Hello, and welcome.
We’re Daisy Honeybunn and Pravin Mukhi, the lucky ones who now get to call Thalassa home.
Thalassa was completed in 2008 by our dear friends, British writer Charlotte Breese, and her husband, Pakistani writer Irfan Husain, I (it’s Daisy here, hi!) first visited not long after, and like so many before me, I fell completely under her spell. There was something about the sea, the stillness, and the spirit of this house that kept calling me back.
In 2020, Pravin and I became Thalassa’s new guardians. We’ve lovingly restored her over the years, honouring Charlotte and Irfan’s original spirit while gently evolving the home into the serene retreat she is today.
When we’re not here, we continue to support the local community through the Ceylon English Academy, an educational initiative founded by Charlotte, and through the Lanka Environment Fund, which works to protect Sri Lanka’s extraordinary biodiversity. Daisy serves as Chair of the LEF, helping to guide its mission and impact, while both of us remain closely involved through the DHD Foundation.
In The Beginning…
Thalassa was dreamed into being by Charlotte and Irfan, who discovered Mawella’s golden sands in 2002 and and were immediately drawn in. Over four years, and with the help of three architects, six staff, and more than a few rescue animals, their vision took shape.
As Charlotte once wrote:
“Our aim was to create a big, colourful, happy family house round a pool… It became all we desired as a hub to amuse children and grandchildren and renew old friendships… Thalassa gave us sun and fun and a new life for 20 years.”
We’re honoured to carry that story forward, and to welcome you into it.
Giving Back
We feel incredibly lucky to call Thalassa home, and with that, we feel a deep responsibility to care for the island and community that make it so special. Two of the ways we do this are through the Lanka Environment Fund and the Ceylon English Academy, initiatives close to our hearts, and ones we’re proud to support.
Lanka Environment Fund
Sri Lanka is one of the world’s great biodiversity hotspots, but its ecosystems face growing threats. The Lanka Environment Fund works to protect it, supporting conservation projects through grant funding and global partnerships.
Part of the internationally renowned Conservation Collective, the LEF has already earned international recognition, including an Earthshot Prize nomination.
We’re proud to support the LEF through the DHD Foundation, and warmly invite you to explore their work.
Ceylon English Academy
The Ceylon English Academy (CEA) was founded by Charlotte and Irfan, together with the inimitable headmistress Wasana, with just a few students and a makeshift classroom in her garden. Their goal was simple: to offer local children better access to English education, a key skill for future opportunity.
Two decades on, the school has grown significantly, and we are enormously proud to be celebrating our first university graduates. When the CEA began, not a single young woman from the local area had ever gone to university. That is now, happily, changing.
Now supported by the DHD Foundation, the CEA remains a vibrant, co-educational school rooted in the community. Every Thursday, students bring their energy to Thalassa for swimming lessons, a joyful reminder of what’s possible when doors are opened.
