Colombo, Sri Lanka

Maniumpathy

Rates per night from$156.57

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (USD156.57), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

Maniumpathy Photos

Style

Just what the doctor ordered

Setting

Secluded Cinnamon Gardens

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Once the seat of the Hallock family, who hail from the Jaffna town of Manipay, boutique hotel Maniumpathy is a quintessential colonial-era bolthole. Eight elegant suites – pampering hideaways from Colombo’s hustle and bustle – look out over a tranquil central courtyard and refreshing lap pool. Stays here come with four-poster beds, roll-top bath tubs and luxuriant secret gardens: the spoiling trappings, in short, of a fantasy home away from home.

Smith Extra

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Afternoon pot of tea for two with biscuits or cake

Facilities

Photos Maniumpathy facilities

Need to know

Rooms

Eight, including two suites.

Check–Out

11am. Earliest check-in, 2pm. Both are flexible, subject to availability.

Rates

Double rooms from $156.57, excluding tax at 28.7 per cent.

More details

Rates include an à la carte breakfast of Continental, English, American and Sri Lankan dishes, as well as made-to-order, vitamin-packed smoothies.

Also

Kynsey Road was once the Harley Street of Colombo; Dr Hallock had his own thriving surgery in what is now the Chrysanthie suite.

At the hotel

Lounge, free WiFi throughout. In rooms: TV, DVD player, iPod dock, minibar, free bottled water.

Our favourite rooms

Dressed in rich heritage hues, Maniumpathy’s eight colonial-chic suites are named after the much-loved women of the Hallock family who’ve owned this stately house for five generations. With an ebony four-poster bed swathed in crimson drapes, Master Suite Annapuranie is the most theatrical of them; we also love its private garden and the roll-top tub big enough for two. Split-level Chrysantie has an inviting sofa bed on a mezzanine; although smaller, the ground-floor Vasanthi and Anithra suites have imposing king-size beds and secret gardens to lounge in.

Poolside

Maniumpathy’s freshwater pool may be small, but the genteel courtyard, inviting sunloungers and masses of tropical foliage make it a picturesque spot for a cooling dip.

Packing tips

Bring a copy of Cinnamon Gardens by Shyam Selvadurai to thumb by the pool, for an evocative peek at life in 1920s Ceylon.

Also

Ground-floor suites are accessible to wheelchair users, as are the lounge and dining areas.

Children

Over-5s are welcome. Children can stay on the sofa bed in the Annapuranie and Chrysanthie suites (US$45 a night for 5–10 year-olds and US$65 for older children, excluding tax). The restaurant has highchairs and can adapt the menu for picky eaters.

Food and Drink

Photos Maniumpathy food and drink

Top Table

Book the Grand Ebony Room for a small-scale celebration: the long, linen-draped table sits 16 below an antique chandelier.

Dress Code

Embrace the low-key colonial vibe with breezy linens, hand-woven batiks and a neutral palette.

Hotel restaurant

The Nandi is as laid-back as restaurants get: light lunches of colourful salads, fragrant curries and comforting sandwiches (fish bap with mushy peas, anyone?) are served in the courtyard, on shaded terraces or – for the irremediably languid – at your sunlounger by the pool. Dinners are more elaborate three-course affairs of Sri Lanka-influenced international cuisine, such as tamarind soup, cashew-crusted mullet and mango-topped pavlova.

Hotel bar

Sip on post-excursion sundowners in the courtyard or the lounge.

Last orders

Breakfast is served 6.30am–9.30am, lunch noon–2.30pm, dinner 7pm–9.30pm.

Room service

Order in-room feasts from the restaurant’s menu round the clock.

Location

Photos Maniumpathy location
Address
Maniumpathy
129 Kynsey Rd
Colombo 08
00800
Sri Lanka

Planes

The nearest airport to the hotel is Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport, a 40-minute drive away depending on traffic. Call our Smith24 Team on 03300 376 891 to arrange flights and transfers.

Trains

A 15-minute drive away from Maniumpathy, Maradana station serves Sri Lanka Railways trains to Kandy and Galle.

Automobiles

Driving on Colombo’s overcrowded roads can be a nerve-wracking experience, but there’s free parking at the hotel should you wish to bring your own wheels.

