Our Story
Our story
We're Anouk Brouwer and Arnoud Oostenbroek — Dutch entrepreneurs, partners in life, and adventurers at heart. Over the years, we've started several businesses and followed our curiosity across the globe, collecting stories, ideas, and a whole lot of inspiration along the way.
At some point, we felt it was time to bring all of that together — our experiences, our travels, and our shared love for beautiful places and meaningful connections — and pour it into one special project. That's how Tabula Rasa was born: a place shaped by everything we've seen, learned, and dreamed of.
Arnoud
Anouk
Our journey
During a 8 months family trip through Asia, we arrived in Sri Lanka and we were captivated by the beauty, culture and history of the island. We stumbled upon a densely overgrown hilltop in Galle. Armed with nothing but a machete, we carved a path through the jungle and instantly felt it: this was the place where our dream could take root.
Our journey began in 2016. After living and working for 10 years in the cote d'azur we decided to explore a different part of the world; for ourselves but mostly for our three children.
Here we are standing on the land, just moments after we bought it. In this picture, we're already reminiscing and imagining the layout of the property
Our built
With love, a lot determination, and the help of some incredibly skilled local craftsmen, we built the resort in just 18 months — together with the amazing team from the building company we set up just for this project. We wanted to be involved in every little detail, and the best way to make sure things were done right was to simply do it ourselves. That's kind of our life motto — hands-on, all the way.
Building the main pool. In the background, you can see the lounge area starting to take shape. The restaurant on the left still needs to be built.
The concept
For us, everything revolves around detail and atmosphere — from the natural materials we used, to the personal photographs displayed throughout the rooms and shared spaces, to the distinctive colours of the villas and the curated dining experiences by the pool or restaurant. Every element reflects our personal touch.
Everything has been carefully designed to offer our guests a sense of coming home — to reconnect, to breathe, and to slow down.
Tabula Rasa is more than our life's work — it's a place that invites you to pause, recharge, and feel inspired.
We can't wait to welcome you here with us. And remember......
You will come as a visitor and will leave as friend.
Arnoud & Anouk