Amangalla is a historic hotel located within the walls of the historic Galle Fort. The 17th-century Dutch fort is a collection of Colonial buildings including Amangalla, that offers discerning travellers a distinctive experience of modern-day comforts within its 300-year-old heritage building. Many original features such as the teakwood-floors have been carefully restored and rooms furnished with a charming mix of antiques and faithful colonial reproductions.
There are just 29 guest rooms, chambers and suites at the Amangalla Resort. All offer a variety of views from Galle Fort and some have their own balcony. In addition, the two-storey Garden House, situated in the hotel’s frangipani-scented gardens, comes with a private pantry serviced by a personal butler. Rooms are fitted with discrete Bose sound system, an AC controller and a well-stocked fridge. There are no tea and coffee making facilities. After all, what are the staff for?
Facilities at Amangalla include two restaurants and a lounge that serve meals on made to order. There is a large swimming pool, surrounded by palms and the resort's gardens. For relaxation, the Amangalla offers remedial pleasures from 'The Baths', the resort's relaxing, holistic, and traditionally inspired Spa. There are five treatment chambers, saunas, steam rooms and hydrotherapy pools. There is also a barber shop, salon and a yoga and meditation pavilion.
Stay Amangalla Resort, Galle has just 29 guest rooms, chambers and suites. The lead in Guestrooms and the spacious Chambers with balconies feature jackwood floors and unique colonial-style furnishings with French windows, overlooking the gardens or the Groote Kerk (Great Church). For more space book one-bedroom Garden House with living/dining room, as well as a wrap-around balcony or the spacious Suites that overlook Amangalla’s lush garden or the fort ramparts and the harbour.
ChildCare Children are welcome to stay at the Amangalla Resort, Galle but there are no specific facilities available. However, babysitting services can be arranged, if requested.
Experience The morning in Amangalla starts with a bed tea brought by your personal butler, who pulls back the shutters to reveal glorious sunshine and views of the Old Dutch Church. Shave is on a barber's chair, with cut-throat razor, hot and cold towels and Geo Trumper products. Breakfast is brought to your table with everything you would expect from a top hotel including fresh juices for me and mangoes for my partner.
In the day, we wander around the Galle Fort with Mr Jeeves in tow (he has now transformed into a tour guide with great historical information on Galle). Yes, Mr Jeeves’ services are included in the price! He also arranges our lunch under the trees, where I like it. Sitting under the shade, listening to the mellifluous chirping of birds on a hot day for me is intoxicating. A sorbet with vodka ensures it is.
After lunch, Mr Jeeves recommends an afternoon bike tour, so we drive some distance and from there bike for about an hour and half through the country side. It was an easy bike ride and we saw some wildlife including a 1.4-metre monitor lizard. The day’s excursion and later, a refreshing trip to the "Baths" (hydro pool, saunas etc) is followed by sun downers at the Bar on the top floor.
The Amangalla’s Zaal restaurant is beautiful; huge spacious and with high ceilings. Enormous chandeliers hang from thick hardwood beams, floors are of polished wood and furnished with absolutely gorgeous colonial antique furniture. Dinner is excellent and I recommend, go for the local menu where they give you an amazing array of food in fantastic flavours and utterly delicious!
One More Thing The experience of staying at Amagalla is out of this world; from the very moment of arrival till the inevitable moment of departure you are surrounded by the most attentive and gentle staff we could imagine. In terms of facilities, it simply belongs to a different league, providing a wholly different offering – a sublime experience!
Dec-Mar
29°C
CMB
GMT+ 5.3
Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR)
Location Amangalla in Galle, is a restored historic hotel that forms part of Galle Fort. Amangalla is 120km south of Colombo on the southwest coast of Sri Lanka.
Getting There There are direct (10-hour 45-minute) flights to Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Colombo. The car transfer from BIA to Amangalla takes about 3-hours. Alernatively, Sri Lankan Airlines runs a daily Airtaxi service from BIA to Koggala airstrip, a 25-minute drive from Amangalla. The flight time is 45-minutes.
When to go The best time to visit Sri Lanka is between December and April when it’s drier and the climate is cooler. It’s also the peak time for whale-watching in the south where blue and sperm whales can be seen. From May to August the Yala monsoon brings rain to the island’s southwestern coast and the cultural triangle. However, the hill country around Nuwara Eliya, Horton Plains and Bandarawela remains cooler. Rains may also occur between September and November.
Hotel Group
AmanDestination
West & South, Sri LankaHotel Type
HistoricLocation Type
City/Town
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