Galle Fort Hotel

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Galle, Sri Lanka

Tucked inside Galle's historic fort, this former merchant's home is now a gem of a hotel, with busy bar, restaurant and jovial hosts

Reviewed by Emma Taylor

Galle Fort Hotel, Sri Lanka, Overview

GALLE FORT HOTEL - REVIEW

Galle Fort is a spellbinding mixture of Dutch, British and Sri Lankan history and architecture, with fewer than 200 homes inside its 17th-century ramparts. Now one of these is a hotel - and what a building it is. Antique four-poster beds, wide verandas, whirring ceiling fans and a colonnaded court evoke its former life as a gem-merchant's mansion. On top of this, new owners Karl Steinberg and Chris Ong have added a boutique pool, a choice of yoga & beauty treatments, and contemporary décor in its 11 bedrooms and suites.

It also draws crowds to its sociable café-restaurant, where new arrivals and local regulars join tables under high ceilings and grand archways. Karl flits easily between them, offering excellent Chinese-Thai cuisine and friendly, first-name advice. He'll even guide you around the fort next morning, if he's not too busy; or prepare a cocktail after your sunset meander along the historic walls.

HIGHS

Stylish, spacious and comfortable rooms - and a fabulous penthouse suite with views over the Galle Fort
Beautiful pool and inner courtyard
Great atmosphere for meeting other travellers
Helpful, knowledgeable, English-speaking hosts: Karl is an ex-film-director from Australia and Chris a former banker from Singapore

LOWS

The restaurant and bar are busy and sociable places - but the hotel is private and thus quiet and serene
Most rooms face the central courtyard, so no town views
Cheaper rooms open directly onto the pool or veranda
Negotiating the stairs to your bathroom (in the loft suites) can be tricky at night

Print Whole Report

Name	Galle Fort Hotel	Location	Galle, Galle and South Coast
Type	Heritage hotel: 11 rooms	Country	Sri Lanka
Price Guide	Dbl: US$150-500, BB	Open	All year


DISTANCES	Airport: 120km	Nearest Shops: 0.1km	Nearest restaurant: 0.3km	Beach: 5km