Discover hotels and villas with private pools in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka

Trinco –as locals call it – has shaken off a turbulent past; Dutch colonialists and British troops wreaked havoc by sea before making themselves at home, and the Tamil Tigers’ presence made the whole Eastern Province a no-go area until recently, but now trickles of beach-seeking travellers dot the town’s fishing-boat-strewn, mangrove-fringed shores, buying blue crabs and fat mangoes at its markets, and paying their respects at Swami Rock-perched Koneswaram Temple. Beyond Trinco, white-sand beaches stretch for miles, wild elephants and all manner of colourful critters roam the virgin jungle, and crocodiles lurk beneath lily-pads in far-reaching lagoons. It’s rural, wild and rough around the edges, with sparsely populated villages and ancient archaeological sites, but visit soon: the area’s lushly plant-adorned vistas and glittering bays are slated for grand development projects.