Amangalla by Rory Spowers

By all accounts, the decaying faded charm of the original NOH was always going to be a hard act to follow. However, despite the limitations and difficulties of working with a notorious old building, Amangalla has pulled it off. The pervasive approach has been one of great restraint: the fabulous Zaal, or Great Hall, being sparsely furnished and decorated, creating a classical yet minimalist modern space which is both gracious and comfortable. Wide old wooden floorboards and original floor tiles have been preserved, quite at home with the sleek brushed steel chandeliers. The few concessions to decoration are provided by old maps of the island, a branch of ripening bananas, or a clump of bright orange coconuts, all artfully arranged by Olivia Richli, the hotel’s manageress.

Dining stretches from the Zaal onto the terrace, with fabulous views over the ramparts of Galle Fort, the monumental mara trees and the sea beyond. A modern British menu changes daily at dinner and incorporates carpaccio of tuna alongside cauliflower soup with truffle oil and a poached quail’s egg; braised shank of lamb alongside lobster ravioli or a shellfish risotto. Lunches are more simple, with open roast beef sandwiches, or a belt-and-braces fish and chips. The rice and curry is always extensive, colourful and exploding with new and different tastes.

Again, the cubist modern shape of the pool-side ambalamas sit comfortably with the surrounding colonial grandeur, the bare wall at the end, with it’s peeling plaster and exposed brick, appearing like a reverential nod to the hotel’s previous incarnation. Similarly, the spa, quite aptly referred to as The Baths, has maintained simple proportion and empty space to create an ambience of understated serenity and calm. It all works well.

In addition to the seemingly ubiquitous ‘Aman junkies’, the hotel draws an eclectic clientele, most of who pause for two nights on their tour of the island, many of whom stay longer at Amanwella, the sister hotel on the beach near Tangalle. The Baths, bar and restaurant also provide a tranquil escape for a floating population of local ex-pat residents, aid workers and volunteers, many of whom have been spun into the orbit of Galle following the Asian tsunami and found the heady charms of the area too difficult to leave.

The rooms
The hotel comprises 29 rooms, chambers, suites and a two-storey garden house, once home to the eccentric previous owner, the legendary Nestor Brohier, who died in 1995. All rooms feature restored antique furniture, or fine reproductions of planter’s chairs, writing desks and pettagama chests, perfectly off-set by the 300 year old teak floorboards. The style verges on the austere but attention to detail is flawless: the hardwood towel stands, old maps on the walls, classically designed taps and steel hinges on the huge shuttered windows. The feeling is of a slight time warp and a finely balanced compromise between original elegance and modern comforts.

Come for
- A dip in the huge salt-water chlorinated swimming pool and reclining in the ambalamas
- Pampering in the sumptuous Baths
- A trip through time


Not suitable for:
- Those seeking the conventional Aman experience; this is different
- The culturally challenged - this is Galle Fort, not Koh Samui


Eating in, eating out:
Aside from the hotel, try…
- Firefly restaurant at Dodanduwa (13kms away) run by an enterprising New York chef and his wife who were previously in Cambodia. Modern and eclectic fusion, the highlights being wasabi tuna tartar, tequila shrimp or grilled catch of the day
- Aditya at nearby Ratgama (12kms away), a recently opened boutique hotel with excellent food, both Sri Lankan and more international
- The Sun House in Galle, the quintessential boutique hotel with delightful staff, a changing set menu every evening and the world’s most wonderful hostess, manageress Henrietta Tatham