Jetwing Lighthouse

Geoffrey Bawa designed this hotel as one of his final projects, and the tension he built into it is hard to shake: an imposing brick facade opens onto airy terraces where the Indian Ocean breeze arrives uninvited, and a hammock on the porch sits a few feet from an ornate bronze spiral staircase. Guest rooms are simply furnished with wooden beds and white linen, each with a private balcony facing the sea. The point, really, is the pools, the hammocks, and the waves on the rocks below.