Maya Tangalle

High timber-vaulted ceilings and carved four-poster beds fill just a handful of rooms in this colonial manor on Sri Lanka's deep south coast, restored with enough care that the building's old bones do most of the talking. Paddy fields, not the sea, frame the view, which makes it quieter and more private than the usual beach resort. The kitchen garden and solar-powered setup mean it runs on conviction as much as charm. The Michelin Guide has it among its selected hotels.

One honor, in evidence: