Even the most demanding travellers will find their needs met by the cheerful staff at The Park Street Hotel, where the 250-year-old walls are hung with family portraits including a monk and the owner's couture-clad Lithuanian second wife. The 10 poolside bedrooms are contemporary, with platform beds and Indian cotton sheets, polished concrete floors, sleek dark furniture and
plush sofas; the substantial bathrooms have high-volume rain showers. Only the big,
old-fashioned televisions look out of place
in these designer digs. Smooth jazz is
played in the leafy garden where Western cuisine, such as cucumber and watermelon soup and smoked-salmon salad, is served along with spicy Sri Lankan sambals and creamy curries. Poolside dining is also an option and, with Wi-Fi available everywhere, savvy guests can suntan while conducting
a day's business. The Buddhist Gangaramya Temple is around the corner and the hotel can arrange for drivers to whisk guests around the city's best shops. The Park Street
Hotel is the third Sri Lankan property from the owners of the wonderful River House
and Taprobana, and a fourth opened in
Galle in March.
WHEN TO GO
Enjoy more time by the swimming pool during the drier months from November to April.
ROOM TO BOOK
For maximum privacy and romance book the Beghum Suite for its four-poster bed and private garden.
CONTACT
20 Park Street, Colombo, Sri Lanka (00 94 114 724 363; www.taruvillas.com).
COST
Doubles from US$235; Beghum Suite from US$510
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