The Divine Villa

What an amazing experience from start to finish. I was apprehensive regarding booking a new destination, particularly as this was no ordinary 'holiday,' this was our 25th wedding anniversary, and to celebrate the occasion, we planned on renewing our vows and getting married again! After looking at many destinations around the world, we decided on Sri Lanka, after many more searches we decided on The Divine Villa. You can imagine the questions, we needed to know everything... For example: we asked, can you arrange photographers, wedding cakes, caterers, florists, entertainment and a million other details that any wedding organiser will tell you need answering! The wife can be a little 'picky' and needed to know all the details - Christophe and Diane eased the process with many 'what's app' chats and zoom conversations, they arranged everything, if it was a challenge, they never let on, they kept us informed of options and made great suggestions, suggesting dancers and fireworks, guiding us with prices and keeping to within a set budget, the last piece of the puzzle was finding a celebrant that would 'marry us" again, Diane took us personally to meet Father Waas, he was very accommodating, he had never officiated over vow renewals before, but with the experience of other wedding, he officiated the event with both sincerity and understanding. From confirming the booking to the 'event' was 8 months, in this time everything was confirmed, we loved the fact that we had the option of booking the entire villa, making it our own special place for 7 wonderful nights. The day was amazing, and far exceeding our expectations. To the usual holiday requirements - Taxi transfers from the airport with people arriving from around the world on different days were seamless, Diane arranged day trips to safaris, and other amazing places that should not be missed, from fish markets, local beaches and superb restaurants. Sometimes this was arranged in large airconditioned taxis, but also in good old Tuk Tuks, arranging a convoy for everyone! The staff at the villa were just amazing and attentive with food and drinks without te feeling of ‘hovering’, meeting everyone’s needs, for example some in our group not like seafood, others didn’t like spice, but nothing was a problem, and the food was superb in freshness, quality and quantity. Following our stay, we travelled through Sri Lanka for another 5 days but at no point did we find anything that matched the Divine Villa. A truly wonderful place and we will definitely be returning . Rooms: Each room has been tastefully designed and decorated to the highest standards, the bathrooms are spacious and perfect Food and drinks: The food is prepared daily with fresh produce from the local markets, everything is done to your liking.

This outstanding, small hotel is everything you could wish for on a holiday. Our corner room was huge, with many windows, 2 balconies, and a beautiful, bright bathroom with a big window and famous Spa Ceylon toiletries. The infinity pool is peaceful and luxurious with one of the best views in Sri Lanka. There are many exotic birds around, including Kingfishers! The breakfast was delicious. As well as the Coconut juice on arrival. Tea and coffee is free throughout the day, and of a very high quality. The owners are very thoughtful and polite.

It was the perfect family holiday. We booked the entire villa, and once we entered, noone wanted to get out. Beautifully designed, with meticulous attention to detail, the villa is truly charming. Each bedroom was unique and I loved the bathrooms! The staff, ably led by Manjula, were so attentive to our every need. The food was delicious, both Sri Lankan and Western offerings. A gym, a spa, infinity pool, and gorgeous views - what's not to like! Be warned though, that the access to the villa is via a very steep road, so I do recommend using cars rather than vans/buses and also recommend travelling light . Thank you, everyone at Divine for making our stay so memorable. Can't wait to be back!

'Divine' barely comes close to describing the villa, its facilities and most of all the team that go out of their way to make your stay unforgettable. We hired the entire villa for 10 days for our fathers 75th birthday and the whole team ensured we had the most amazing time. Prior to the visit, Christophe contacted us a few times to confirm we had everything we needed and gave wonderful suggestions to help make our holiday perfect. Once we arrived, Manjula and his team were so accommodating and helpful, taking any request with a smile and going out of their way to make sure we got anything we needed. Their suggestions for activities, transport, food and excursions from fireworks on our fathers birthday to sourcing a Turkey for a Xmas roast were on point and tailored to us. Why have a concierge when you have Manjula! Christophe and Diane's villa is exquisite with all possible amenities accounted for as would be in any five star hotel. The location of the villa is in a tranquil, quiet area but a short Tuk Tuk ride to Talpe, Unawatuna and Galle, all well worth a visit. Every morning we would wake up to the sounds of wildlife with monkeys in the trees and peacocks on the ground, absolute heaven! The pool and its view were unforgettable, the gym has anything you could possibly need, the bedrooms are beautiful and well equipped and the villa itself is eclectic, stylish and welcoming. Finally, the food was exceptional to the point we are still craving it. Whether it be Sri Lankan or any other cuisine, it was the best and freshest food(fruit was picked from the estate and served that day!) we had in the whole of Sri Lanka, which says volumes. We were made to feel like we were surrounded by family from the whole team and when we left, they all came to see us off, causing tears in our eyes. If you are considering this villa, do not hesitate, you will not regret it.

From booking the villa almost a year ago to finally being able to visit in Dec 2023, our whole experience was amazing. Firstly a big thank you to Christophe and Diane who took their time to arrange everything we requested for both Christmas and New Years and made my Father's 75th birthday super special. Christophe and Diane were so accommodating and even arranged a video call with us ahead of our stay to ensure we were all set to go as it was a group of 8 of us and we had hired the whole villa! Approaching the villa itself is mind-blowing and you just realise that it is just as stunning as the pictures. As soon as we got there we were given a tour by Christophe himself and we got to meet all of the staff at the villa who became like our family over our 10 nights stay. Manju and his whole team are so friendly and couldn't do enough for all of us, we truly miss them all so much. The rooms are all amazing and have unique decor, each with an ensuite. The pool area is so peaceful and we spent a lot of time out here in each day just listening to the peacock which roamed around on the grounds and could also see the monkeys in the surrounding trees. One of my favourite spots had to be in the upstairs games room which has 2 swinging chairs where you could sit with your coffee and just listen to the surrounding nature (just felt so zen). We also made use of the gym which was definitely needed after all the delicious food we were eating each day. Christmas Day which was also the same day as our dad's 75th birthday was arranged so well. Christmas dinner was amazing and the fireworks and cake which were arranged ahead of our stay made the whole evening really special. Getting around from the villa to the nearby beaches and Galle was easy to arrange. We just had to let Manju know and he arranged for 3 Tuk Tuk's to take us around and these were very reasonably priced. He also arranged our day trip to Ella with a comfortable mini van which was a memorable trip for us all. Overall we cannot fault our stay and we would love to come back to the Divine. Our last day was emotional as we felt we were leaving family behind, Manju and team we truly miss you and thank you for everything you did for us and making our stay so special.