Review: Resplendent Ceylon Wild Coast Tented Lodge

_Location: While Yala National Park draws in hundreds of thousands of visitors a year, you wouldn’t know it staying at Wild Coast.

The lodges are nestled within the bushland grounds adjacent to the national park, a prime leopard-spotting area. Wild Coast offers more than safari, it is where the jungle meets the beach.

The property is on a secluded and untouched golden stretch of sand on the east coast, home to stunning sunsets over the Indian Ocean.

_{First impressions:} I felt like a 19th-century explorer as I entered my tent accommodation. The shape and colour mimic the nearby rocks and boulders, but once you step inside you get the feeling of being transported back in time.

Grand wooden desks and drinks cabinets sit alongside a huge four[1]poster bed, complemented by a copper bath, sink and pipes.

_{The facts:} This unique property boasts 28 luxury tented accommodations, covering three room categories – Cocoon Pool Suites, Cocoon Suites and Family Cocoon Suites with adjoining Urchin.

It isn’t only the guests who you’ll bump into when you walk between the tents and public spaces. Monkeys scurry across the top of the beehive-shaped Ten Tuskers bar and Dining Pavilion.

You’ll also see them by the pool, clambering over the bamboo structure clad in reclaimed teak shingles. On the food front, daily-changing menus offer authentic Sri Lankan and Western food – both equally delicious.

_{Ideal for:} Wild Coast offers a cosy stay for couples and a romantic escape for honeymooners, but the site’s access to nature and wildlife also makes it an ideal option for a family getaway offering something special for the kids.

_Explore: What better place to explore than Sri Lanka’s safari capital. Yala National Park’s most famous residents are leopards – and Wild Coast nods to this in its design, as the lodges viewed from above are in the shape of a leopard’s paw print.

Guests will also likely see sloth bears, crocodiles, elephants, buffalo and myriad exotic birds. Pre-breakfast and evening game drives are included at West Coast. The park gets busy, but the hotel has a licence allowing fast-track entry.

_Wow: Sri Lanka offers many great sunset views, but it’s hard to beat the one from the beach overlooking the Indian Ocean, where evening drinks and canapés are offered to guests.

When the sun goes down, a pathway of paraffin lights illuminates the walk back to the bar and restaurant – or to make your evening extra special, opt for dinner on the beach.

_{Book it:} Nightly rates start from $983 in a Cocoon Suite.
Resplendentceylon.com/wildcoastlodge-yala