The perks of being a #SLophile

As my gorgeous friend Annika Fernando cheekily commented on one of my Instagram posts: “...the world is beautiful but Sri Lanka is always better”. A week-long sojourn later, I have to agree. I have become a #Slophile — a believer in island living. When in Sri Lanka, pictures need no filters.

A quick check-in at Paradise Road Tintagel Colombo, a 10-suite boutique hotel in the heart of Colombo 7, and you are cushioned in history. Built in the 1930s, and witness to Ceylon’s political history with a British military occupation and home to the famous Bandaranaikes, this heritage building could well be a museum. It was leased to Sri Lanka’s first man of design, Udayshanth Fernando, to become the very chic and contemporary Tintagel Hotel in 2005. Today it gracefully saddles its political and historic lineage with an understated glamour, hosting powerful heavyweights and a newly-emerging gypset from across the world.

Love is in the details

The Tintagel is a wistful refuge that tempts you to stay within — which is what I largely did. An extension of the Paradise Road brand, it has design and detail in its DNA. In earthy tones, the plush living room is dotted with art, Baccarat chandeliers and decadent flowers. The jewel of a dining room in hushed monotones of black and white, with the perfect menu and crisp linens to match, deftly curated wine list, a sun-drenched al fresco courtyard for breakfast (hopper heaven!) or tea, and you could be in a stylish mansion in Firenze. The glitzy red bar (a la Hôtel Costes Paris), with sensual cocktails and a library chocked with leather-bound classics, are other gorgeous spaces. The bedrooms are lush with crisp linen, gossamer mosquito nets — a sanctuary that destresses you the minute you walk in. The statuesque housekeeper, Malsha, deftly monitors every detail in her crisp saris. Tintagel is boutique luxury for those looking for artisanal spaces that play on all your senses and surprise you with the details.

You could eat every meal here, but given the country’s recent début on various culinary lists, the atmospheric Gallery Café, Ministry of Crab and the spanking new Shangri La’s Kaema Sutra and Shang Palace are a must-try. A quick dash to Paradise Road, and PR, the concept store on the cutting edge of fashion, and you are done with retail therapy. The bonus: just a storey above PR, at another Fernando space, is the eponymous Saskia Fernando’s gallery that houses the best of contemporary art in the country.

Sunsets at Galle

Being an Aman junkie, I also checked into the charismatic Amangalla in the 400-year-old UNESCO World Heritage-listed fort city of Galle. Built in 1684, once the Dutch headquarters and then the erstwhile New Oriental Hotel, it captures the spirit of a bygone era with colonial gentility.

The Zaal or the Great Hall is the nucleus — it has the vibe of a living room of a grande dame with high ceilings, period furniture, antique silverware, a grand piano, and two mahogany bars bursting with the best tipples in town. There is a scent of star flowers, ginger lilies and halyconias mixed with the balmy air. It is another world — a pleasure palace, the ultimate setting for fantasy parties with fantastical guests, with an easy glamour of island life but with a buzz and decadence, and a heady mix of spice, cocktails and jazz. Very, very sexy.

Sunset martinis at the Verandah overlook a maze of streets, church steeples, old spice warehouses of old Galle and the ocean beyond. The genteel afternoon tea is a ceremony with fresh scones, clotted cream and homemade jam on silver platters as I order a Lumbini flowery broken orange pekoe — a strong, flavourful southern Sri Lankan tea — with a side of devilled chicken empanadas. Tea has become my favourite meal of the day. The daily-changing menus focus on local produce and what the chef finds at market that day.

The sumptuous life

Amangalla’s rooms are picturesque with shuttered French windows, 300-year-old original polished Burmese teak floors, luxurious four-poster beds, spice chests and planter’s chairs, overlooking the hotel’s 200-year-old gardens. You realise what an alluring country you are in, with your hotel being its perfect metaphor. You catch simple Buddhist philosophies, luxuriate over a breakfast of curries, hoppers and fresh fruit, indulge in a therapeutic Ayurvedic massage that reinvigorates every cell in your body (the best I have had), play an impromptu cricket match with a local village team, serendipitously organised by Sean Flakelar, our general manager, and immerse yourself in a cinnamon odyssey — a visit to a plantation, where you learn how to harvest cinnamon and end with cocktails overlooking the rice fields. Simple, local, inspiring moments that will stay with you for life.

You make a friend or two at the bar and with the very elegant Hasitha, our private butler, who caters to your every whim. We end with warm hugs and an exchange of emails promising to reconnect somewhere across the Aman galaxy.

Palms and pools

Our final stop is the reclusive Amanwella, a contemporary beach retreat nestled in a cove near the fishing village of Tangalle on the southern coast, amidst a sea of coconut palms. The spirit of tropical minimalism is evident in the architecture, a subtle nod to Geoffrey Bawa. Think grey concrete, straight lines, golden timber juxtaposed with the ruby earth, emerald jungles and the sapphire ocean.

Designed to invite the outdoors in, the Zen-like suites have floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors, giving you a feel of being one with nature. Every material crafted from local stone and timber has been chosen ethically and with purpose, never compromising on utility or luxury. A private plunge pool and the expansive terrace with sun loungers and your own private dining area enhance your romance with the grove, beach and ocean.

Amanwella’s charming general manager, Filipe de Lencastre, invites you for Easter dinner to the simple pavilion-style restaurant, making you feel like a house guest at a (very refined) beach home of a friend (with exceptional taste). The gastronomy changes daily from peppery Sri Lankan curries to global eclectic fare. Dinner at the Beach Club at sunset has fresh seafood, healthy grills, a robust wine list, playful salads and live music.

Just be

The Amanwella has curated experiences for its very discerning clientèle — from private surfing lessons to a picnic in the rice paddy fields, safari for kids at the Udawalawe National Park, with a promise of sightings of pachyderms in herds of up to 100. For a complete immersion, there is a private visit to a colonial home in the village for dinner. Family secrets and cooking techniques reflecting quintessential Sri Lankan life are shared with a meal in traditional clay crockery.

My favourite moment was staring at the panorama of the infinite Indian Ocean as I sipped my morning cup of St James broken orange pekoe on my private terrace soaked and seduced by the sunrise. The beauty of the space is that it lets you breathe; it lets you be. It also lets you be sinful while almost washing away your sins. Nothing can quite match up to the Aman spirit for inclusive, immersive, boutique luxury. And the sophistication and refinement of Sri Lanka leaves you surprised and hungry for more.

Gaurav Bhatia is Managing Director Sotheby’s India. He was at the Aman properties on invitation. Follow him on @champagneboy75.