Aavya Cove Villas, a twelve-villa coastal retreat on Sri Lanka’s southwest coast, has recently joined the Aahaasa Collection, the design-led hospitality brand launched in late 2025 with its second property, Aavya Cove Villas. The property, Aahaasa’s coastal flagship, occupies a naturally sheltered cove overlooking the Indian Ocean in Balapitiya, approximately 45-minutes north of the UNESCO-listed Galle Fort. Alongside its low-density, design-focused on exclusivity and privacy, Aavya introduces several new signature experiences, wellness programs, and sustainability initiatives, reinforcing its position as a benchmark for thoughtful, inclusive luxury travel in Sri Lanka.
Aavya, meaning “light on water”, suggesting light, purity, and a gift of nature. With private villas, tropical gardens, sunlit terraces, and intimate interiors, the retreat with 14 keys offers guests a space designed for quiet reflection and unhurried rhythms. Part of the Aahaasa Collection, Aavya joins sister retreats in Sri Lanka’s Knuckles Mountains and tea country near Hatton, a portfolio of independently owned properties that redefine luxury through emotion, nature, and a strong sense of place. Thoughtful design ensures all guests - including those requiring full wheelchair access - can enjoy the property with ease, while sustainability is woven into every detail through Aahaasa’s Aayusha, meaning “life” in Sinhala, from single-use-plastic-free operations to internships and career pathways to children of local fishing families.
A Coastal Sanctuary
Set across two acres of pristine beachfront, Aavya Cove Villas is deliberately low-density, offering just twelve private one-bedroom Cove Villas, an expansive Ocean Suite (142 sqm / 1528 sqft), and a secluded multi-bedroom Cove Residence (685 sqm / 7373 sqft). Each villa features private landscaped gardens, sun terraces, and lounge areas, creating a rare sense of privacy and calm on Sri Lanka’s southwest coast.
The gardens at Aavya were designed by the late Dooland de Silva, one of Sri Lanka’s most celebrated landscape architects and a longtime collaborator of architect Geoffrey Bawa. Shaded pathways, open lawns, and tropical planting frame and focus views rather than compete with them, reflecting a seamless relationship between architecture and nature.
Architecturally, Aavya reflects a refined tropical modernist aesthetic, with interiors that effortlessly flow outdoors. Private courtyards, outdoor rain showers, and expansive terraces invite guests to move through the property guided by mood and natural rhythms, rather than a schedule.
The Restorative Journey
Within the Aahaasa Collection, Aavya Cove Villas represents The Restorative Journey - renewal through movement, release, and sensory immersion. Arrival begins with Aarambha, the brand’s signature welcome ritual, where the Indian Ocean cove gradually reveals itself after a meandering walk through the tropical gardens. Here, the weariness of travel dissolves into the rhythm of the sea, carried by the fresh coastal breeze and the open horizon.
Wellness continues at Aarogya Spa and Wellness Centre, which will introduce an enhanced Aaroga facility in April 2026, featuring dedicated aromatherapy and Ayurveda treatment spaces. Drawing on traditional Ayurvedic principles and coastal elements - citrus, sea salt, and the cadence of the ocean - the wellness offering balances gentle, contemporary aromatherapy therapies with more traditional Ayurvedic treatments delivered through immersive programs designed for restoration, balance, and improved holistic wellbeing.
Guests can opt for tailor-made wellness retreats that thoughtfully weave together time-honored Ayurvedic therapeutic rituals (whether a full Ayurveda pathway or a hybrid of Ayurveda and aromatherapy), alongside yoga and meditation, all within a refined coastal setting. Each programme is individually designed and follows a holistic approach to beauty, detoxification, relaxation, and weight management, with a recommended minimum of four-nights - allowing time for recalibration of the mind, body, and spirit.
Additional spaces for reflection include a 23-metre infinity pool, shaded tropical gardens, and open lawns overlooking the cove. In front of the Aahana Bar - inspired by the form of a traditional fishing boat - guests can recline on bean bags facing the iconic Oruwella Beach boulders, while service flows intuitively, attuned to each guest’s rhythm without intrusion.
Seaside Dining
Dining at Aavya is personal, location-led, and experiential. A team of seven chefs works closely with local fishermen and regional producers to create seasonal, expressive menus at times, unscripted. Meals are served at the main Restaurant facing the sea, the newly launched Aahana Bar, by the pool, on the beach, or privately in the villa.
Signature experiences include Aahaara at Aavya, a contemporary seven-course Sri Lankan dinner inspired by seafood and the produce of southern Sri Lanka; Aaloka, an elemental fire-led seafood beach barbecue intricately dug into the sand by the team; and Madu River Safari breakfasts, immersive mornings inspired by Sri Lankan folk stories and river sightings. The newly launched Aahana Bar offers a water-and-light inspired setting built into a traditional fishing boat, where shifting reflections and soft conversation on the lawn overlooking sunsets beyond the cove create the perfect backdrop for refined cocktails and quiet contemplation throughout the day.
A Deep Sense of Place
Aavya’s Island Concierge team curates and services stays around the guest’s personal rhythm, balancing privacy with discovery. Set in Balapitiya on Sri Lanka’s southwest coast, the resort is approximately 90-minutes from Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport and 30 minutes from the historic Dutch Galle Fort, making it an easily accessible and ideal base for thoughtful exploration of the dramatic Southern Coast.
Visitors interested in design may explore the architectural legacy of Geoffrey Bawa at Lunuganga Estate or wander Brief Garden, originally created by Bevis Bawa and landscaped by Dooland de Silva. Both are within 30minutes from Aavya. Cultural excursions include visits to Galle Fort, the vibrant markets of Ambalangoda, and the distinctive Kowilawatta Temple. Nature-led experiences range from Madhu Ganga river safaris and Hikkaduwa reefs snorkeling to seasonal whale watching in Mirissa and conservation visits to Ahungalla Turtle Hatchery.
“At Aavya, renewal is not stillness - it is movement, set by the pace of the tide,” says Nath Rankothge, Founder of Aahaasa Collection. “It is the exhale after ascent, the moment where nature leads, and the body follows. This is where balance returns quietly and naturally.”
Image courtesy of Aavya Cove Villas
