Galle
The Dutch fort on the south coast. The lanes are better after the day trips have left.
Galle Fort is a walled town still lived in: ramparts, a lighthouse, courts, shops and houses. An hour at sunset is the version worth planning. A midday walk in a cruise-ship hour is the version we try to avoid.
It closes the signature escape, the wildlife week and the honeymoon. It is also the easy day out from an Ahangama villa. Sleep inside the fort or just outside it if the evening is the point. Sleep further along the bay if you want a pool and a quiet morning more than the rampart walk.