Lunuganga and "Brief"

The seductive creations of the internationally renowned Bawa brothers of Sri Lanka, architect Geoffrey (at Lunuganga, Bentota, 60 kilometres/37 miles south of Colombo), and landscape artist Bevis (at Brief, close to Kalawila village and not far from Lunuganga) are gardens that are lush and evocative of the Garden of Eden.

Bevis Bawa crafted Brief in the 1920s from a patch of rubber plantation. It is a romantic, European-style garden despite the abundance of native tropical Sri Lankan vegetation. Full of follies, ponds and pavilions, Brief is an alluring oasis of tranquility. Every corner you turn reveals unsuspected beauty. Sunbirds flit among the lovingly arranged shrubs, formal lawns and mysterious thickets of bamboo. This is a garden of great charm.