Highlights
- Central location in Galle Fort
- Plenty of good facilities
- Recently renovated with a stylish feel
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Situated right in the very heart of Galle Fort is The Fort Bazaar, a 17th century former merchant’s townhouse that’s been lovingly maintained over the years and now functions as a boutique hotel. It recently underwent a nine-year renovation to bring its facilities up to contemporary standards, so even though it’s quite a historic property, guests staying here won’t be without their modern conveniences. Though the hotel’s outward appearance certainly does fit in with the rest of Galle Fort’s historical properties, on the inside it’s decidedly chic and stylish, with a pleasant atmosphere throughout. This hotel is part of the Teardrop chain, a collection of five hotels scattered throughout Sri Lanka.
There are 18 air-conditioned bedrooms in total, and four classes of accommodation altogether. Each of the Banyan Bedrooms has its own private terrace or verandah, while the slightly smaller Bazaar Bedrooms overlook the hotel’s central courtyard. The Upper Suite offers views of the fort and has its own private balcony with views of the streets. All classes of accommodation come with plenty of amenities, such as bathrobes, tea and coffee making facilities, a satellite TV with DVD player, a minibar and a range of complimentary toiletries.
Guests staying here are very well placed for exploring Galle Fort, with its many cultural and historical sites, shops, bars and restaurants just steps away from the hotel. Galle Fort is known for being one of the finest examples of a European-style fortified city in all of Asia. It’s home to a wealth of important and interesting sites, with many museums, churches, monuments, temples and the like within walking distance.
Even though there’s plenty to experience in Galle Fort itself, The Fort Bazaar has plenty of on-site facilities of its own. The Church Street Social is the hotel’s air conditioned restaurant and is open to the public, as well as hotel guests. Those staying at the hotel who want a bit more privacy can choose to dine in the courtyard or by the pool. The property also has a small spa offering a number of relaxing treatments, as well as a cinema with enough room to hold 10 people.
The hotel welcomes children of all ages and offers a babysitting service which is available upon request. For family accommodation, two of the Bazaar Double Bedrooms interconnect with Bazaar Twin Bedrooms - these sleep four and open out onto the central courtyard. Alternatively, families of four can occupy two slightly smaller Banyan Double Bedrooms which interconnect with Banyan Twin Bedrooms and open onto a balcony/veranda. Last but not least, there’s the split-level Upper Family Suite which is the most spacious option and comes with enhanced facilities. This suite sleeps up to five and has a beautifully-proportioned room on the lower floor with a king-sized four-posted bed and open plan lounge, and on the upper mezzanine there are two single beds. The suite has a large bathroom with rain-shower and bathtub, and a terrace with views of Galle Fort. Do get in touch since we can advise families on the best rooms based on particular requirements.
Yes everything went incredibly smoothly , excellent guide and set up u have . I might need a new pair of calves though !!! Thanks for sorting ALL the changes out. Regards Charlie
charles b
reviewing 6 Day Toubkal Circuit
on 03 May 2023
Hi Lisa, We had a fabulous time thank you. The accommodation and other ideation were all terrific - that’s so much for your help. The apartment in Cape Town was particularly good - we would never have found that: Boschendal was great as well and game lodge was superb. Thanks again, Alistair
Alistair A
reviewing Cape Town, Garden Route and Kruger
on 28 April 2023
Dear Lisa
Well, we are back and still buzzing. We have had a marvellous time. The weather helped. We left Manchester in the snow and arrived in Marrakesh at 30 degrees. We were well looked after in the Riad. I'm glad we booked a meal for the first evening - ate it on the roof terrace. We can recommend that. It was delicious. We ate at the Foundouk, as per your recommendation and on the following night we ate at Le Jardin - got lost on the way to it!. We can really recommend Le Jardin.
The following day we went to Majorelle gardens. Fortunately we had looked it up before we travelled because you have to book in advance online only from Jan 2023. We found our own way to the Medera Ben Yousef and Latifa took us to Bahia Palace - both were stunning.
The following morning our lovely taxi driver Mohammond collected us to go to the EcoLodge. Yet another Mohammond made us very welcome. Again we ate well! You were right, the pool was freezing, but I can't sit next to water and not get in. Once you're in you forget how cold it is! I wasn't the only person to try the pool.
Rashid, our guide for our walk collected us. He was brilliant. It was hard work, but worth it. I was determined I would make it. Kevin is fitter than me! The Berber family were lovely. We stopped when we were nearly there to see how rag rugs were made. When we got back Rashid and Mohammond confessed that Mohammond had said to Rashid that he should get us to a road if we got too tired and they would send a taxi (or a mule!) to collect us - or me, but Rashid was sure that I'd be OK. He was right. I think they wondered about these 2 70+ year olds. We can't praise Rashid enough. He had walked over from Imlil in the morning and was going to walk back after he left us.
