Galle Face Hotel

...long stretch of greenery called Galle Face Green. This is where Colombans come to fly kites, play football, have picnics and promenade in their finery on a Satruday night, - there are also some great food stalls selling a large variety of spicy snacks (known as short-eats). For the equivalent of about 20p you can get ten big ' uns to munch on as you stroll around.

After tea we decided to meander out onto the Green, our peaceful walk ...
...donate plenty of rupees for a school for blind orphans. Fortunately i had read about this ruse in my handy "Lonely Planet" guide and knew it to be a common Colomban con, so I told the greedy grifter in no uncertain terms to "eh -pah" (figure it out for yourselves, I know you can).......ha! I knew those well learnt Sinhala phrases would come in handy one day! He made a sudden speedy exit in the direction of another western looking ... more

Colombo City is a deranged, dusty, frenetic type of place where large brown cows wander self righteously down the main roads seemingly oblivious to the crazed over stuffed buses and insane tuk-tuk drivers that cross their paths;(while in Sri Lanka I noted with some amusement that while traffic will screech to a halt and patiently wait for cows, dogs and the delightful, lazy monitor lizards to amble at their own pace across the roads, humans receive none of this polite conduct and have to take their own lives in their hands)..............the humidity is breathtaking, like being suffocated by a warm, wet towel, but fear not respite can be had in the form of the grand old colonial hotel "Galle Face". Established in 1864 this is a salute to the old colonial days when Sri Lanka was Ceylon and pale, european ladies perspired gently in the shade, delicately sipping their tea while their tea plantation husbands conducted the important business of the day.

After traipsing the mean city streets we made our weary way to the hotel entrance where a liveried doorman appeared out of nowhere, clad in dazzling white uniform and ushered us genteely into the cool, marbled hush of the foyer. We were only there for one night before the hateful 12 hour flight the next day to London so had poshly reserved one of the "executive suites".

Up the creaky old wood panelled elevator we went to the second floor. With a proud flourish the bellboy unlocked the door . Had we stumbled into one of the two gargantuan ballrooms by mistake? I wondered as he led us into our room. We stepped into an enormous space with elegant , in a slightly 'faded glory' kind of a way decor, a parquet floor polished to perfection, a gigantic bed with the whitest, softest, cottonest sheets and a separate ante -chamber that seemed designed specifically for lounging around in silk pyjamas (cigarette holder optional). There was also a good sized bathroom with endless boiling hot water, a TV, air conditioning and a well stocked mini bar (all this for the princely sum of *$99.00).

It was now 4 0'clock and obviously time to check out the famous high tea experience on the fabled arched veranda, - white pillars, white walls and the sleepy whir of the fan high above the immaculately set tables made this a great place to idly partake of cucumber sandwiches (crusts off, of course), scones, and delicious cakes, washed down with tea, tea and more tea. Incidentally, tea in Sri Lanka ranges from the hideous to the sublime, and one curious element is that it is invariably served with warm milk - best to go for the slice of lemon option i reckon, - far more refreshing.

The hotel is situated bang next to the Indian Ocean and also overlooks the 1km long stretch of greenery called Galle Face Green. This is where Colombans come to fly kites, play football, have picnics and promenade in their finery on a Satruday night, - there are also some great food stalls selling a large variety of spicy snacks (known as short-eats). For the equivalent of about 20p you can get ten big ' uns to munch on as you stroll around.

After tea we decided to meander out onto the Green, our peaceful walk being interupted by a shady looking character asking us to donate plenty of rupees for a school for blind orphans. Fortunately i had read about this ruse in my handy "Lonely Planet" guide and knew it to be a common Colomban con, so I told the greedy grifter in no uncertain terms to "eh -pah" (figure it out for yourselves, I know you can).......ha! I knew those well learnt Sinhala phrases would come in handy one day! He made a sudden speedy exit in the direction of another western looking couple.

"Good Grief" I exlaimed to my paramour "is that the time already? it is almost sundown and we must hasten to our room to prepare for cocktails on the checkerboard terrace". So we did. The checkerboard terrace is a big square black and white chess set with tables and parasols and a fine view of the sea. The sunset was not a disappointemnt and neither were the cocktails. To start with I had a Barracuda - a refreshing mix of white rum, galiano, pineapple juice, lime juice and champagne. Gary opted for the appropriately named "Indian Ocean" . These were served by the ever attentive waitors with a complimentary dish of warm, spiced cashew nuts.

We didn't eat dinner at the hotel's alfresco Sea Spray restuarant, although it looked beautiful in the candlelight and is rumoured to have a fantastic selection of fresh fish dishes. We had decided to investigate somewhere thoroughly modern for a change and head off into downtown colombo to dine with the trendy Colombo set in a rave reviewed restarurant, formerly the office of renowned Sri Lankan architect, Geofrrey Bawa, called "The Gallery Cafe". All i will say is that it lived up to its expectations, and make mine a black pork curry .

Back at the hotel an early night for the sad to leave travellers beckoned. Slept like I had been anesthatised. Breakfast was a fabulous buffet ( I tend to think buffets are only ever any good for breakfasts) - coconut juice, string hoppers, a small portion of fish curry and some coconut roti ( a very hot spicy relish) set me up for the day (well, who wants to have to suffer airplane food just because they had only one slice of toast and jam for breakfast?).

To sum up, it is nice to step your toes into the water of a bygone era every once in a while, yet at the same time having all modern day luxuries on tap. The service was excellent, not too over zealous but when you need the staff they are there; the rooms were palatial; the food (well tea and brekkie) was divine. While we were staying there the southern wing of the hotel was closed but they were renovating its faded charms to a super-deluxe standard, so I heard, which will include a spa and shopping arcade, a museum and speciality restaurants! But the rooms/suites here will definitely be at a price. Also I fogot to mention that there is an outdoor sea water swimming pool in the grounds nestling by the sea edge.

This place is a must for those who would like to be an extra in a Merchant Ivory film- it is also a must for those who wouldn't!

Prices for rooms in the unrenovated wing are $77 for a standard room, $92 for a Deluxe, $99 for an executive suite and $205 for the Royal Suite.
*Over the Christmas/New Year period there is a $25 supplement.
Breakfast either delivered to your room or not costs $10 per person, and dinner costs approximately $15. Wine from the extensive cellar is obvioulsy extra.
web site. www.gallefacehotel.com

Postscript: I stayed there in January 2003 and have heard that it luckily survived the ravages of the terrible tsunami. I was in Sri Lanka this christmas too and also luckily suvivied the ravages of the terrible tsunami. More on that in another op. 

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