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Amangalla is Aman's hotel inside Galle Fort, the walled Dutch town on Sri Lanka's south coast that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It occupies one of the fort's most storied buildings: begun in 1684 as the headquarters of the Dutch commanders, later used by the British as soldiers' quarters, and a hotel since the 1860s, for much of that time as the New Oriental Hotel, before Aman restored it. Wooden floors, high sash windows, four-poster beds and a 21-metre pool in a garden courtyard make it one of the most atmospheric places to stay in Sri Lanka.
The hotel stands at 10 Church Street, inside the ramparts of Galle Fort and beside the Groote Kerk, the Dutch Reformed Church. Everything in the fort is within walking distance: the ramparts and the lighthouse, the old streets of shops and cafés, and the walls that look over the cricket ground. Galle railway station is about 5 minutes away by car, just outside the fort gate.
Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) is around two hours away by car, and Galle itself lies about 120 km south of Colombo along the coast. For travellers short on time, Koggala airstrip is 25 minutes from the hotel and can be reached by air taxi from Colombo. By road, a pre-booked private transfer with a driver waiting at the airport is the easiest way to reach the fort after a long flight. Book the Colombo (CMB) Airport transfer to Amangalla.
The complex was built by the Dutch in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, with thick walls and very high ceilings suited to the tropical heat. It became a hotel in the 1860s and was bought in 1899 by the Ephraums family, who kept it running as the New Oriental Hotel for generations. Aman reopened it as Amangalla in 2005, keeping the historic character, and the library still displays memorabilia from the New Oriental Hotel years.
Aman describes seven categories: Bedrooms and Garden Bedrooms, Chambers and Veranda Chambers, Suites, the Amangalla Suite with views over the fort and the harbour, and the two-storey Garden House with its own wrap-around balcony. Rooms keep the original wooden floors and tall sash windows, and are furnished with four-poster beds and colonial-era antiques. The suites are more open-plan, with a separate living area, while the rooms and chambers have a more traditional layout.
Meals are served in the Dining Room and on the Veranda, in the Great Hall, known as the Zaal, and out on the Garden Terrace and around the Pool Courtyard. Afternoon tea is a daily ritual on the Veranda or in the Great Hall, with Ceylon tea, scones, clotted cream and jam. A traditional Sri Lankan rice and curry is served every evening, the Sunset Balcony is set aside for residents' evening drinks, and The Library hosts a chef's table.
The spa has five treatment rooms and two hydrotherapy suites, each with a warm massage pool, sauna, steam room and cold plunge, and there is also a gym, a yoga pavilion and a barbershop. The 21-metre pool sits in a courtyard garden among traditional ambalama pavilions. Beyond the walls, the hotel arranges walking tours of the fort, mountain bikes and tennis, and trips to Lunuganga and Brief Garden, the country estates of Geoffrey Bawa and his brother Bevis, less than 90 minutes away. Amanwella, Aman's beach resort near Tangalle, is about an hour and a half to two hours east along the coast.
We had lunch at the restaurant of this wonderful hotel, housed in an old colonial building. Period furnishings, magnificently preserved, are the perfect setting for a magical place, where the retro atmosphere blends with the perfe…
A wonderful and refined establishment where everything is truly outstanding. The kindness and professionalism of the entire team are exceptional, with a special mention for Dammika, our butler, and Tharindu Pramod, who looked afte…
Ratings and reviews provided by TripAdvisor for Amangalla.
Bookable activities, tours, and tickets within a 25 km radius.
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