I also needed the sea. So one Sunday I booked flights to Colombo and flew out just five days later to join a retreat at Soul & Surf in Ahangama on Sri Lanka’s south coast. It promised good food ...

But follow Matara Road to the town of Ahangama and the surfing hot spot of Weligama Bay, and you'll start to see the bigger picture: a growing Sri Lankan design movement informed by heritage ...

And rather than young, toned torsos, you’re more likely to encounter sun-kissed veterans in sarongs – the true essence of Sri ...