Sri Lanka's New Cliffside Resort

Teetering on a cliffside 36 meters above the sea, the Cape Weligama resort sparkles along Sri Lanka's rugged southern coast. The 5-hectare estate, a 30-minute drive east of Galle, is the first beachside destination for Resplendent Ceylon, a boutique hotel concept in Sri Lanka. The Fernando family, founders of Dilmah Tea, is behind this collective, which includes Relais & Chateaux resorts Ceylon Tea Trails and Cape Weligama.

Cape Weligama in Sri Lanka.

Thai architect Lek Bunnag designed Cape Weligama's 40 freestanding villas and suites to pepper the cape like a traditional Sri Lankan village. The service is equally intimate, with personal butlers on-call, private dining and topnotch spa treatments. Resplendent Ceylon also has two tented camps in the works, which should be ready by 2016, offering a diverse luxury resort itinerary that trails the country. Abhimanagama Road, Weligama, Sri Lanka; capeweligama.com.