Galle Fort is a UNESCO heritage site, built by the Dutch occupiers three hundred years ago. Clean and safe, it’s a charming place to wander around with little shops, bars and coffee shops as well as museums and crafts shops; so peaceful compared with other Sri Lankan towns.  The most prestigious colonial building within the fort is Amangalla, a luxury hotel occupying the former Dutch military headquarters.  It’s such a landmark that throughout the day there are wedding photographers capturing newlyweds outside the hotel, beneath some magnificent trees.  Our arrival was greeted by several staff on the steps, including the hotel manager and Pathum, who was to be our butler for our 4 night stay over Christmas 2021.  Hands were sanitised upon entering and all staff wore face masks, but this was optional for guests within the hotel. Outside, masks were compulsory.

Pathum took us to our room, No.25, a “veranda chamber” just one floor below reception.  It was a charming room of 65 sq.m with wood flooring and antique. furniture, including a 4-poster super king bed, which I had booked for US$5500 ($6593 inc taxes).

The bathroom was slightly compact, but comfortably functional.  Beyond the furthest washbasin in the above image is a spacious shower room.

We had a complimentary soft drinks  minibar in the room and some fresh fruits.

The verandah gave us a refreshing view of trees and greenery. We watched pretty little birds feeding in the trees and one morning we saw a large male purple-faced langur (a monkey).  The verandah had the day bed shown, plus a table and chairs.

Our room had good aircon and wifi but it did not have a TV or a coffee machine.

At the hotel entrance is a verandah where we took our breakfast each morning, while watching the slow pace of life pass by outside. Everything was a la carte and we enjoyed excellent coffee, juices and a selection of breakfast bowls. As usual I used Eggs Benedict as a ‘benchmark test’ and found the dish to be acceptable but not wonderful. And this was my overall judgement of the food at Amangalla; menus looked good, but the dishes’ execution fell a little short. We only had two dinners in the hotel.  Later in the holiday the GM told me he was taking steps to improve the quality of Amangalla’s food offering.

At Amangalla the first room you enter is the Great Hall – Zaal in Dutch. Airy and beautifully styled with period furniture, it was a stylish spot for an aperitif.  On Christmas Eve the was a (compulsory) gala dinner, before which we had cocktails and canapés in the Great Hall, and then a choir from a local orphanage came to sing carols.

On the days we didn’t have activities booked we relaxed beside Amangalla’s swimming pool. The pool attendants were the most attentive imaginable, sorting out towels on our sun loungers and bringing fresh iced water every few minutes.  We were also able to order food and drinks to have pool-side.  The pool is lined with green tiles and surrounded by trees, and you have the choice of lying on loungers or in a row of cabanas, for more shade.  When we were there I didn’t see more than two people in the pool at the same time.

On our last evening the hotel Manager treated us to a very special, private and romantic dinner on the lawns of the pool area.  With Christmas lights on the trees and our own duo of musicians, this was a fabulous evening.

Amangalla has pretty good spa facilities too. A section called The Baths is open to guests any time, where one can enjoy time in a jacuzzi-type pool, a sauna and steam room and plunge pools.  Spa treatment rooms are next door, where I had a wonderfully relaxing massage, but many specialist Ayurvedic treatments are available too.

I just want to say a few words about Pathum, our Butler. I’ve never had a Butler in a hotel before, and always wondered what they do. Well in the case of Pathum he was available for us around reception at all times, checking how we were and seeing if he could organise anything for us.  He took us on a walking tour of the fort on our first day.  But the most impressive example of his service skills was one evening when he made several phone calls then went out on his motorbike to buy me a new walking stick, after I had stupidly left mine in a restaurant in Colombo.  Even behind his mask, above, I think you can see he has a warm and friendly demeanour.

Being a 300 year old property, Amangalla isn’t able to offer the huge spacious suites found at many other Aman properties, but it is a fine example of Aman’s ethos of being interwoven with the place and culture it occupies.  Staff appeared to greatly outnumber guests, so service was excellent, as was ‘service recovery’ (I had one very disappointing ‘activity day’ which resulted in that special private meal we had, and Amangalla cancelling its contract with the outside supplier).

Overall 8/10

PS we weren’t given an “Amanjunkie” T-shirt!