Thank you so much for putting our holiday together. We never thought it would be 3 years before we went. We are so glad we persevered. We did wonder what we had let ourselves in for as 2 oldies!
Fiona and Kevin
Fiona B
reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains
on 21 April 2023
Yes everything went incredibly smoothly , excellent guide and set up u have . I might need a new pair of calves though !!! Thanks for sorting ALL the changes out. Regards Charlie
charles b
reviewing 6 Day Toubkal Circuit
on 03 May 2023
Hi Lisa, We had a fabulous time thank you. The accommodation and other ideation were all terrific - that’s so much for your help. The apartment in Cape Town was particularly good - we would never have found that: Boschendal was great as well and game lodge was superb. Thanks again, Alistair
Alistair A
reviewing Cape Town, Garden Route and Kruger
on 28 April 2023
Dear Lisa
Well, we are back and still buzzing. We have had a marvellous time. The weather helped. We left Manchester in the snow and arrived in Marrakesh at 30 degrees. We were well looked after in the Riad. I'm glad we booked a meal for the first evening - ate it on the roof terrace. We can recommend that. It was delicious. We ate at the Foundouk, as per your recommendation and on the following night we ate at Le Jardin - got lost on the way to it!. We can really recommend Le Jardin.
The following day we went to Majorelle gardens. Fortunately we had looked it up before we travelled because you have to book in advance online only from Jan 2023. We found our own way to the Medera Ben Yousef and Latifa took us to Bahia Palace - both were stunning.
The following morning our lovely taxi driver Mohammond collected us to go to the EcoLodge. Yet another Mohammond made us very welcome. Again we ate well! You were right, the pool was freezing, but I can't sit next to water and not get in. Once you're in you forget how cold it is! I wasn't the only person to try the pool.
Rashid, our guide for our walk collected us. He was brilliant. It was hard work, but worth it. I was determined I would make it. Kevin is fitter than me! The Berber family were lovely. We stopped when we were nearly there to see how rag rugs were made. When we got back Rashid and Mohammond confessed that Mohammond had said to Rashid that he should get us to a road if we got too tired and they would send a taxi (or a mule!) to collect us - or me, but Rashid was sure that I'd be OK. He was right. I think they wondered about these 2 70+ year olds. We can't praise Rashid enough. He had walked over from Imlil in the morning and was going to walk back after he left us.
Thank you so much for putting our holiday together. We never thought it would be 3 years before we went. We are so glad we persevered. We did wonder what we had let ourselves in for as 2 oldies!
Fiona and Kevin
Fiona B
reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains
on 21 April 2023
Dear Lisa,
We have just returned from South Africa and wanted to pass on our huge thanks for helping to organise such a fantastic holiday. The entire trip was amazing - accommodation was first class. The safari was incredible!
We'll be sure to get in touch when we're next planning an adventure!
Best wishes, Ed & Jane
Roy P
reviewing Cape Town & Kruger Safari
on 17 April 2023
Thank you, Lisa! Our trip was wonderful even with the weather disruption. We loved seeing so many different parts of the country, meeting people and experiencing the culture. The desert was surely a highlight for our boys and the creativity and artisanship of everything from food to crafts were a highlight for me. A special shout out to our guide and driver, they became a special part of our trip and we will forever be grateful for meeting them and learning from them. I cannot believe we had to wait three years for this adventure but it was certainly worth the wait! Thanks for all your help building the itinerary, modifying it and troubleshooting during our stay. Leslie B
Leslie B
reviewing Luxury Desert Holiday
on 01 March 2023
Hi Lisa and everyone at Tourdust,
We've had a wonderful time on our holiday and wanted to pass our appreciation to you. Everything has been expertly planned and executed, allowing us to enjoy the holiday to its fullest. Special appreciation to Muhammed, Ibrahim, and Omar, our Atlas guide, cook, and muleteer, who couldn't have done more for us and were just generally wonderful and hardworking. Riad Hanane is a perfect base in Marrakech to complement the trekking as it's ina less touristy area of the medina, which we appreciated. The staff and accomodation was superb.Thank you again for a trip to remember!
Bob, May, Grace, and Lucas
Robert B
reviewing Marrakech & Mountains Family Trek
on 20 February 2023
Hello Lisa. We came back from our trip two weeks ago now so I am sending this email much later than I wanted to. Nevertheless, what I wanted to say was thank you very much for helping us organise an amazing trip. Our days in Mafia Island to celebrate my 50th birthday were exactly what I wanted them to be: a fantastic time with the family doing activities that we all love and enjoy in a relaxing, unusual, beautiful place full of sun, surrounded by water, wildlife and friendly people. We swam with whale sharks, did a lot of snorkeling, had two picnics on a beautiful sand bank, watched the sunset over the sea, did a bird watching excursion and tried scuba diving.
