 The
renovation of Galle Fort Hotel is a triumph. The hotel evokes
a subtle sense of colonial grandeur, skillfully updated for
the modern age. Its social heart is a convivial café bar,
offering good-quality snacks, tea, coffee and alcohol, where
Galle’s great and good come to gossip or watch the world go
by. Yet the demands of guests are never overlooked and once
you walk into the main hotel area, a more private interior
unfolds – verandahs and courtyards, columns and arches, all
carefully restored to their original grandeur. A newer
building at the back blends seamlessly, following the same
period architecture. The interiors are elegantly furnished
with a minimalist style, blending the old with the new. A
sense of romanticism and tranquility permeates this hotel,
enriched further with the occasional chanting of the Muezzin
from the nearby mosque. This 12-roomed luxurious boutique
hotel is an ideal base from which to explore Sri Lanka’s
southern heritage.
Location
Galle
Fort is one of the most uplifting cultural experiences that
Sri Lanka can offer and the Galle Fort Hotel, which began life
as an 18C Dutch villa, can rightly claim to be at its heart,
offering magnificent accommodation in one of Sri Lanka’s most
historic locations. The journey from Colombo’s International
Airport will take approximately four-and-a-quarter hours - or
take the Air Taxi and fly to Koggala, which is a 20-minute
drive away.
Facilities
The
inner courtyard, with a small garden and 10-metre swimming
pool, one of the largest in the Fort, offers a tranquil and
exclusive area for guests. But a sense of history does not
mean that the Galle Fort’s guests will gather dust; far from
it. The charming bar-cum-cafe is becoming a favoured meeting
point, with the Australian owners encouraging a genial
atmosphere where intelligent opinions are to be shared, not
hidden. An exciting restaurant, somewhat expensive by the
standards of Southern Sri Lanka, yet very much in tune with
Fort prices, receives positive feedback for its classic
Asian-West dishes, freshly and locally bought, and overseen by
the owner-chef Christopher Ong. The staff ensures a warm and
welcoming atmosphere. Meals can be taken on the terrace, the
bar or in a grand dining room. Samanthe, the in-house male
masseur, is trained in traditional Thai and Swedish Oil
massage. A UNESCO award of distinction was given to the Galle
Fort hotel in 2007 for "conservation excellence" and for
"capturing the spirit of the Fort."
Excursions
Lying
within the walls of the 17th century Galle’s Dutch Fort, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site, Galle Fort Hotel is an ideal base
from which to explore its heritage and see life unfold each
morning within the Fort. Hours can be spent exploring the maze
of narrow streets lined with Dutch and British period
buildings still in use, the sturdy ramparts looking out to
sea, the growing collection of art galleries, antique shops
and restaurants. There are some fine beaches just outside of
the Fort including Wijeya, Unawatuna, Mirissa and Hikkaduwa.
Accommodation
The
Galle Fort Hotel has 12 exquisite a/c rooms and suites each
with a unique interior and opening out to the central
courtyard and the swimming pool. All the rooms are luxuriously
furnished with king-sized beds dressed with canopied mosquito
netting, crisp white linen and comfortable pillows. The
ensuite bathrooms are stylish and have showers with hot and
cold water.
-
Garden Rooms:
The three a/c Garden Rooms have a small private garden, wall
fountain, verandah and attached bathrooms with showers. The
rooms are elegantly furnished with a modern king-sized
four-poster bed. The Garden Rooms can accommodate two
people.
-
Loft
Suites: There are four a/c
Loft Suites. These two-storey suites are more like small
villas with a romantic loft bedroom overlooking the garden
and pool. A cozy sitting room is located on the ground
floor. A child’s bed is added at an extra cost. The ensuite
bathrooms are stylish and fitted with modern, Italian
ceramics. A private verandah, furnished with planter’s
chairs, overlooks the swimming pool, garden and grand
colonnade.
-
Admiral Cheng Ho Pavilion:
This is a large two-storey suite that commemorates the visit
of Admiral Cheng Ho to Galle in 1406. The upper floor
bedroom has a carved Chinese opium bed and work desk. A
screen made from rare, antique columns provides privacy from
the generous living area below, furnished with intricate
pieces of oriental furniture and a day bed. The attached
open-air bathroom has six-metre columns with a large,
elevated waterfall shower, which makes bathing seem like a
fresh tropical downpour.
-
Blue &
White Porcelain Suite: This
magnificent a/c suite opens out to the central courtyard and
swimming pool and has a twenty-foot ceiling and its own
separate dressing room and ensuite bathroom. The towering
bedroom walls feature 18th century blue & white Chinese
`export ware' porcelain. The suite is furnished with an
antique four-poster bed and cabinets.
-
The
Mews Suite: This is Galle
Fort Hotel’s latest addition. This two-storey a/c suite is
more like a small villa and is ideal for a family. Children
will enjoy spending time on their own on the mezzanine floor
furnished with a large single four-poster bed, while the
adults relax in the downstairs area, which has a large king
sized bed. The open-style ensuite bathroom has a granite
shower. This suite opens out to a small private garden and
separate entranceway. The Mews is your own luxurious private
villa in the Fort with the swimming pool less than a stone's
throw away.
-
Library Suite: This a/c suite
has two king size beds and separate bathroom with shower.
The sitting area opens as a balcony onto the archway of the
main building. The Library suite houses a fine collection of
traditional Kandyan hat pins with rough cut semi precious
gems and glass, part of the Royal dress worn by chieftains
in the Kandyan Perahara. The antique ebony and satinwood
chest and almirahs and two enormous daybeds make this one of
the most beautfully furnished chambers in the hotel. Three
adults or two adults and two children can be accommodated in
this suite.
-
Le
Grand Apartment du Comte de Mauny:
This grand suite is more like an apartment and occupies the
entire top floor of the old wing and has two king-sized
bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms and a private verandah.
Covering an area of 2,500 square feet, this apartment also
has a living and dining room with views of churches, a
mosque and the scenic Galle harbour. Private in-room dining
is offered at the eight-seater antique dining table. The
apartment features original artworks, antique chests and
cabinets and two large Dutch period four-poster beds. The
floorboards and fifteen foot, lime-washed ceilings are part
of an original design by the Comte de Mauny, an Edwardian
`faux noble’, and acquaintance of Oscar Wilde, who lived on
the island after fleeing his wife, who caught him in a
compromising situation with a valet.
...Room View...
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