Sumptuous guestrooms, an eye-catching tri-colour infinity pool and sultry areas for dining and imbibing make this the hottest new address on the southern coast. This privileged locale also affords easy access to the region’s increasingly diverse collection of restaurants, attractions, activities and nightlife.

Rumassala is a biodiversity hotspot and home to many species of wildlife including rare, yet easy-to-spot, purple-faced leaf monkeys. The hill harbors many engaging cultural sites such as the Vivekarama Temple and the Japanese Peace Pagoda (where stands a life-sized statue of the monkey god Hanuman) as well as idyllic Jungle Beach, which lies at the foot of the headland directly accessible from the hotel. Jungle Beach’s twin secluded bays are ideal for swimming and snorkelling, and the pale sandy beaches are washed by a sparkling Coral Sea rich in marine life.

Levels is a private 9-room boutique hotel designed and inspired by the unique topography, of this enviable ocean facing hillside locale. The hotel expands on Cantaloupe’s design philosophy of fusing the contemporary with classical Baroque elements, and each of the hotel’s unique features has been tailored to specific requirements to invoke an atmosphere of sophistication, seduction and calm. Each of the rooms at Levels frames vistas of the Indian Ocean and abundant, verdant jungle of Rumassala. Whether lying horizontal in bed, lounging by the poolside, dining on fusion cuisine or sipping mojitos on the roof terrace, one’s eyes are drawn to the deep aquamarine bay that curves gently, westerly, towards the lighthouse-pierced outline of Galle Fort directly ahead. On clear mornings, silver-blue panoramas of the island’s misty mountain ranges come into view further inland. Uber-comfy, well-furnished lounge areas for wining and dining languish across three levels of the hotel, edged by lowing creepers, green grass roofs and tropical plants. Cool and convivial, these sumptuous living and dining areas all centre around a one-of-a-kind tri-coloured mosaic-tiled infinity pool which plays bold and brazen homage to Cantaloupe’s signature hues – lime green, cool white and hot pink.

The Rooms – Superior Silhouettes located on the ground and second floor respectively and are the most intimate bedrooms while the Deluxe Silhouettes are five suites located across all three floors of the hotel. Suite Dreams is a two design-orientated suites indulge guests with an exceptional 60 square metres of decadent space filled with playful luxuries

The Clique Bed Lounge is on the ground floor where a banquette of fan-cooled day beds brings the concept of ‘bed dining’ to Sri Lanka. By day or night, these oversized snooze stations are the place to relax, while nibbling and imbibing tapas and tropical cocktails. The boutique resort features an eclectic international a la carte menu, which combines signature dishes from Cantaloupe’s partner restaurants, Clique in Colombo and Coconut at Cantaloupe Aqua, in nearby Habaraduwa. Exquisite Japanese cuisine is a hotel specialty along with melt-in-your-mouth sous-vide steaks and fusion paella. The hotel’s air-conditioned restaurant is on the ground floor and spills onto a plant-festooned side terrace for romantic, sliding doors open onto velveteen lawns topped with tables for dining alfresco under a balmy starlit sky.