Worth getting out of bed for

Step away from Maniumpathy’s immaculate lawns and genteel atmosphere: the hotel can arrange two- to three-hour guided walks to take in colourful Colombo. Bustling, dizzying Pettah Market is a good place to start; wander around the history-steeped neighbourhood and stock up on spices, exotic fruit and intricate jewellery. Renting a tuk tuk for the day is a good option; if you’re wary of the hot and humid climate, ask staff to fill a cooler box with cold drinks for a comfortable tour of the city’s historic landmarks. Take in the kite flyers, street-food-vendors and courting couples at cannon-studded Galle Face Green, visit the floating Buddhist temple of Gangaramaya or pay homage to the country’s history at Independence Square. Shopaholics would do well to visit nearby Odel department store or interiors haven Paradise Road for antiques and curios to take home. If your body is as much in need of a workout as your purse, Prana Lounge offers yoga and meditation classes in a tranquil heritage building (you’ll need to book classes in advance) and the Royal Colombo Golf Club is just a 10-minute walk away.

Local restaurants

Housed in a 400-year-old former Dutch hospital, Ministry of Crab is one culinary institution that certainly gets our vote. Sri Lanka’s delicate lagoon crabs are the star of the show here – call ahead if you’d like yours simply chilled and served with warm butter – but the country’s river prawns aren’t to be sneered at either, particularly when flash-fried with garlic and pepper. Cheap and cheerful Beach Wadiya serves enormous seafood platters from a thatch-roofed cottage right on the sands. At the other end of the foodie spectrum, pared-down Nihonbashi is a refined spot for melt-in-the-mouth sashimi: sample fine fusion fare in the Zen dining room, or grab a spot in the laid-back bamboo-fringed garden for charcoal-grilled yakitori.

Local cafés

Decked out with newspaper cuttings and memorabilia, the Cricket Club Café is a photogenic hangout for sporting fans; snack on nachos, burgers and Sri Lankan staples while keeping an eye on the score. Handily located next to Paradise Road boutique, The Gallery Café is an art-filled pit stop for the shopping-weary.

Local bars

Teahouse by day and hip tapas bar by night, Zaza mixes some of the best cocktails in town. Pragmatically named On14 has startling views of the Indian Ocean from a 14th-floor poolside bar. If you’re in the market for something a little bit more peaty, drop by Curve’s whisky vault for a fortifying sip of single malt.

Reviews

Photos Maniumpathy reviews

Anonymous review

By Mr & Mrs Smith

Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this boutique hotel in Colombo and unpacked their batiks and cinnamon sticks, a full account of their cosseting break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Maniumpathy in Sri lanka…

When it comes to taking a break from the bustle and dazzle of Colombo’s lively streets, boutique hotel Maniumpathy in chi-chi Cinnamon Gardens has perfected a winning recipe. A breeze wafts gently through an elegant lounge; the lawns are impeccably manicured; inviting wicker chairs are artfully scattered around shaded terraces circling a serene central courtyard. Even the pool – a slim rectangle of turquoise blue framed by verdant tropical foliage – is just right: large enough for a cooling dip, but small enough to dispel any graceless thoughts of strenuous activity. Prepare to be seriously looked after: with just eight colonial-chic suites and an expert kitchen dishing out comforting staples and fine dining alike, this seductive bolthole’s charms are confidently Sri Lankan.

The Guestbook

Whenever you book a stay at a Smith hotel or villa, we’ll invite you to review it when you get back. Read what other Smith members had to say in Maniumpathy’s Guestbook below.

We loved

How the property is tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Colombo, how the entire property is great for a relaxing break and how delicious the Sri Lankan cuisine served at Maniumpathy is!

Don’t expect

Spa treatments. This is a place to spend your day lounging by the pool with a book in hand, or heading out to the nearby galleries and cafes.

Rating

Stayed on 26 Apr 2018

We loved

The stately home and surrroundings. The hotel has a wonderful historical ambience and the staff are very knowledgable. They welcomed us and made us feel right at home. The rooms were beautiful and comfortable (great shower) – we stayed in the Poonum Room. Food was lovely and the Sri Lankan breakfast is well worth a try – delicious hoppers! Lots of shops and cafes nearby – Kambuk café is well worth a visit!

Don’t expect

A gym or lively party atmosphere.

Rating

Stayed on 31 Jan 2018

We loved

The beautiful renovation of a historic home. It is luxurious and elegant, and it is a very special boutique hotel. The little details from framed photos, to flowers in the bathroom, to the delicious breakfasts (order the Sri Lankan breakfast one day – their hoppers are superb). The service was incredible. The most attentive and warm, friendly people. They made us feel at home. Don't miss a meal at Ministry of Crab. We did a tour of Geoffrey Bawa's home which is near to this hotel. It was truly special and I would really recommend it.

Don’t expect

A gym.

Rating

Stayed on 7 Jul 2017

We loved

The peace and quiet amongst the hustle of Colombo.

Don’t expect

I do not know how to do this question justice; in the interests of brevity - sub zero temperatures.

Rating

Stayed on 20 Apr 2017

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