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The Fortress Resort & Spa is a Hayleys Leisure beach resort on Koggala Beach east of Galle, with 53 rooms and a 170-foot infinity pool facing the Indian Ocean. Its low white colonnaded wings, timber balconies and tiled roofs draw on the Dutch colonial architecture of the south coast, and every room and suite has a view of the garden, a private courtyard or the sea. The resort is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World and is known for its Ayurveda spa.
The 53 guest rooms come in five categories, and above them sits the Fortress Residence. Every guest room has a king-size bed, a large open-plan bathroom with two designer basins, full-length mirrors and hardwood floors, and a separate marble-tiled rain shower and toilet.
The standard rooms sleep two adults and a child. An extra bed, a baby cot and babysitting can be arranged on request, and cots must be reserved when you book. The resort does not publish how the Premium rooms differ from the standard Ocean and Beach rooms, so ask when you book if the difference matters to you. All guests can use the spa's Jacuzzi and sauna during spa hours.
The Terrace is the all-day restaurant, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner on the ground floor, with outdoor seating facing the pool and the ocean and a menu of Sri Lankan and international dishes. ITAMESHI pairs Italian and Japanese cooking, including a teppanyaki menu, in a 14-seat room set within a glass wine cellar. Time Out Bar is the oceanfront lounge bar for cocktails, wine and spirits, open from morning until midnight, and in-room dining is also available. The restaurants ask for resort attire in the evening, with no swimwear at dinner.
The resort stands right across the road from the Martin Wickramasinghe Folk Museum, the birthplace of one of Sri Lanka's best-loved writers, and a few minutes from the sea turtle hatcheries along this stretch of coast, such as the Koggala Sea Turtle Conservation Project. Boat trips run on Koggala Lagoon and its islands, and the coast here and towards Ahangama is known for its stilt fishermen. The resort puts Galle Fort at about 15.7 kilometres, around half an hour by car, with Unawatuna Beach on the way. It also arranges excursions further afield, including the Madu River safari near Balapitiya and national park safaris.
Yes. Trains on the coastal line between Colombo and Matara stop at Koggala station and Habaraduwa station, both close to the resort. Ask the resort or us to arrange the short transfer from the station, particularly if you have heavy luggage.
The resort gives the drive from Bandaranaike International Airport as about 162 kilometres, roughly two and a half hours via the Southern Expressway; from central Colombo it is about 134 kilometres. The simplest way to arrive is a private transfer from Colombo airport to The Fortress Resort & Spa, which takes you all the way to the door.
It suits couples looking for a quiet, design-led beach stay with a serious spa, and families who want large rooms, a children's area in the pool and Galle within easy reach. Three or four nights leaves time for the beach, a spa programme and a day in Galle Fort. Its sister hotel in the capital is The Kingsbury, a useful stop at either end of a trip. For more choice nearby, see our places to stay in Koggala and Galle.
We really enjoyed our stay here. The hotel is right by the beach, and our ocean view room was definitely worth it — the view of the sea was just as advertised and was lovely to wake up to every morning. We were lucky to catch the…
A very beautiful beach, the experience is much better than a wild beach, and there is also a safe natural reef area to walk around. Breakfast buffet dinner ordering
The experience was very good, the hotel is right by the sea and has a large private beach. There are very nice sea views day and night, and the sound of the waves is good for a vacation.
Ratings and reviews provided by TripAdvisor for The Fortress Resort & Spa.
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