Amangalla Hotel, Galle [Sri Lanka]
Set within the walls of the historic Galle fort, Amangalla is an immaculately restored and impeccably managed boutique hotel. The original buildings of Amangalla dating back over 400 years, has the period charm of a bygone era. Rooms are an elegant homage to colonial comfort with their grand four-posters, long-armed planter’s chairs, and comfy cane chaises and the service is unrushed. Full of antiques, old prints, rich mahogany, wood and rattan planters and a warm and welcoming staff who caters to your every need, the hotel is a stately grande dame in the city of Galle on Sri Lanka’s south coast.
Set on an elevated cobbled street, this 28-room hotel, formerly The New Oriental, overlooking high rampart walls, Galle Harbour and the Indian Ocean is the perfect place from which to explore the historic city of Galle.
Amangalla features 30 rooms and suites, restored with care and brought to life by antique furnishings and decorations. Capturing the essence of colonial style with pared-back finesse, the elegant Rooms and Signature Rooms are high-ceilinged with large windows and the original polished Burmese teak floorboards. Decorated with period antiques including four-poster beds, pettagama chests and planter’s chairs, they overlook the Fort’s quaint lanes and ramparts or the hotel’s 200-year-old garden. The bathrooms, in hardwood and white, include an armoire, twin vanities, free-standing bathtubs, and shower rooms.
The categories of room at the Amangalle are :
Bedroom : Garden or Church views with king-size or twin beds These rooms have a bedroom with ensuite facilities and a living area.
Chambers : Ten Chambers, six in the Church Street Wing overlooking the treetops towards the fort ramparts, and four in the Garden Wing with garden views. Slightly bigger than the bedroom, these rooms have a bedroom with ensuite facilities and a living area.
Suite : Separate bedroom and living room with garden, rampart or harbour views.
Garden House : Two-storey house in leafy garden surrounds with an expansive balcony. The one-bedroom Garden House offers a spacious living/dining room, as well as a wrap-around balcony overlooking an immaculate garden.
Amangalla Suite : views over the garden and yoga pavilion, the 134-square-metre (1,442-square-foot) Amangalla Suite combines one double bedroom and one twin bedroom via an interconnecting door.
The Amangalle has a high-ceilinged dining room, furnished with period chairs and tables, crisp white linen and antique silverware. The dining room serves traditional Sri Lankan curry and home-cooked dishes. The daily-changing dinner menu is based on the chef’s finds at the various markets in Galle, and guests can accompany him on his rounds before returning to the kitchen for a cooking lesson in Sri Lankan cuisine.
Adjacent to the dining room is the Zaal, a traditional Dutch Great Hall, where light snacks and cocktails are served while you observe the world from the terrace.
The Amangalle have plethora of experiences to offer to its guests. The most interesting experience of all is the walking tour of the fort. A leisurely walk leading past the Old Dutch church, the governor's house, the spice warehouses, Court Square, the Kacheri, the lighthouse and on to the sea wall and ramparts is one of the most magical experiences Sri Lanka has to offer.
Day trips to the nearby Mirissa harbour to spot blue whales off the coast (between december and april) or a visit to Handunugoda tea plantation or to Yatagala rock temple can be arranged on request.
For the guest seeking leisure and relaxation, Amangalle has a spa named “The Bath”. The Spa has five treatment rooms, two hydrotherapy suites containing hot and cold plunge pools as well as steam rooms and saunas, complemented by the yoga pavilion, where the 5,000-year-old art is practised each morning. The spa offers a range of therapies which can be personalised by the spa’s Ayurvedic doctor to include massages, anointments, reflexology and scrubs.
Address : 10 Church Street, Fort, Galle, SRI LANKA.
