Malabar Hill, Sri Lanka
Super moghul
Paddy fields panorama
A 21st-century stay with its toes dipped in history, Malabar Hill is a fine brew of modern comforts and heritage details. This boutique hotel on a jungle-carpeted hilltop comes with a top-notch restaurant, impressive infinity pool and luxuriously appointed villas – so far, so modern. But its antique Rajasthani furniture, palace-worthy architectural flourishes and meticulous service feel fabulously old-fashioned. The slower pace here has a yesteryear charm, too, inviting you to stroll one of the hotel’s nature trails, stretch out on the yoga lawn accompanied by birdsong, or soak up the bucolic views over a long G&T on the terrace.
Facilities
Rooms
14
Checkout
12 noon. Earliest check-in, 2pm. Both are flexible, subject to availability.
More Details
Rates include breakfast.
Also
Villa 107 is wheelchair accessible, as is the main house. A PA is on hand to assist visually impaired guests; those with impaired hearing can access a tablet loaded with hotel information.
Free Internet Access
Laundry
Pool
On-Site Restaurant
Room Service
Spa
At the Hotel
Swimming pool, yoga lawn, bar, restaurant, spa, bikes to borrow, electric tuk tuks. In rooms: free WiFi, in-room safe, power adaptors, sarongs, beach bags, binoculars and field guides; minibar, refillable water bottles, free tea & coffee, Green Pearl bath products.
Our Favourite Rooms
All villas are created equal at Malabar Hill – only the views set them apart. For views towards the coast, 109 and 113 stand out; wetland-facing winners are 105 and 106.
Poolside
Cushioned, four-poster cabanas on the wooden deck frame a 35-metre wide, saltwater infinity pool – lined with sage-hued sukabumi tiles and staffed by a pool attendant; open 6am until 8pm.
Spa
Choose from a menu of beauty treatments and massages using Spa Ceylon products, either at the spa villa in the grounds or beside the pool on your private patio.
Packing Tips
Trainers for jungle trails – loose-fitting finery for dinners on the terrace.
Also
Monkeys, mongooses and rare Malabar hornbills have all been sighted in the grounds at Malabar Hill.
Children
Remote and restful Malabar Hill only allows over-12s.
Gallery
Food & Drink
Top Table
The views at Hill House are emerald-tinted and enchanting and best enjoyed from a table by the railings. For casual dining, grazing platters shared from cushioned benches on the open-air terrace are hard to beat.
Dress Code
Come as you are for breakfast, but by night, lightly formal longs for him and floaty palazzo pants and a top for her will fit right in.
Hotel Restaurant
Dining at Hill House restaurant is a flexible feast of Sri Lankan, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes, overseen by chef Charitha Mallikaratne, whose team is happy to adapt the menu to meet guests’ wishes. Kick off with chilled flutes of fizz beside the fire pit on the terrace, then linger over plates of crispy skinned barramundi in sweet and sour broth and tamarind-glazed pork ribs at wooden tables in the wood and terracotta-decked open-sided dining room, where potted palms, vast rice chests and retro ceiling fans lend a colonial vibe.
Hotel Bar
An ornately carved wooden bar, shaped in an arc of polished petals, is the figurative heart of the main house – the place to pull up a high stool and browse the extensive cocktail list or order a bottle of wine to savour from your sofa on the terrace.
Last Orders
Lunch is served 12 noon-3pm; dinner, from 6.30pm – although earlier or later services are available on request.
Room Service
Dishes from a selection on offer at Hill House restaurant are available 7am until 11pm.
Planes
Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport is two hours and 15 minutes away by car. The hotel can arrange private transfers at extra cost. An 80-minute drive away, Mattala Rajapaksa airport is nearer but served by fewer routes.
Trains
Weligama Station – served by express trains from Colombo Fort – is a 10-minute drive away and the hotel can arrange private transfers at extra cost.
Automobiles
Travel by taxi or with a hired driver is more prevalent than hiring a car and driving yourself in Sri Lanka. But if you do opt to self-drive, there’s a private car park at the entrance to Malabar Hill, from where electric tuk tuks can ferry you and your luggage.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
On the hotel estate you can take a guided conservation tour, hike the jungle trails or enjoy a private picnic. Further afield, see the stilt fisherman in the surf between Thalpe and Weligama, visit a working tea plantation or cinnamon estate, or head to Galle to tour the fort. Explore the island’s southerly wetlands on a river tour or spot big game on a private safari. Between December and April, it’s whale-watching season; enjoy a private yacht charter or seaplane tour to see these majestic mammals off the south coast.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
