Anantara Kalutara Resort

Anantara Kalutara stands on a peninsula at Katukurunda in Kalutara, where the lagoon of the Kalu Ganga river runs into the Indian Ocean. It is roughly 45 km from Colombo and 90 km from Bandaranaike International Airport, which the resort puts at about 90 minutes by road.

There are 141 rooms, suites and private pool villas, and the resort says its rooms, at 72 to 80 square metres including outdoor space, are the most spacious of any resort in Sri Lanka. Pool villa bedrooms open straight onto a private plunge pool, suites can add one, and other rooms can be booked with direct access to the main pool. The Anantara Spa is built around traditional Ayurvedic healing.

The resort offers beach ceremonies, tropical garden settings and indoor spaces designed around traditional Sri Lankan architecture, and it works with couples on personalised wedding planning. That range is the real asset here. You can say your vows on the sand with the ocean behind you, then move into the gardens or an indoor room as the evening cools.

Weddings use the beach, garden and grand ballroom, and the venue tells us it hosts up to 200 guests. Ask about dinner options, exclusive use and the music curfew. Ask too what a legal ceremony involves for UK couples marrying in Sri Lanka, and whether a UK registry office ceremony followed by a blessing here would be simpler.

With 141 rooms, suites and pool villas, a mid-sized wedding party can all sleep on site. Pool villas suit the couple and close family, and accessible rooms with wider doorways and roll-in showers are available, so tell the team early if a guest needs one.

Between events, the spa, the pool and the resort's cooking classes give guests an easy day, and romantic dining can be set up for the two of you. Colombo is about 45 km away for anyone who wants a city day. Ask the team about arranging transfers for the whole group from Bandaranaike, roughly 90 minutes by road.