A Mount Lavinia Christmas
In December 2019, Derek and I packed up our flat in Hong Kong and moved to Sri Lanka. Our goal was to find a new home close to the beach to enjoy a slower pace of life and more room to stretch. Mount Lavinia, a suburb about 10 km south of Colombo, ticked all our boxes. The neighbourhood is famous for its '“golden mile”–a pristine public beach popular with locals and tourists. We found a brand-new three-bedroom flat that is a five-minute walk from the beach.
This beach was Derek and my ‘local beach’ for one year.
We spent our first and only Christmas at Mount Lavinia Hotel, one of the most iconic hotels in Sri Lanka. It was where Derek and I shared a lovely Christmas spread with our friends who also relocated to Sri Lanka from Hong Kong. While we waited for our friends, Derek and I met with Santa—as you might be able to tell from my face, I was a bit creeped out by this skinny Santa who was wearing a leather-like mask with a synthetic beard. I certainly wouldn't dare to sit on his lap for a Christmas photo, that’s for sure!
Kayo’s face says it all about how she feels about Santa in Mount Lavinia.
Derek was more amused about creepy Santa than Kayo.
Mount Lavinia Hotel was initially built as the Governor’s residence in 1806 and has continuously been operating as a hotel since 1947. Before British colonialism, Mount Lavinia was known as Galkissa, named after the rocky mounds in the area. However, the town’s name changed in 1805, when the newly appointed Governor-General, Sir Thomas Maitland, used the postal address “Mt. Lavinia, Ceylon” for a letter to the British Secretary of State.
Now, Mount Lavinia Hotel is famous for its iconic colonial architecture and the view of the sandy white beach overlooking the Indian Ocean. It's a prime destination for couples to exchange wedding vows and holidaymakers enjoy the excellent amenities in an idyllic setting.
In addition to its architecture and history, Mount Lavinia Hotel is also associated with a romance between Sir Thomas Maitland, then Governor-General of Ceylon, and Lovinia, a rodiya girl who belonged in the untouchable caste. When Sir Maitland arrived on the island of Ceylon in 1805 to take up his new post as the Governor-General, there was a welcoming party held in his honour. That night, Lovinia, one of the dancers, caught his eye. However, it was inappropriate for an unmarried British officer to liaise with a low-caste rodiya girl. So, the love-struck Sir Maitland built a secret tunnel to smuggle the lovely Lovina from her father’s property to the wine cellar of his mansion, the “Mount Lavinia Home.”
Alas, the unbending social convention eventually caught up with the lovers. In 1811, the British Foreign Office sent Sir Maitland a “routine transfer” to Malta. He had no choice but to obey. Brokenhearted, he left his lovely Lovinia behind in Ceylon. Years later, he died in Malta unmarried and alone— he had never forgotten his love.
The story of Lovinia has been commemorated by the fountain at the entrance of Mount Lavinia Hotel.
In 1920, the secret tunnel was sealed. Lovinia’s humble village that surrounded the Governor’s mansion turned into the charming neighbourhood of Mount Lavinia as we know it today. The General’s mansion was eventually converted to Mount Lavinia Hotel. To this day, the hotel bears traces of the romantic legacy between Sir Maitland and his Lovinia. There’s a statue of a maiden in the water fountain at the hotel entrance, eternally waiting for her lover to return.
Every Christmas, Derek and I think fondly of the Christmas we spent in Mount Lavinia. We miss the stunning beach we called our local and the delicious egg hoppers we enjoyed at Mount Lavinia Hotel. We also laugh about the creepy Santa— an exclusively Sri Lankan Christmas experience that is unmatched anywhere else.