Amangalla

On 5th January while we were passing through Galle we were lucky enough to visit the Amangalla hotel. The hotel manager was very kind and guided us through the hotel by explaining the its history. we were fascinated by the atmosphere and decided to stay there for the afternoon tea, so we could taste an excellent tea. That was a great experience!

We stayed at Amangalla in January 2026 for three nights. The headline is the property is excellent. We chose Amangalla because Amanjiwo in Java was one of the great hotel experiences of my life. So the benchmark for Amangalla was very high and, while generally excellent, it didn't quite reach it. The hotel itself is beautiful and well-located. The history is great without it feeling like you're sleeping in a museum. The pool area is incredibly pretty. The staff are always very obliging and helpful. The bed, pillows, linen are all fantastic. Our room, a top floor chamber overlooking Church Street, was not my favourite. The building is historic, and there are certainly all sorts of architectural limitations I'm not aware of, but I really didn't like the room design. I can handle a bath tub in the open, but having the vanity sinks as the first thing you see when walking in- with all of our toiletries- I really didn't like. Even as a happily married couple I do like a little more bathroom privacy! Note that, again because of the history of the building, these rooms are stairs access only- worth asking if that's an issue. I noted in the compendium (how nice to have a real compendium and not a QR code!) that 'you can ask your butler for an upgraded room' means that I'm not the only person to dislike this. The street facing rooms can get some atmospheric noise- no different from a historic building in any city. The shutters (and ear plugs) were absolutely fine for me but if you are light sleeper maybe seek out the garden facing rooms instead. The trade off of the noise (and stairs) was the view from our room was lovely. Food is fine. But at Aman level, I kind of want to be a bit better than 'fine'. I noticed this was an issue across Sri Lanka in numerous top properties- the industry is clearly developing but the quality of hotel dining has not yet reached what is being charged. So this was not a specific-Aman issue, but at Aman prices (we were charged an eye-watering sum for a very ordinary bowl of pasta) it is acute. There are also no shortage of good-enough-if-not-great options in Galle Fort itself, all within minutes walk. The Sri Lankan items on the menu were notably better than the Western (no kidding!!). Our private dinner was really beautiful- and the food was the best we had on our stay. A lot of care and effort went into the evening and it made us feel very special. The free afternoon tea for residents is basic. Amangalla is not the only top end property in Sri Lanka doing free afternoon tea but this was by far the most simple- two dry scones with accompaniments and a pot of tea. We only did it once and didn't bother for the rest of our stay. The staff are wonderful but I felt like I was constantly having arrangements checked and double checked. This was a bit of a surprise as we'd had quite a lot of email correspondence before our arrival and, apart from the spa, almost everything seemed to be news to the actual property when we arrived. The spa is fabulous. The hydrotherapy is fun. Not really my thing, but a nice inclusion and I enjoyed my brief complimentary visits. I hesitated whether to write a review because the criticisms I have the property are very hyper-critical, but with the Aman reputation (and price) they did stick with me. I also want to be very clear that we had a wonderful stay at Amangalla and will stay there again if in Galle, but hopefully as the local industry develops some improvements start to trickle through.

It was my first Aman visit. The quality of service was simply unprecedented. The property and ambiance was simply overwhelming.

I recently visited amangalla for a drink late afternoon. What a lovely experience it was :) the staff member who served me was amazing! Dumith (and I apologise if this spelling is wrong!) Was so welcoming, friendly, and professional. He is a real asset to the place. My 2 cocktails were delicious, and the environment is absolutely gorgeous. I would highly recommend amangalla 😀

OMG. Where to start.. I don't even know how to. My words will not do the experience my family and I enjoyed here justice. What I can say it's exquisitely beautiful, with such incredible attention to detail. Our suite was huge. The pool and cabanas and the ever attentive attendants who kept us hydrated. Oh, and I have to mention the chefs homemade chilli sauce, served warm. WOW! Ask for it at breakfast, you won't be disappointed. What I think made this all the more special was that my sister (solo traveller) was staying at a neighbouring property but was welcomed in to join us in our suite for pre-dinner drinks, to relax by the pool with us, and even be included on departure day with the farewell gift my wife and Mum received. It would have made a big difference to our own stay if she had been not welcome. It's all the 'little' things that make the biggest of differences, and this place made the hugest impact on us all and as a family, so much so that we still talk about it every time we have seen each other since returning to Perth. We cannot thank the team enough for going above and beyond. We are Aman converts and cannot wait to try another one soon!! Istuti