THE VICTORIAN splendor of the old Parliament (foreground) blends comfortably with the swank of its much younger neighbors—the 5-star Galadari Hotel and the steel-and-glass Bank of Ceylon and World Trade Center towers beyond
MANILA, Philippines - The capital cities of paradise destinations, such as Sri Lanka, are not places where the visiting traveler yearning for quality sand, sea and sunshine time is inclined to hang around for too long.
But Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital and largest city, is a candidate to buck that trend, what with its bright mosaic of vibrant modern life fused with sedentary colonial charm. It is blessed with the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean seductively kissing the shores of its seaward flank and providing the perfect backdrop to soothe the senses and sap the tired soul.
To rewind the city’s historical lineage going back centuries, the Romans, Arabs and Chinese were very early visitors. But it was the comparatively later arrivals— the Portuguese, Dutch and British—who left lasting cultural, social and spiritual imprints that endure to this day.
And what picture-postcard contrasts are thrown up by cosmopolitan Colombo: north of the city center is the bustling Fort business district with its mix-and-match architecture of Victorian (a hark back to when the country was part of the British Empire) and glass-and steel modernism; to the south the Galle Face Green where promenading or jogging (or even swimming or frolicking on the frothy waves of seawater below) is a delightful way of local life; and to the east the Pettah bazaar district where the lively sights and sounds are as sharp as the circulating aroma!
If you are interested in getting up close and personal with Sri Lanka’s cultural heritage, then Colombo is a good starting point. Several museums and art galleries bear eloquent testimony to this beautiful island’s rich historical past, and resonate with memories of a bygone era.
The Colombo National Museum, Sri Lanka’s premier museum, is a grand white-walled colonial building that houses many of the island’s historical treasures, such as 4000-year-old archaic palm-leaf manuscripts, rock sculptures from ancient provincial cities and the royal weapons of Sri Lankan kings.
Follow that with a visit to the Natural History Museum and the Dutch Period Museum, and you would have digested an almost complete dose of the island nation’s historical fare in one fell swoop.
Despite the negative vibes created in the past two decades as a result of the sectarian strife to the north of the country, Sri Lanka is noted for both its ethnic and religious diversity. These positive elements can be spotted in many parts of Colombo where marbled mosques, decorative Hindu temples, domed Buddhists temples and grand spiral churches sit in spiritual juxtaposition—and often on the same street corner.
Says Sri Lanka’s “Mr. Tourism”—chair Renton de Alwis of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority: “Colombo is, indeed, one of the best-kept secrets in the east and it’s time the world knew about it. It’s a destination with contrasts and that is what makes it so exciting.”
Best hotels
The city is also home to some of the best hotels in Sri Lanka, ranging from the Galadari. TransAsia, Hilton (which celebrated its 21st year in business in Colombo by lauding the first 21 babies born after the stroke of 2008 in the city’s leading maternity hospital) and Cinnamon Grand in the modern and luxurious five-star category, to the grandiose period charm of the 150-year-old Galle Face Hotel and Mount Lavinia Hotel.
Then there is the exciting new development of niche villas such as the Colombo House, Casa Colombo and the Tintagel (which has the distinction of being the former home of three of the country’s prime ministers) which provide delightful contracts to their five-star cousins. Of the three, Casa Colombo bills itself as “retro chic” and really lives up to that boast with a pink swimming pool!
Colombo also has attractive hand-made leather products, brass-ware and local crafts that can be found in native boutiques like the famed (thanks to TV’s “Lonely Planet”) Paradise Road, Barefoot Gallery and Lakmedura that are dotted around the metropolis.
Night life
The city is also known to come alive and kicking after dark as Sri Lankans love to party on any given night. One of the most popular nightspots is Tramps (yup, as in the legendary London nightspot) at the Galadari where you can sip innovative cocktails and dance the night away alongside Colombo’s beautiful people.
Incidentally, the 500-room Galadari —where the general manager is accomplished Sri Lankan hotelier Sampath Siriwardena with almost three decades of sterling experience with some of the best known global hotel brands—is tagged as the “businessman’s home in Colombo”.
Enthuses Siriwardena: “To get a real taste of our famous Sri Lankan hospitality you have to experience it. Here at Galadari Hotel we have everything in place to offer our guests that experience like no other.”
Colombo is a key element in the tourism master plan of Renton de Alwis, regarded as one of the best tourism brains in Asia-Pacific, having also served in the 1990s as vice president (Asia) of the Pacific Asia Travel Association.
He explains: “The current challenge, as it has been in the past 30 years, is to manage tourism in a social-political environment that is not optimal to supporting tourism. Despite that Sri Lanka tourism has done extremely well to stay on top of things.
“Today the challenge is to set in place policies and strategies to manage tourism in a post peace scenario.
“Our current platform is as an ‘Earth Lung’ where we are working toward making Sri Lanka a carbon-clean destination to contribute to the global effort in mitigating climate change. We are taking a proactive leadership role in this area.”
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