Amangalla

A stately grand dame in the city of Galle in Sri Lanka’s south coast, Amangalla has the period charm of a bygone era. Built in 1684, the historic edifice retains its heritage in every architectural and decorative detail. Polished teak floorboards date back to the building’s origins, and the interiors are decorated with antiques that span centuries. The windows look out over the 36-hectare hexagonal stone fort or the property’s mature gardens. Amangalla is within reach of Colombo Airport (BIA); local flights land at Koggala Airport (KCT) and there is a heliport nearby.

Capturing the essence of colonial style with pared-back finesse, Amangalla’s 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 gardens.

Furnished with period chairs and tables, crisp white linen and antique silverware, the high-ceilinged Dining Room is an intimate setting for meals, which centre on local produce. 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. Let Amangalla’s expert bartenders surprise you with one of their arrack sours or sample the locally brewed beer.

Amangalla’s spa, The Baths, recaptures a bygone era of taking the waters as a restoration for body and mind. Five treatment rooms are home to a range of therapies, which can be personalized by the spa’s Ayurvedic doctor to include massages, anointments, reflexology and scrubs. The two hydrotherapy suites contain hot and cold plunge pools as well as steam rooms and saunas, complemented by the yoga pavilion, where the discipline is practiced every morning. Bordering the pool, the Pool Courtyard contains five shaded pavilions on one side and a number of sun loungers shaded by palm trees. Amangalla’s historic, dignified ambiance suits occasion of all kinds, whether it is an intimate festivity or a charmed wedding.