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Lucire: Volante
sri lanka


Letter from Sri Lanka

continued

 

At the fort A view of the Galle Fort Lighthouse and its surrounding palms.

 

A TWO-HOUR DRIVE NORTH along the west side of the teardrop takes you up the tsunami coast, where signs of devastation still can be seen, even four years later. So many lives were lost and so much property ruined that the local population has yet to forget: the landscape is dotted with monuments and memorials.

But there is a rash of reconstruction along the way as huge new beachfront resorts are rising. There appear to be a number of smaller boutique hotels functioning as well, among all levels of lodging. Along these shores are some of Sri Lanka’s finest surfing beaches, a mecca of sorts. And the bustling route into Galle announces a regional hub of activity. Not much has changed inside the battlements of the Galle Fort in the last 250 years. Once you pass through the New Gate you’ve time-travelled back to the colonial era.

Fortunately, Aman has taken over management of the venerable New Oriental Hotel, cherishing the original ambience of the place, and bringing up the property, now called Amangalla, to the brand’s lofty standards. This is a superb place to situate as you explore the fort and its surroundings.

Of the four excellent dining venues (the terrace, the dining room, poolside, room service) I kept finding myself on the terrace, sipping a drink, eating my lunch, taking afternoon tea, doing nothing as I watched the world go by. This should not in any way demean the en suite breakfast which was splendid, beautifully presented, brilliant tasting, and delivered at the exact moment requested. Dinner in the dining room was wonderful, worthy of a visiting nabob and featured a fly-through by a bat, a poignant reminder of how little we interact with naturalistic world in the west. Try the seer fish curry if it’s on the menu. The afternoon tea taken on the terrace can’t be beat for US$15, a huge meal that lasts for hours.

The hotel also features a world-class spa with modernist hydrotherapy pools and calming décor, well deserved on your odyssey. You will find no more welcome sight than this hotel at the end of a grueling day of tourism.

The team at this property deliver outstanding service with a gracious attitude. With my 2 m of batik tucked under my arm, on the referral of the Amangalla concierge, I rode a tuk-tuk into town to Samee Tailors, facing the old vegetable market. I brought along a shirt which fit me well, and Samee stitched a copy with the batik cloth, overnight, for US$4·50, delivered to the hotel, a small indulgence and a unique memory.

 

Amangalla
10 Church Street
Fort Galle
Galle
Sri Lanka
Telephone +94 91 22-333-88
www.amanresorts.com

Samee Tailors
No. 32, Green Market Oroppuwatta
Galle
Sri Lanka
Telephone +94 72 636-2525

 

 

ON A WALK THROUGH the gently sloping streets of Galle Fort, I stumbled upon Olanda International, a repurposed warehouse filled with everything crazy, old and new you can imagine: armoires, doors, furniture, china, rickshaws, junk, vintage signs. This place is worth a wander just for the weird, vast, wonderful array of things. They’ll ship anywhere.

Along Hospital Road I popped into Orchid House, a very well-arranged store with high standards. There you can find local clothing designs, teas, spices, ceramics, postcards, and the owner has a nicer selection of semi-precious stones. I’d feel more confident buying from him than the gem merchants around the block.

I took a very agreeable tea break up on the roof of Mama’s Guest House on Leyn Baan Street. It’s cheap, rudimentary and the people are nice. You get a breezy view of the lighthouse, the white tower of the local mosque, and a panorama of the Arabian Sea over red-tiled rooftops.

Galle also has several small museums. The Museum of Marine Archæology housed in a heritage building across from Amangalla is of interest more for the building than the exhibits. Nearby, I was able to eavesdrop on a divorce hearing in progress down in Court Square, another unexpected bit of local reality which proved fascinating. Teams of lawyers faced each other across a long table and uniformed men hovered in doorways ready to testify.

 

Olanda International
30, Leyn Baan Street
Fort Galle
Galle
Sri Lanka
Telephone +94 91 223-4398
www.olanda.lk

Orchid House/Yameen Hussein
28A Hospital Street
Fort Galle
Galle
Sri Lanka
Telephone +94 91 742-9090
www.orchid-house.net

 

 

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka’s capital city and most probably your port of entry and exit, has a limited menu of attractions. There’s a famous Buddhist temple with an elephant munching palm fronds, an old quarter in deteriorated condition, and not a lot more. Alcohol has a 400 per cent tax, so beer is a cheaper option than wine or spirits.

For eating, there’s a great down-and-dirty seafood place on the south side of town, called Beach Wadi. Your table is literally on the sand facing the waves, the bill of fare is fresh, the grilling is super, and the people are extremely nice.

There’s also the upscale Gallery Restaurant in the impressive former office space of Geoffrey Bawa, boasting a very fine kitchen, with European prices. They have a nice seating area where people sip cocktails all afternoon and work on their laptops. A cool little gift shop.

There’s also the family-friendly Park Street Restaurant which has European style dishes at reasonable prices, and entertainment some evenings.

You can find western-style lodgings in monolithic hotels like the Cinnamon Grand and the Radisson, both close to the Galle Face promenade, where the rich colonials used to parade in their finery. Now it’s a sparse oceanfront place often crowded with locals, and there are some very funny public signs with wacky admonitions.

Business is done down at the Galle Face Hotel, a former colonial jewel now in need of an angel. It’s an interesting old place with more character than most, and a bustling lunch and dinner business as well as a popular Sunday brunch. You could spend a couple nights in the old wing, in a spartan room with amazing wood floors, and get a feel for the rhythms of the city. But there are only two real reasons to be in Colombo: to be in transit, or to do business. Otherwise, head for the wild as fast as you can.

 

Galle Face Hotel

2, Galle Road
Colombo 3
Sri Lanka
Telephone +94 11 2541010
www.gallefacehotel.com

 

 

LIKE MOST EMERGING ECONOMIES, travel from point-to-point in Sri Lanka is hard, and selecting the best itinerary and lodging requires specialist knowledge. Sri Lanka in Style—who your correspondent worked with—has a dedicated staff of experts with contacts throughout the isle. They put together a terrific itinerary for me for an 11-day visit. Don’t try and assemble a trip without this kind of help. Talk to the professionals, and it will ease your journey. •

 

Sri Lanka In Style
Telephone +94 11 239-6666
www.srilankainstyle.com

 


Stanley Moss is travel editor of Lucire.

 


Aman Resorts


Amangalla, a classic colonial style hotel, with beautiful accommodation such as room 28.


Aman Resorts

Aman Resorts

More shots from inside Amangalla.


With my 2 m of batik tucked under my arm, I rode a tuk-tuk to Samee Tailors, facing the old vegetable market. I brought along a shirt which fit me well, and Samee stitched a copy with the batik cloth, overnight, for US$4·50, a small indulgence and a unique memory



From inside the Galle fortifications, you can see a mosque to the left, and lighthouse to the right.


Galle Fort’s Orchid House.


A friendly welcome at the Galle Face Hotel, by a 91-year-old man who has been employed by the Hotel for over 70 years.


Dinner on the terrace of the Galle Face Hotel.

 

 

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