All merit to you because Pole Pole in Mafia Island was your recommendation. I never heard of Mafia Island before and didn't consider Tanzania to start with. It was an amazing place to stay: friendly, relaxed, beautiful, comfortable, with great food and fantastic service. Thanks not only for finding the place but also for your patience as we prepared the trip and I explored options and decided what I wanted. All went incredibly well (places, transfers, flights) and we had a very memorable time together that we will all remember forever - as we still do the safari trip to South Africa you organised for us 5 years ago.
I cannot wait to plan another trip! I am already thinking about where and when. Hopefully no pandemic will get in the way this time. And I will come to you as my favourite travel agent.
I copy in this message the Tourdust office because I want them to know how good you are and how much I appreciated the different trips you organised for us (including the trip to India for my parents that was cancelled due to Covid). I cannot thank you enough :o)
Kind regards, Carol
Carolina O
reviewing Relaxed Bush & Beach Family Holiday in Tanzania
on 25 November 2022
Hi Lisa
It was a fantastic experience, thanks very much. All the arrangements were seamless and our guiding/support team were excellent, if there is a way for you to formally commend the team to your ground operators then I would be grateful if you could do that, they really were brilliant.
Many thanks for your help in arranging the trip, and for your patience during the multiple re-arrangements over the past couple of years.
Kind regards, John
John B
reviewing Mount Kenya Sirimon Naro Moru Trek
on 14 November 2022
Can't praise tour dust enough, they helped us to create a holiday of a lifetime that has given us family memories we will treasure forever. From start to finish the whole experience was exactly what we wanted and more. Due to covid we waited 2 and a half years for this trip but worth the wait.
Carly
Carly R
reviewing Value KwaZulu-Natal Safari and Mauritius
on 07 November 2022
Hi Ben
Just to enlarge on my earlier, our M'goun trip couldn't have gone better. A great itinerary, altho perhaps an extra gentle day around the plateau before the summit might have eased things but that couldn't be helped given the road change. Our team were all fantastic, couldn't have been more solicitous for our comfort. Hakim our guide a real star. Food delicious. Kit was great - tents held up in a biblical storm, mattresses most comfortable ever (good thing as ground often v stony), loo worked well. You have a good local agent. Riads excellent, esp Adore. Great value.
Many thanks. William
William M
reviewing Mgoun Summit Trek
on 26 October 2022
Driver-guide: Very punctual, except for pick up for airport when he was delayed by >30 mins due to road closures. Vehicle very clean and well maintained- plenty of water and supplies of clothing for religious sites, tissues, postcards etc. Very good at understanding what level of conversation we wanted. Happy to stop for paracetamol, supermarket etc. Took us to signal box at railway since we were early (which was very interesting)
The Walawwa: Lovely place to arrive at and get a bit of rest. Great pool, lovely rooms and food etc. Peaceful oasis so close to town.
Wilpattu Camp: Wonderful food- really enjoyed trying lots of new things in excellent surroundings.Felt like the place had not been visited much recently (which I don’t think it had due to the terrorist attacks) so our safari guide had been brought up from another park and did not know the park too well- it worked out well though and we saw all the animals we hoped to see so no complaints on that front. We did feel that we should have been told about extra things we could have done- when we commented on the great food on final day we were told that they could have done a cookery demo for us, but it was too late at that point. It worked well for us but clients should probably know that they are likely to have multiple wildlife in their tents (eg frogs)- didn’t bother us at all, but others it might do. We were given a questionnaire to fill in at the end whilst all the staff were standing around, which wasn’t ideal as you felt a bit of pressure! Felt really well looked after here!
Water Gardens Sigiriya: Beautiful suites with plunge pools- quiet and peaceful with lovely big swimming pool. Food good
Jungle Beach: Beautiful location on beach. Rooms good. Food a bit limited I would have liked a bit more variety ideally.
Camellia House: Lovely location- beautiful views. Food OK but service below average- our food orders were wrong a couple of times and even pre-ordered food was delayed. Tea factory tour was only an hour and that was the main reason to be here. It was interesting but quite brief seeing it was the main attraction according to our itinerary. Also, we were taken there in a minibus which didn’t have seatbelts on all seats and was quite smelly- not up to the standard of the usual transportation. Rooms were described as having panoramic views- one did have amazing views but the other one definitely didn’t.
Galle Face: Lovely old hotel- but it did have some problems (leaking ceiling and ‘smuts’ coming out of air conditioning.) Weather very bad (spectacular storms). It was a shame the street food tour couldn’t take place but totally understandable given the weather, however we enjoyed our dinner here and free drinks/canopes!). Good choice at breakfast.
Pippa R
reviewing Sri Lanka Highlights - Classic
on 30 September 2019
Once again you organised a really good holiday for us.
