Photography: Courtesy of Malabar Hill
Travel Diary
There’s no better place to start a trip to Sri Lanka than Galle Fort. Only a two-hour drive from Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport – or three, if you take the slower, more scenic train from Colombo – the walled town is somewhat of a soft landing for first-timers to the island nation.
Galle’s heaving traffic falls away as you enter the walls of the old fort, wherein lies a jungle of winding, walkable streets, breezy restaurants and palm trees peppered between sun-warmed buildings. My husband and I are staying at The Fort Printers, a boutique hotel within an 18th-century building, which once served as a merchant’s house, school and printing press.
The interiors are an effortless layering of contemporary design with oldworld character. To reach the rooms, guests glide through the hotel’s restaurant, 39 Bistro & Wine Bar, where a harmony of textured rattan and smooth marble set the tone for the spaces beyond. The heavy wooden doors to our room unlock with an old-fashioned metal key, opening to reveal a four-poster canopy bed, clawfoot bath and the scent of cinnamon leaf.
We have our breakfast by the pool, opting for the Sri Lankan tradition of hoppers – delightful bowl-shaped pancakes served with a thali-like selection of small dahls and curries. For lunch and dinner, we head into town for heaped bowls of spicy seafood; favourites being a whole-crab curry enjoyed on the waterfront balcony at A Minute by Tuk Tuk, and a moreish prawn curry savoured under palm trees at The Bungalow.
If you want to walk the walls of the 16th century Portuguese fort – a popular and worthwhile activity – it’s better to go early, before the midday heat forces you back inside somewhere cool. The early evening, when the light dips and the Indian Ocean breeze floats into town, is also a glorious time to explore Galle.
Snag a spot on the rooftop at Charlie’s during sunset or pop into one of the fort’s sultry cocktail bars for a taste of old Ceylon. The arrack cocktails served at Ropewalk and Church Street Social are also worth settling in for. After a couple of days within the comfort of Galle’s fort, we’re eager for the next stop on our adventure – the little surfy village of Hiriketiya, an hour’s drive east. Along with Arugam Bay and Ahangama, ‘Hiri’ is one of the cool kids of Sri Lanka right now, with life there mainly revolving around the waves at Hiriketiya Beach – an idyllic , horseshoe-shaped bay lined with swaying coconut palms and laid-back beach bars.
The accommodation in Hiriketiya mainly caters to the coastal village ’s backpacker crowd, so if you’re searching for something a little more luxurious , you’re going to have more luck in the nearby towns of Mawella or Tangalle. Our hotel, The Nook, is nestled between lush jungle and the Indian Ocean in the nearby village of Dondra – a place that feels wonderfully secluded , yet close enough for us to be whisked back and forth to Hiriketiya by tuk tuk.
The rooms are airy, grounded in earthy tones and warm , natural materials that feel in harmony with the surrounding jungle. We spend our mornings by the pool, lounging underneath wicker umbrellas and watching the local monkeys leap between palms, before heading back into Hiriketiya for nights spent sipping coconut cocktails at smoky, open-air jungle bars such as Raa and Smoke & Bitters. Our last stop is Weligama, where we finally turn away from the coast and take a winding inland road northwest up to the majestic Malabar Hill hotel. Rising from a former cinnamon plantation, this hillside sanctuary gazes over the wetlands towards the broad sweep of the Indian Ocean.
The interiors have a distinctly ornate air, with the hotel’s curvaceous archways, terracotta floors and block-printed textiles nodding to the architecture of Rajasthan in Northern India. Our private villa is tucked into the hillside, with grand bi-fold doors that open onto our own terrace and plunge pool. While you’re on this part of the south coast, it’s also worth taking a jeep safari into Udawalawe National Park to see wild elephants. The journey can be done as a day trip from Malabar Hill and you ’ll be back in time for cocktail hour at the hotel bar. For those content lounging on the poolside daybeds, the resident peacocks and monitor lizards mean you don’t have to venture far for wildlife experiences in Sri Lanka.
PLAN YOUR TRIP
Where to stay: The Fort Printers in Galle, thefortprinters.com; The Nook in Dondra; thenooksrilanka.com. Malabar Hill in Weligama, malabarhillsrilanka.com.
Where to eat: The Bungalow in Galle, @thebungalowgallefort; Charlie’s Bar & Bistro in Galle, @charliesbargallefort; Smoke & Bitters at Hiriketiya, @smoke.bitters; Raa at Hiriketiya, @raa.hiriketiya.
Where to visit: Galle Fort for the Old Town’s colonial architecture with its Portuguese, Dutch and British influences, gallefortsrilanka.com; Udawalawe National Park to experience an animal safari, udawalawesafari.lk.
Getting there Flights to Colombo, Sri Lanka from Sydney or Perth take around 11 hours, plus a stopover, and cost from $1300* for a return trip with Singapore Airlines.
*Prices correct at the time of printing
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