Sri Lanka, Oct. 5 -- For the residents of La Serena, a recent day by the sea meant leaving one beautiful seaside setting for another and discovering that a change of scene can do wonders for the spirit.

Life at La Serena, the beachfront retirement community at Uswetakeiyawa, already comes with the pleasures of living beside the ocean. But recently, its residents were given a chance to enjoy a different stretch of the coast, when they set out for a day at the plush Regenta Arie Lagoon in the picturesque fishing village of Thalahena, Negombo. It was, in many ways, a simple idea: step away from the familiar surroundings, leave the everyday routine behind and spend a day together somewhere different.

Yet it was precisely this simplicity tha...