The next day, we climbed the many, many steps to Sithulpawwa Temple – which, at 11 weeks pregnant, felt both ambitious and oddly energising. At the top, panoramic views stretched endlessly, and below, elephants wandered freely through the landscape. No fences, no schedules – just nature, on its own terms.
When you let go of rigid plans, you make space for moments you could never have orchestrated. I love an itinerary, but learning to go with the flow and avoid strict time restraints helped us lean into the experience fully.
Know that where you stay shapes how you feel
To balance the movement, we built in longer stays. Villa Sisila, tucked into the jungle in Ahangama, became our reset (and thank goodness! By this point, I was desperate to stay still for a little while). A private home blending antique colonial pieces with raw concrete and industrial lines, it centred around a beautiful pool that quickly became the rhythm of our days. Splashing, bubble-making, and searching for “dragons” (monitor lizards, technically) filled our afternoons. But it was the people who made it. Warm, generous, intuitive, and incredible cooks. Garlic curry is now firmly at the top of my foodie bucket list.
Staying in one place also gave us something unexpected: time. Time for Ivy to settle, and time for Jordan and me to sneak off on a couple of daytime dates while she napped. Small windows, but ones that felt incredibly special. We even went for a long, lazy brunch at Kip, which gave Jordan and me some quality time together.
Ahangama itself is bursting with life — we loved slow breakfasts at Makai Surf House and the incredible falafels from Falafel East. We stocked up on pastries from Rolling Pin Bakery, which makes delicious gluten-free options. The Hideout in Unawatuna gave us a particularly vibrant and atmospheric dinner. It was the perfect reminder that even on a “family-moon”, date night still has its place. During the day, we took surf lessons at Surf School Sri Lanka, run by warm, kind and passionate people who truly love to teach.
