Fort Bazaar has 18 rooms, of which three are spacious suite rooms. The upper suites are ideal for families. The hotel’s restaurant, Church Street Social is a hit amongst guests as well as visitors to Galle Fort. The Lounge bar and Z spa are unique features of this property. The courtyard in the middle of the property is typical of the Dutch/Sri Lankan architectural styles. The hotel has yet to construct a pool, but guests are welcome to use the pool at Lighthouse Street Hotel a short distance away. For families keep in mind that nannies can be hired with a minimum two-day notice.
The rooms are spacious and reflect the minimalistic approach of the interior that’s found across the property. The bedroom that we stayed in was a suite room on the upper floor. This was very quiet and was away from the central activities of the hotel, featuring a large four-poster bed. The suite room also includes all modern amenities such as a TV, lounge area, Nespresso coffee machine, tea-making facilities and a minibar. We loved the colourful old-fashioned telephone (for a moment we thought it was a showpiece). We also loved the framed posters from Stick No Bills that adorned the bare walls. Neutral shades dominate the interior décor with hues of subdued colour on the vintage prints that complimented the throw pillows and the bed runners. Pale wood and hand-painted ceramic tiles made the room simple yet elegant, in stark contrast to most other properties in Galle Fort that embrace colonial styles. Our room had a balcony that overlooked Church Street. We loved sitting on the balcony enjoying our morning coffee and watching the sunrise.
This is a great property to explore Galle Fort – an easy and popular destination for visitors to Sri Lanka who enjoy a few days exploring this quaint town. Unawatuna Beach is an easy 15-minute drive and Dalawella Beach is twenty minutes away. If you are keen to go on a whale-watching excursion Mirissa is just an hour down the coast. Look no further than the Fort itself as there are several interesting places to explore including the National Maritime Museum of Galle, the Dutch Reformed Church and the Anglican Church.
The Church Street Social, the hotel’s very own restaurant, serves a sumptuous range of Sri Lankan dishes including Sri Lankan crab curry and black pork curry. There is also a good selection of continental cuisine. We love the breakfast at the restaurants. It consists of a range of bread and pastries, yoghurt, muesli, toast and unique options of poached eggs on hoppers. We loved the stunning latte at breakfast made with extra care by Umanga, the barista. What we also love about this property is that it has a laid-back atmosphere though the staff are very efficient and the service excellent. They are well-trained and know how to take care of the individual needs of their clients.
A minimum of 2 nights is ideal to get the best of Galle Fort and the attractions. This is an ideal location for your last night’s stay or before to travel to Colombo. The Colombo International Airport is 2 hours on the southern expressway. A stay at Galle features on our suggested itineraries Quintessential Sri Lanka and Secret Sri Lanka.
