Hotel Highlight: Fortaleza

Where: Galle, Sri Lanka

Why: Fortaleza’s location is unparalleled and right in the heart of the historical Dutch Galle Fort.  The building has been restored from a 17^th Century Spice Warehouse into and charming, homely, tasteful boutique hotel.  What makes this place ultra-special and memorable is the care and attention to detail by its owner and operator, Natalie Rogers. Natalie, originally from the UK, has called Sri Lanka her home since 2001. The design is rustic but refined and some of the original form has been beautifully restored, namely my favorite one-foot thick Kabok wall (see 2nd picture). Much of the furnishings are handmade, the artwork carefully curated, and every detail caringly selected.

Part of the hotel operation also includes a small but perfect restaurant as well as a Spa. The Galle Forte Spa, which is not only tastefully designed, but more importantly run by the therapists that are very well trained and attend to you with intuition and expertise.  There is amazing sense of place, connection to the history of Galle and to the thriving and dynamic community of the Fort. Natalie does a brilliant job of showcasing local and international artists and collaborating with local entrepreneurs/artisans such as Ophir (for its soap products) and Green Pearl Ceylon (for its skin care products) as examples.  Fortaleza operates 15 rooms housed within the  old Spice warehouse as well as in other small charming buildings scattered within the Fort. Rates start at USD 150.

5 Reasons to Visit Galle:

Galle Fort: A Unesco world heritage site, The largest living citadel in Asia.

Galle Fort’s Dutch and Portuguese architecture.

People and culture: Galle Fort is steeped in many rituals and traditions.

Shops and restaurants – particularly the gem stones shops.

International cricket matches at the Galle international stadium.

South coast beaches.

The word Serendipity is a word I have always associated with my experiences of going to Sri Lanka. The origin of the word, meaning pleasant surprise, was from Horace Walpole (1717–1797) in a letter he wrote to Horace Mann (dated 28 January 1754) he said he formed it from the Persian fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip, whose heroes “were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of”. The name stems from Serendip, an old name for Sri Lanka (aka Ceylon).