Tamarind Hill, Galle, Sri Lanka

On the outskirts of Galle — a city whose strongly Dutch character belies its long history as an ancient global entrepôt — stands Tamarind Hill, a property whose walls carry an exceptionally layered past. Galle itself was a meeting-place for Arabs, Chinese, Greeks, Persians and South Indians, and Victorian scholars identified it with the Biblical port of Tarshish. Against that rich backdrop, Tamarind Hill offers guests a rare chance to sleep inside a piece of living history.

The house was built as the official residence of the Representative of the Peninsular and Orient Steam Navigation Company — the famous P&O Line — around whose sailings all social and commercial life in British-era Galle revolved. A tall flagpole on the front lawn stands as a relic of those self-important days. In a later chapter of its life, Tamarind Hill served as a judge's residence, and it was during that period that the punkahs in the drawing room were installed. Sri Lanka's cosmopolitan, multicultural past is written into every corner of the property.

Accommodation

Tamarind Hill has 11 rooms and 2 suites, replete with twenty-first-century facilities that never obtrude on the traditional elegance and charm of the surroundings. The range of accommodation includes standard bedrooms, deluxe suites, suites, and superior suites, each with an attached bathroom and air conditioning.

Dining

The food and drink at Tamarind Hill is modern rather than traditional, and of the finest quality — a deliberate counterpoint to the heritage setting that keeps the experience grounded firmly in the present.