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Tamarind Hill is a luxury boutique hotel that was built 250 years ago during the Dutch colonial period by an Admiral and a Captain who served in the Dutch army. It was then a family home where the Admiral and the Captain used to stay with their families. In 2007, the area where the original cottage used to have its horse stables was converted into a new wing as part of the extension planned by the hotel owners.
Today, this unique historical property has 10 Crayford Rooms and two magnificent Suites – namely, the Admiral and Captain suites – where the Captain and the Admiral used to stay respectively. Both the suites are huge – size of the Admiral Suite is 196 square metres, whereas the size of the Captain Suite is 99 square metres. (See video walkthrough on our YouTube channel)
With only 12 rooms and suites in total, the Tamarind Hill offers limited accommodation for the most discerning of travellers. The 250-years-old cottage exudes the romance and beauty of a bygone age while offering every modern comfort and convenience. As soon as you enter the hotel premises, you can feel the classic Dutch-era ambience, which is further complimented by its authentic 1800s architecture to give you that otherwordly feeling of comfort and well being.
The boutique hotel is managed by Asia Leisure Hotels, one of Sri Lanka’s most exclusive, ultra-luxurious hotel brands, which owns and manages five luxury resorts in Sri Lanka. With a strong thrust on expansion, Asia Leisure Hotels is involved in multiple property development projects in Sri Lanka, with its first overseas resort in the Maldives being built currently.
Tamarind Hill features in my top 10 list of the best luxury hotels in Galle, the most historical and beautiful hotels in South Sri Lanka, and one of the best places to stay in Sri Lanka.
In this review:
The rooms of this boutique hotel are decorated with a rare collection of authentic colonial-era furniture and come with antique poster beds made of the finest wood. Located atop a hill, right by the Gin Ganga river, the superb hotel is a place where age-old traditions merge beautifully with this era’s exciting possibilities, reflecting Sri Lanka’s intriguing culture, history and traditions.
The 10 brilliantly designed Crayford Rooms are amongst the largest in the city and evoke sensations of lavish cottage living. All guest rooms feature spacious bathrooms (clad in wooden furniture with bespoke toiletries), bright paintings, beautiful fine art prints, colonial style white grid windows and wooden wardrobes.
The open-sided, thatched roof, main lodge provides an elegant colonial-style refuge in the heart of Galle city. A huge bronze flower pot greets you at the entrance. Besides a the typical colonial style reception area and the dining room, it features several seating and lounge areas, all of them boasting unparalleled views of the well manicured central courtyard.
All accommodations are very spacious. Without compromising the integrity of the dwellings, all rooms and suites enjoy the comforts of air conditioning. Fine art pieces decorate the walls and all furniture is freestanding, including daybeds, sofas, dining suites and floor and desk lamps. Most accommodation units open to private or semi-private courtyards with informal outdoor dining and lounging areas.
The breakfast choices are nothing short of amazing, with a good balance with pastries, cereals, fruit and yoghurt, Sri Lankan dishes, egg stations, and al la carte items.
The lower level from the main lodge has a quaint area surrounded by swaying coconut trees and lush vegetation that houses the medium-sized swimming pool where one can relax after a refreshing dip in the water.
The best thing about the Tamarind Hill is the warm, welcoming and helpful staff. Service is impeccable and top-notch, as you would expect from a resort managed by one of Sri Lanka’s most exclusive hotel brands. Both management and staff excel in providing the best service possible, and try their very best to please and ensure you have a great stay. The staff level of English is decent and one can certainly communicate well enough. It is very clear that management spend time and effort recruiting and training high quality, courteous and helpful staff.
As good as the facilities are, in the end, it is the unmatched service that really has this hotel standing head and shoulders above most of its competitors on the island. From the second I stepped foot onto the property, I was treated like royalty, thanks to the incredibly hospitality and the welcoming, professional attitude of the hotel staff. Senior managers frequently checked throughout my stay whether everything was okay and whether there was anything I needed.
Amenities
Advantages
The stunningly beautiful décor is classic colonial style, brimming with old world, timeless elegance, and mixed with Oriental antique ornaments such as authentic wall pairing and antique ceiling fans. The lavish décor was created by design maven Nayan Tara, who is also the mastermind behind Asia Leisure’s sister properties Shinagawa Beach in the Bentota and Taprobana Wadduwa in Wadduwa.
A rectangular walkway connects all Crayford Rooms on the lobby level with the main lodge. During my visit, I stayed in a corner Crayford Room, one of the most spacious and opulent accommodations that I have ever stayed in – and I’ve seen a few. Luxuriously appointed and fully air-conditioned, the extravagantly proportioned cottage-style room featured a large living room with authentic antique pieces of art complete with a small antique study table. The room housed a Mahogany four-posters bed and an extravagant bathroom as well as an open private verandah with a lawn to lounge in. The room opened into the huge central courtyard with a crystal-clear pond and inviting green lawns, so you could take the most of the surrounding natural beauty and enjoy the warmth of the Sri Lankan outdoors in complete privacy.
An extensive renovation of the hotel was completed recently, guaranteeing that the property remains a global standard-bearer for ultra-luxury despite being more than 250 years old.
Dinner was a sumptuous affair, with a constantly changing menu and a wide variety of beautiful settings in which to savour the contemporary cuisine prepared by the local chef and his dedicated team. Whether you feel like having a light salad by the pool, or dine in the privacy of your room or opt for a decadent six-course dinner on central courtyard lawns, the culinary team at Tamarind Hill will ensure that you are carefully looked after.
The Not-So-Good Parts
The Tamarind Hill is one of Galle’s grandest and most famous boutique hotels, and it doesn’t get better than this. The exquisite décor, incredible food and the service made this a trip of a lifetime that I will never forget. The resort has no real cons, but you need to know the following when going in:
The lodge has only 10 rooms and two Suites, so you are advised to book early to avoid disappointment, specially during the peak seasons.
Large and spacious as the Crayford Room toilets are, they do not come with a bath tub.
How to get there
Tamarind Hill is located in Galle, on the south coast of Sri Lanka. The journey from the Bandaranaike International Airport takes approximately 130 minutes along the Expressway; exit from the Pinnaduwa interchange on the Expressway. From the exit, you will need to travel a further 12 km to reach Tamarind Hill. The resort is 123 km from Colombo.
Best Time To Visit
The best time to visit really depends on your personal preferences – nature has something to offer throughout the year. The Galle region enjoys summer rains and dramatic thunder storms – temperatures soar into the 40s in the summer months. The vegetation is lush and verdant attracting incredible bird life. The winter months are usually drier and cooler.
Tamarind Hill is truly a top-notch, world-class boutique hotel and I definitely plan to return to this property whenever I am in Galle, and I can unhesitantly recommend it to everyone.