If there was one criticism it was that there were too many flights. I don’t know whether you could do Bangkok first, Chiang Mai, then fly down South?
Your drivers and Guides - all really good. The variety of transport on the tours in Bangkok and Chiang Mai; we all loved.
Tamarind Village - Our room was a bit of a squeeze, with the 3 of us and 3 big suitcases.
Lisu Lodge- I enjoyed our time here. Going forward I would suggest only 1 night or they need to have some more activities. I liked how we ate on the floor, the food was really good. Staff very friendly. We liked the cycling, tea plantation, trekking and white water rafting.
Riva Surya- good location.
Elephant Hills- we loved looking after the elephants, the lake was also a really good experience. The guides were informative and looked after us well. The resort locations and tents were perfect.
Santiburi - amazing; we upgraded to a beach bungalow which was fantastic. The hotel is in a stunning location, the facilities and the service was impeccable. Sam has some private Thai boxing lessons, which he loved. We had cookery lessons and used the paddle boards. A perfect end to quite a busy holiday.
Natasha L
reviewing Thailand Family Adventure
on 24 September 2019
The speed of response, efficiency of the booking process, flexibility/concern and information provided were all excellent. The meet and assist at the airport, punctuality, safety, general knowledge, liaison with customer and the vehicle used was excellent and the knowledge of routes and property locations was very good. Our guide was excellent with interesting knowledge and very good English, we could not have expected any more.
Jetwing Beach - The room was poor and the food Satisfactory. In general the accommodation was good, the service and location were very good and accuracy of profile excellent.
We needed to change rooms due to cockroaches in the bathroom. The staff and management were very helpful but the second room offered also had cockroaches!Kandy House - The room, food and location were good. In general the accommodation was very good, the service and accuracy of profile was excellent.
Camilla Hills - The room was poor, the food was good. In general the accommodation was excellent with excellent service, location and accuracy of profile.
We were allocated the worst room and had no view. It was very disappointing and ruined our stay. The management we excellent but could not move us to a room with a view.Cinnamon Wild - The food and service was good. In general the accommodation was very good with very good room and excellent location and accuracy of profile.
The Safari Drives were excellent.Fort Bazaar - In general the accommodation was very good with very good food and excellent room, service, location and accuracy of profile.
Due to the lack of alcohol served meant we needed to eat outside of the hotel. The lack of a pool needs addressing, otherwise a lovely atmosphere and service.Interesting and informative visit to Milennium Elephant Foundation.
Visit to Royal Botanical Gardens was a highlight of the tour with an excellent guide.
We were lucky to watch the service at the Temple of the Tooth and advise others to make sure they can do the the same 09:15 or 17:15.
Train journey - we were on the wrong side of the train so the view was limited. Fun journey though. Best part of scenery is after Hatton Station.
Drives on safari were excellent and well organised.
We did not have the tour of the fort as the guide could not accommodate our required timing.
Visit to the Tea Plantations was fascinating but brief.
Samantha S
reviewing Cultural Sri Lanka for Families
on 25 April 2019
We just got back from our trip and it was wonderful...It's really hard
to adjust back to real life!We had a great trip and the trek was wonderful. Jatoo, our guide, was an
extraordinary guy, his English was very good, he knew the area very
well, he told us a lot about Thailand and he was a riot over all! I
think he made a big difference to our experience.I'd rate the overall experience at 4. I think it'd be helpful to be a
little more detailed in the requirement up front, as we thought the trek
was walking around the forest but it was a bit more than that. We
thoroughly enjoyed the challenge, so the last day, the bike ride fell a
little short of expectations, we woke up really early and wished that we
did a bit more at the end. I'd certainly recommend it to my friends and
we'll look at other tours that you arrange in the future.
Anon
reviewing Hill Tribe Trekking in Thailand
on 11 May 2011
.The trekking experience was great (i.e. day 1 and 2) would rate that a 5, Day 3 was a 4, Day 4 was a 3. Some elements of the trip such as the dancers at Lisu lodge was not really necessary as we prefer to see the Lisu tribe in their village rather than a forced dance in the lodge. Also, the bike trip on day 4 was too short. I think you should look at extending this trip and rearranging some of the other activities.
Having said these, I must point out that we had an excellent tour guide (Jatoo). I would recommend him to all my friends. He was very knowledgeable, and never got tired of our detailed questions.
Overall my main disappointment was that apart from the Lahu Outpost, the "rules" did not allow Jatoo to have dinner with us. I find this very strange at this day and age. This decision should be left to the guide and the visitors, not the owners of the lodges.
Hope these comments help. We had a wonderful time and saw the best part of Thailand.
Thanks for your help.
Anon
reviewing Hill Tribe Trekking in Thailand
on 11 May 2011
