With Sri Lanka just named one of the prestigious Travel + Leisure‘s World’s Best Islands for 2026 (scoring 92.67 overall and ranking No. 5 in Asia), I thought this could make a timely angle as readers start to plan their next long-haul destinations.
While Bali continues to dominate many travel wish lists, Sri Lanka delivers a remarkably similar combination of tropical beauty, holistic wellness, rich cultural heritage, exceptional cuisine and picture-perfect beaches. What sets Sri Lanka apart is that travellers can experience it without the overtourism that has become synonymous with many of Bali’s popular regions and the ease with which visitors can experience dramatically different landscapes across just one island.
Coinciding with this renewed spotlight is the recent launch of Aahaasa Island Concierge: a new multi-property experience from Sri Lanka’s latest hospitality brand, Aahaasa Collection. The bespoke itinerary connects three unique regions of the island through one personalised journey, allowing travellers to move effortlessly between and experience the secluded beaches of the southwest coast, the emerald tea country around Hatton and the mist-wrapped UNESCO-listed Knuckles Mountain Range near Kandy.
Aarunya Nature Resort (Kandy)
Guests begin at Aavya Cove Villas, a secluded coastal retreat where private villas, Ayurvedic wellness, oceanfront yoga, sea turtle conservation initiatives and immersive experiences with local fishing communities showcase a quieter side of Sri Lanka’s coastline. The experience continues to Aadya Tea Bungalows, set within a regenerated 200-acre working tea estate, where guests can enjoy private tea tastings, estate-to-table dining, guided nature walks, kayaking, waterfalls and dedicated traditional Appu butler service. The final stop is Aarunya Nature Resort, the flagship property for the Collection, where the newly launched Nature Pavilion is pioneering biodiversity research and regenerative tourism through guided wildlife walks, biodynamic tea and spice gardens, conservation experiences and personalised Ayurvedic wellness programmes.
Aavya Cove Villas (Balapitiya)
Rather than treating Sri Lanka as a series of disconnected destinations, Aahaasa Island Concierge creates one carefully curated itinerary that showcases the island’s extraordinary diversity, highlighting exactly why Sri Lanka is once again being recognised as one of the world’s most rewarding island destinations.
Aadya Tea Bungalows (Hatton)
