Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Galle Fort Hotel

Address: 28 Church Street, Fort Galle, Sri Lanka


A review from Lotus Martini’s International Correspondent, Sri Lanka

On a mission from Lotus Martini, I discover one of Sri Lanka’s gems – The Galle Fort Hotel - the epitome of a boutique hotel and bar with no pretension or formality yet effortless style.
 
It’s owned and operated by Aussies Karl Steinberg and his partner Chris Ong who swapped high flying careers in film-making and finance in Sydney to pursue more fulfilling hotelier dreams.

The cocktail menu has the feel of a trendy Surry Hills bar with a breezy laid back vibe.

The crowd are expats living in Sri Lanka’s balmy climate who mingle over Cosmopolitans and honeymooners or stare into each other’s eyes drinking martinis in the pool surrounded by sweet smelling lilies and floating candles.

I relax on the day bed gazing out through the plantation shutters at the cobblestone streets. I feel the warm breeze from the Indian Ocean and am grateful for the ceiling fans cooling the place down. Galle is hot, too hot to be outdoors. The environment is just right for sitting, reading and drinking cocktails.

I take a seat in the front bar with my tall and handsome companion and order the Galle Fort signature which is a refreshing blend of vodka, lychee, lime, passionfruit juice and brown sugar.  My companion orders the Banana Colada – something of a luxury back home in Sydney with the outrageous cost of bananas. This cocktail is a dreamy blend of fresh banana, white rum, malibu, coconut cream, cream de banana and pineapple juice.  The tasteful and classic décor take me back in time to when this hotel was once a wealthy Dutch merchant’s house. The service is reminiscent of the British colonial times in Ceylon: respectful, attentive, polite and wrapped up with warm and welcoming smiles.

The table of expat journalists next to us drink Long Island Iced Teas while discussing a story on how Galle is rebuilding itself after much of the town was destroyed by the tsunami back in 2004 (the Galle Fort Hotel in the old part of the town escaped the damage caused by the tsunami being protected by the fort’s wall).  On another table, a young, well dressed Sri Lankan couple sip on a Gin Fizz and a Lion Lager beer.

The atmosphere is exotically romantic. We love it here so much, we almost miss our airport pick up.  To quote Australian Gourmet Traveller, " Galle raises the question: why didn't someone tell me about this place sooner?” I say the same about the Galle Fort Hotel – it’s no wonder they are the winner of Sri Lanka’s Leading Boutique Hotel award in 2010 World Travel Awards. I could stay here forever…

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