A large lagoon is to one side, where wild elephants congregate for an evening ‘shower’. On the other, the gardens in front of the restaurant open directly on to the broad sweep of Arugam Bay and the Indian Ocean many miles of pristine tropical beaches deserted but for the clusters of fishermen’s boats dotted here and there, and little thatched villages huddled just above the waterline, where small children jump up and down and scream with excitement at the sight of a visitor.