Nyne Hotels Lake Lodge

Beira Lake sits just outside the windows, which is a strange thing to say about a city hotel a mile from central Colombo. This family-run boutique property has been around forever but the current generation stripped out the nostalgia and rebuilt it as something contemporary and unmistakably Sri Lankan. Twelve rooms with king beds and rain showers, a garden suite with its own terrace, and an all-day restaurant on the lake-facing terrace. The Michelin Guide has it among its selected hotels.

One honor, in evidence: