Many tourists arrive in Sri Lanka and travel out to the countryside immediately, ignoring the capital city of Colombo. But I often find I enjoy the busy and energising capital cities that others avoid. Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo was our dwelling point for our first night in Sri Lanka, a recently opened branch of the luxury Asian hotel group.

We arrived into the main international airport and a hotel representative was waiting there to greet us and take us to the property. Shangri-La Hotel Colombo opened in November 2017 as part of the port’s multi-million pound regeneration.

We were welcomed into the spectacular lobby, an impressively large space with a high ceiling, full height windows and a shimmering crystal water lily chandelier.

There are 541 rooms in total, of varying sizes but all decorated in a similar style. We were in an executive room on the 32nd (top) floor with amazing views looking out over the lake and the city. We were given access to the lovely Horizon lounge which offers complimentary high tea and drinks daily and overlooks the Indian Ocean.

The bedrooms are neatly arranged and business like in design, decorated in neutral shades of grey and cream with hints of colour. A decadent king-sized bed was the focus of our room and was extremely comfortable. The adjoining bathroom was small but had a bath squeezed in, and toiletries by local wellness brand, Spa Ceylon.

We were staying during the Vesak Poya public holiday (a celebration of Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and death), so the streets were very busy and lots of the shops and markets were closed. Eager to see the streets of Colombo we went out in the hotel’s Tuk tuk, a fun way to get an insight into the thrilling Colombo city life. Had we had more time I would have loved to have explored the facilities in the hotel more too, a striking pool with canary yellow sun loungers and a relaxing spa.

Tiki mocktails were delivered – a delicious tropical mix of passion fruit, fresh ginger and ginger ale. And then a feast of Modern Sri Lankan food arrived… Black Hoppers made from batter with squid ink, and served with creamy soft buffalo curd, fragrant Crab Stringhopper Kottu made with native mudcrab meat and stringhoppers and served with crab sauce. Everything was delicious. Don’t miss the signature dessert – What the Hopper – is a sweet version of the traditional dish, a treacle hopper with whipped curd, chopped strawberries and drizzled with treacle. It was satisfyingly sweet and wonderfully inventive. We finished the meal as the locals do… with a calming drink of honey, lime juice and hot water.

The next morning we awoke feeling well rested and refreshed, a beautiful breakfast in the room was the perfect finale to our stay at the Shangri-La Hotel Colombo.

More information and book a stay at Shangri-La Hotel Colombo here.