The Fortress Resort & Spa

This was our second stay at The Fortress Resort and Spa, having previously stayed there in February 2024. It was a real pleasure to pass through the imposing gates and enter the peace and tranquillity of the hotel. As before we stayed in an Ocean View Room on the first floor. The rooms are large and well arranged with a large bed, seating area and balcony. The bathroom areas have been re-arranged and refurbished since our previous visit. The bathrooms are well equipped with large walk in shower and Jacuzzi bath. There are his and her washbasins and plenty of space for toiletries, etc. Bottled drinking water is provided and there is no limit to how much you can request. The hotel has two restaurants Itameshi, which is a Japanese/Italian Fusion and The Terrace, which provides an A’la Carte Menu as well as Seafood BBQ buffet most nights. We only ate at The Terrace, but the menu is very varied with sufficient options. The Seafood BBQ buffet was very good with a wide range of fresh seafood cooked to order. The restaurant was well managed by Samantha, who remembered us from our previous visit and keeps the serving staff on their toes! There is ample space to enjoy the sunshine either around the pool or in the hotel grounds and the pool guys do a great job and always happy to chat. We enjoyed a daily walk along the beach towards Galle and you can walk for miles. The beach is essentially very clean and gets a daily clean from the powerful waves. Swimming is only recommended for strong swimmers. The hotel is well located for a visit to Galle, which is about 25 minutes by Tuk Tuk and well worth a visit. The hotel will arrange transport with the Tuk Tuk drivers across the road, you will probably pay top prices but the guy we used was a very safe driver. We loved our 2nd stay at the Fortress, for us it really is the perfect hotel. We rarely return to a hotel and did not regret our decision to return this time. We said a number of times, if only we could pick this hotel and relocate to other places we wish to visit, which is the best praise we can give!

We had just done a week of safaris, so we turned up dirty and tired after a long drive, to this most magical, wonderful hotel. Walking through the massive wooden door you are truly in paradise. The staff were fantastic, the yoga teacher Rukman was so much fun and very flexible, and a great complementary addition to our stay. The spa was very good, but we found massage shops nearby that were just as good or even better for much less. Breakfast was very good, but unfortunately for dinner there was not much for vegetarians on the menu so we had to eat out most nights, they couldn’t change the menu to accommodate, but we liked venturing out to nearby towns to eat and drink. There is unfortunately a bit of a tuk tuk mafia in the area so we were hassled a lot by the tuk tuk drivers located opposite the hotel. We could not get other tuk tuks from the pick me app to pick us up or drop us off at the hotel so had to walk about ten minutes down the road to be collected, even then we had some of the more expensive tuk tuk drivers follow and hassle us. But the hotel are doing their best to get this issue resolved. And the problem is not just near this resort it is all over Sri Lanka, the tuk tuk wars! Pick me app is the best way not to get ripped off by drivers. Having said that I would definitely recommend this hotel and spa, the rooms were all facing the ocean and beautiful. Such a luxury, and the turndown service added an extra special touch. We all felt thoroughly spoiled staying here.

Wonderful two night stay in paradise. Not often ypu go somewhere with a totally unspoilt beach. Rooms overlooking the sea and pool. 5 star quality

Everything is so beautifully done at the fortress hotel the only disappointment we had that on both mornings our full english breakfast arrived cold and was not really improved on by a replacement hot one

This is a lovely hotel facing directly onto a beach with golden sand. When lying by the pool you can see and hear the waves roll in. The reception area is airy and tranquil. The restaurant also has sea and pool views. There is a great choice of food and every meal we ate during our 5 day stay was v tasty. Our room was v large and comfortably furnished. The cleaning staff keep it in tip top condition with twice daily checks. The staff in the restaurant, pool area, cleaning dept and porters are extremely polite and helpful. We also used the spa while there and found the staff courteous and were very impressed with our service there. Definitely a hotel I would recommend and hope to return to