Amangalla

One of the most beautiful hotels we have stayed at. We still talk about our time at Amangalla. It's more like a museum, the mix of modern and historic architecture is outstanding. The tea time scones were delicious, don't miss these! Our room was gorgeous, high ceilings, big bathtub, comfy pillows and so many thoughtful touches. This is certainly a hotel we look forward to coming back to.

We were really looking forward to our visit to the Amangalla - the final stop on our three week tour of Sri Lanka and our ninth hotel. What a disappointment it was. In contrast to the generosity and authenticity of our previous hotels, we found the hospitality at the Amangalla mean and formulaic. Our "inclusive" breakfast only included one course - no fruit or pastries if you had a cooked dish. Our "inclusive" high tea only allowed scones, but no sandwiches. Our complimentary mini-bar only included flavoured water and juices, but not even a local beer! Given the premium pricing of this hotel and the quality and generosity of the other hotels we had visited we were very unimpressed. The heritage look of the hotel is wonderful, but much work needs to be done to improve the offering. It needs to be much better value for money and it needs to discover some heart and joy. The atmosphere in the lobby and restaurant was deadly dull and the large numbers of staff gathered at the entrance simply intimidating. What a shame.

We had a wonderful day strolling around at the ancient part of Galle, where we could learn a lot about the rich history of this amazing city. But the cream on top of this cake was a visit at the traditional New Oriental Hotel, now famous under the brand Amangalle. We had a wonderful lunch at the covered terrace of the hotel and our host Thanusha was very patient answering our questions about the rich history of this unique hotel. After lunch she offerd us a quick tour to some places and we felt overwhelmed by how much history and tradition this house expresses. The decisive factor here is that a hotel does not hide behind his past, but successfully transfers its values to the present time. When a young service employee like Thanusha is passionate about her company, she brings the brand to life and makes it interesting for future target groups. The management is to be congratulated for giving its employees the space to act as ambassadors for their company's brand. We were very pleased with our visit to Amangalle and were left with a lasting impression!

Loved this hotel! Such a special and historic place/building. All of the staff were outstanding, particularly Nalin. He took such good care of us during our stay, anticipating every need you could think of. The manager was excellent as well, and made it a point to connect with us throughout our visit. I was celebrating my birthday, and a cake and champagne were waiting for us in our room upon arrival. Highly recommend, and hope to come back someday!

This is a wonderful hotel. Our room (26) was delightful, bed comfortable and the housekeeping was truly first class. Why can’t other hotels carry out their duties during the periods when we are at breakfast and dinner?! The pool and spa are outstanding - again supplemented by attentive pool attendants and excellent therapists. The Amangalla has a wonderful history and has been thoughtfully restored to reflect its own standard. However their major asset is clearly the staff - it’s not often that the word ‘impeccable’ can be used in its true sense but we enjoyed impeccable service and friendliness from everyone at Amangalla. From Galle we took the 3.5hr drive to the tea country; Nine Skies at Ella (very different but also very special). It would be very hard to surpass those 5days! Thank you.