Recommended five-star hotels in Colombo

Newly renovated, the Taj Samudra Hotel’s fresh look and facilities are designed to appeal to the modern traveller. A five star business hotel in the heart of Colombo, the Taj Samudra faces the Galle Face Green and the Indian Ocean and is just a stroll away from fashionable shopping areas. Brightly lit interiors and cosy furniture provide a mix of luxury as well as a laid back feeling. There’s a resto-bar with Japanese fusion food and restaurants specialising in Indian, Chinese and European cuisine, that afford eclectic choice and experience.

The Cinnamon Grand Hotel is a hive of activity exuding an energetic and lively atmosphere; giving it an air of ‘the place to be’. Rooms of various categories (including a swish Executive Floor) are located in two wings in the quiet section of this opulent five-star hotel. The hotel’s appeal as a happening place arises from its 14 restaurants and bars differing in style from elegant dining in a genuine 1970’s cellar grill restaurant to eating in a flourishing fish market as well as Italian and Indian restaurants, a Noodle Parlour and a re-creation of a traditional rural village for local dishes. The Crescat Shopping Centre and Angsana Spa and gymnasium, are within the hotel compound.

The Kingsbury Hotel began life as the Ceylon Intercontinental Hotel in the 1970s but has recently been transformed from top to bottom into a glittery hotel with 229 elegantly furnished rooms with ocean views and an ambience of contemporary  charm. The efficiency of the accommodation is supported by numerous restaurants, bars, lounges, meeting rooms and public areas.  The Sky Lounge on the roof top is the setting for a great night out overlooking the Indian Ocean, except when it rains since the bar really is open to the sky.     

Located in the shadow of the twin towers of Colombo’s World Trade Centre, the Hilton Colombo is situated in the centre of the city’s commercial district with rooms recently refurbished to match the demands of today’s business or leisure guests.  With a popular tea lounge off the reception lobby and seven restaurants and bars serving cuisine from different cultures, the hotel is almost a destination in itself, a welcome retreat after a day in the city. Its swimming pool lies across the road, reached by a footbridge.

The Galadari Hotel is renowned for having some of the best doormen and concierges in the city, who welcome guests with pleasure into the businesslike lobby. They’ve been there for years, and seem to know everything and every one. Since the hotel is beside Lotus Road, the main thoroughfare to the seaside Galle Road and opposite the Presidential Secretariat, they’re kept busy with guests going in and out. The hotel’s rooms are spacious and have recently been refurbished. The vast California Grill on the top floor has a cocktail bar and discreetly placed tables. The range of food on the breakfast buffet is comprehensive, from humus to pepper steak, dosai to toast. In the afternoon the lobby lounge is a favourite place among ladies who take high tea. There are also Indian and Arabian restaurants on the lobby floor and a ground floor cocktail bar, Margarita Blue, and an adjoining pastry shop, Café 64.