats leave at first light.

Mirissa beach with palms and Parrot Rock in the distance

Mirissa Beach

900m · a short walk

A long crescent of sand with calm swimming at the western end, palm shade, and beach kitchens that run late.

Snorkelling alongside a green sea turtle in clear water

Snorkelling with Sea Turtles

Year-round · a short ride down the coast

Green and hawksbill turtles graze the shallow reef just along the coast, unbothered by swimmers. Slip in with a mask and fins and drift alongside them in warm, clear water — calm and gentle enough for first-timers and children.

Parrot Rock rising from the sea off Mirissa beach

Parrot Rock

On Mirissa beach

A small headland you can wade to at low tide, with steps to the top and the best view back along the bay at sunset.

Coconut Tree Hill — a palm-covered headland dropping to the sea near Mirissa

Coconut Tree Hill

10 minutes

A dense stand of palms on a narrow headland falling straight to the sea — the south coast's most photographed viewpoint. Go at first light for the view and the quiet, before the crowds arrive.

Turquoise water and reef at La Pishna beach

La Pishna

15 minutes

Quiet coves and clear reef pools tucked below the cliffs — a calm place to swim and snorkel, well away from the beach crowds.

Surfers in the bay at Weligama

Weligama Surf

15 minutes

A wide, forgiving beach break — the easiest place on the south coast to learn, with boards and lessons on the sand.

Opening soon

Wake up on the quiet side.

We're finishing the build. Register your interest and we'll write to you first when dates open.