Mr & Mrs Smith

Amangalla

Galle, Sri Lanka

Reborn as Amangalla boutique hotel in 2004, the grand dame of Galle Fort once welcomed throngs of travellers from globe-traversing P&O steamers as the New Oriental Hotel. Today, this luxurious retreat continues to attract cultured comfort-seekers with its blend of nostalgic fittings, centuries-old charm and modern flourishes.

Need to know

• Rooms 28, including 10 chambers, eight suites and one Garden House.
• Rates Double rooms from $500.00, excluding tax at 16.2 per cent. Please note the hotel charges an additional service charge of 10% per room per night on checkout.
  Prices have been converted from the hotel's local currency ($500), via XE.com, using today's exchange rate.
• More details Breakfast is extra at US$35 a person.
• Facilities Gardens, free WiFi in the library with connections offered elsewhere, yoga pavilion, the Baths day spa with hydrotherapy pools, library, barbershop, salon. In rooms: minibar, iPod dock, custom-made Link Natural toiletries, after-sun lotion, lemongrass and citronella insect repellent.
• Poolside The pool basks in a foliage-fringed courtyard that feels far removed from the centre of the fort. Soak here before lounging in chic ambalamas (traditional villas) decked out with double day-beds and heavenly ceiling fans.
• Check-out 2pm, but late check-out up to 6pm is free, subject to availability. Earliest check-in is noon, although early arrivals can be accommodated after 6am on request.
• Children Welcome. Baby cots and extra beds for under 12s are free, and there’s also a complimentary babysitting service. More...
• Also The library has a covetable collection of tomes on Sri Lanka. Adjoining it is a teensy museum devoted to the history of the hotel and its previous proprietress, Nesta Brohier. Smoking is allowed outdoors and in some rooms.

Food and drink at Amangalla

• Hotel restaurant Effortlessly elegant, the Dining Room offers a snapshot of a bygone era, with white-clothed tables and sparkling silverware sitting under gently whirring ceiling fans. Classic Sri Lankan and European cuisine complement the hotel’s nostalgic styling, including superb curries, succulent Australian steaks and old-school lobster thermidor.
  
• Dress code Chic, understated attire.
• Top table The most romantic dinner spot is by the pool, where candlelit tables are set up on request. For a memorable meal, arrange for a tabla group to serenade you. By day, perch on the Dining Room Veranda and watch the world go by.
• Last orders Last orders for the Dining Room is 10pm, with nightcaps poured in the Zaal bar until midnight.
• Room service You can order from the restaurant menu from 7am–11pm.
• Hotel bar The Zaal, or Great Hall, is a colonial crowd-pleaser of a room that spills onto the veranda. Jazz tinkles in the background and accompanies the sipping of in-house tipples. From 5pm–8pm, slurp fresh mango Bellinis at the Sunset Balcony in the Church Street Wing.
  

Also worth knowing

• Weddings This property is suitable for weddings. More...

Amangalla 10 Church Street, Fort Galle