Expat Living magazine
, 0000
Sri Lanka State of Mind

For months after our trip, I still found myself daydreaming about the mouthwatering fish curry, the roaring surf that lulled us to sleep every evening and the serene seaside villas with those amazing open-air bathrooms. Though I had never thought much about visiting Sri Lanka until some friends started raving about the palm-tree fringed beaches and the charming 17th-century Galle fort, it didn’t take long to fall in love with the teardrop-shaped island off the southern coast of India.

After a painless 3.5-hour flight from Singapore to Colombo, it was a four-hour drive south to the Galle area, where the Portuguese staked their claim some 500 years ago, followed by the Dutch and British. The second half of the drive follows a two-lane road that winds alongside the scenic coastline, often within meters of the sea. We passed by little fairytale bungalows with frilly wooden porch screens and numerous Buddhist and Hindu temples, mosques and churches.

Our destination was The Frangipani Tree hotel, 8 km south of Galle in Thalpe Bay, where we spent four nights, followed by one night inside the Galle Fort at the 18th-century sister property The Fort Printers. My husband, two kids and I checked into a pair of the Frangipani’s 10 suites, each named for a species of sea turtle, which are set back just 35 meters or so from the palm-tree lined beach and the crashing surf.

The Frangipani Tree’s garden provided a generous expanse for our sons to kick around a beach ball, collect coconut husks and play tag. They horsed around in the hammock, swam laps in the long, sleek 35-meter pool with dad and tried their hand at tennis. Meanwhile, I could keep an eye on the boys from my favorite reading perch atop a well padded daybed on our patio. I was lost in a novel by Sri Lankan author Michael Ondaatje (who also wrote the English Patient) who writes about the island’s struggle with its multi-ethnic national identity and history of violence. Sri Lanka has endured its share of struggles --- from the devastating 2004 tsunami to the quarter-of-a-century-long civil war that wracked the northern reaches of the island until recently--- but the tide seems to be finally turning as the war was declared over earlier this year. Despite Sri Lanka’s dramatic back story, for the visitor the island feels supremely peaceful.

Inside the spacious high-ceilinged rooms, swaths of atmospheric mosquito netting are draped from stainless steel four-poster beds. Splashes of color from vibrant upholstery contrast tastefully with the smooth lines of polished concrete daybeds, terrazzo marble floors, and teakwood louvered window shutters and doors. The owners were guided by the spirit of the prolific Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa’s tropical modernism (in fact, the white leather and metal desk chairs are an original Bawa design). The most spectacular feature of 6 suites is the huge open-air bathrooms with frangipani trees and elephant ear palms flanking chunky white-washed cement tubs. From the separate shower area, each evening at dusk I lathered up with the fragrant hand-made soaps while enraptured by the fading sky and the silhouettes of the hotel’s roof tiles and palm trees. The focus at The Frangipani Tree is on the organic and you won’t (thank god) find TVs in the rooms. (There is however a movie projector in the common living room and wifi access in the suites for laptops.)

Aside from the pleasing aesthetics and pervasive serenity, food is a highlight of a Frangipani Tree stay. Served al fresco, highlights were the traditional Sri Lanka breakfast of fish curry, coconut sambol and hoppers (rice flower pancakes). Every morning started with a beautiful plate of fresh local fruits like pineapple, papaya, mango and perfect little bananas. For dinner, we enjoyed amazing home-made soups, from a tomato and mandarin combo to pumpkin, and local seafood which included seared yellow fin tuna with rock lettuce and turnips, jumbo prawns with vegetable couscous, and corn fritters paired with guacamole. At any time there are at least 4 to 5 respectable wines available and overall service was accommodating and unobtrusive.

Our daily routine began with a swim in the sea in front of the hotel, where strong swimmers can enjoy the rollicking waves. Later, we’d play in the sand or go for walks along the quiet beach where just off-shore stilt fisherman cast their lines for tiny Pilchard. Each afternoon we set off in a tuk-tuk to explore. One day we visited the Sea Turtle Farm and Hatchery just down the road in Habaraduwa, where our sons got to touch several different species being conserved. We spent another afternoon at the calmer waters of Wijaya beach, just a 10-minute ride from the Frangipani Tree. After a swim, we lunched with a middle-aged Bohemian crowd at the Wijaya Café and went crazy over the prawn and mango curry and a refreshing bottle of the local Lion Lager. Another day we made the 30-minute tuk tuk ride further south to the scenic bay at Mirrisa beach. One evening for drinks we walked along the beach to nearby Apa Villas, a hotel (Insight Guide founder) Hans Hoefer has been running for years. Its gorgeous sea-facing lawn is a great spot for romantic dining under the palms.

The finishing touch to any perfect holiday is a good massage and we weren’t disappointed. The Frangipani Tree staff can arrange in-room treatments at $4,000 Sri Lankan Rupees (LKR) an hour ($34 USD) or you can go next store to the Gajanayaka Memorial Clinic Ayurvedic centre for a great deep-tissue massage at half the cost. I’m getting verklempt just remembering the multi-faceted joy of our week in Sri Lanka.

Frangipani rates are $250 USD per room (for 2 adults and up to two kids), and $300 during high season from Dec 20 to January 10, including breakfast and a tea-time snack. Multi-course dinners are $25 USD per person and there’s a cash bar. The Fort Printers rooms start at $120 in low season and $170 in high. Special packages include stays at both hotels.

For more information, contact www.thefrangipanitree.com and www.thefortprinters.com.

SIDEBAR
The Fort Printers

A visit to southern Sri Lanka isn’t complete without staying at least a night in the Galle Fort, the best preserved European fort in Asia. The Fort Printers is an 18th-century mansion that became a printing house and is now a wonderfully eclectic 5-room hotel where modern art and brilliant Asian fabrics mesh beautifully with stone floors, over-sized couches, giant teakwood-framed windows and funky curious like a row of glasses vases filled with cricket balls. An antique printing machine sits at the entrance, reminding visitors what the building was once used for. The wonderfully creaky wooden staircase leads to four lovely rooms, each with a copper- and tile-lined shower. Three rooms have a picture-perfect frangipani-tree framed view of the Meera Masjid mosque (which actually looks like a church) and Galle lighthouse. On the first floor is another room, a slender lap pool, and a cozy restaurant offering fare as delicious as The Frangipani Tree.

Amidst muezzins’ calls, stroll the narrow streets of the tiny fortified city and up top the ramparts for breathtaking sunset views. Browse quaint shops like the Ameen Hussain jewelry store (30 Hospital Street) --- where I picked up a gorgeous blue topaz and silver ring for $125 USD --- and the colourful hand-woven bags, toys and clothes from Barefoot Natural (704 Galle Road, across from Fort Printers). Shopping aside, historic Galle is a gem not to be missed.

For more information, contact www.thefortprinters.com.