The Sri Lanka Collection has announced the addition of its newest Collection member, The Fort Bazaar. This exciting 18-room boutique hotel located in the heart of the 17th century UNESCO World Heritage Site of Galle Fort, on the island’s southern coast, is scheduled to open in November.

The addition of The Fort Bazaar – sister hotel to the award-winning (Condé Nast Traveller Gold List 2015) The Wallawwa near Colombo – into The Sri Lanka Collection’s fold brings the number of properties represented by The Sri Lanka Collection to 13. The Fort Bazaar will be the first boutique hotel the company will represent in prestigious Galle Fort.  The Fort Bazaar and The Wallawwa are owned and operated by Teardrop Hotels, and share similar characteristics of being small, intimate and atmospheric hotels with high standards of service, comfort and food set amidst sensitively converted historic buildings key to Sri Lanka’s colonial past. Similar in style to The Wallawwa, The Fort Bazaar will offer a selection of luxurious rooms and suites alongside exceptional facilities, including a restaurant, bar, cinema, 15-metre swimming pool and ‘Z Spa’.

“As Teardrop Hotels expands into a small collection of luxury properties around Sri Lanka, we’re delighted that our second hotel, The Fort Bazaar, has become a member of The Sri Lanka Collection,” commented Teardrop Hotels Managing Director Henry Fitch. “The UK market is of great importance to us and being supported by Eleanor and her team will undoubtedly help keep agents and operators fully informed of our news at The Fort Bazaar and The Wallawwa, as well as Teardrop’s tea bungalow openings in 2016.”

The Fort Bazaar’s 15 ‘Bazaar’ and ‘Banyan’ bedrooms are as luxurious as you would expect from a high-end hotel and several of these interconnect to form ‘Family Suites’ for those travelling with children. At 80 square metres, the three ‘Upper Suites’ are particularly spacious and boast balconies offering views across the fort’s red tiled rooftops to the Indian Ocean beyond. The Fort Bazaar has been designed to be a hub for those staying in the Galle area and will have a ‘buzz’ unlike any existing hotel in Galle Fort. It will also entice Galle Fort day-trippers with the promise of blissful spa treatments, a vibrant bar and a gourmet restaurant with acclaimed Australian chef Neal Giles at the helm (former positions include Executive Chef at the Westin Beijing Chaoyang in China; Culinary Director of ‘W’ Hotel in Hong Kong; and Group Executive Chef of Castelo Concepts, an international hospitality company with over 45 restaurants and bars in Hong Kong and Vietnam).

The Fort Bazaar is located in Galle Fort on historic Church Street – a central thoroughfare atmospherically lined with boutiques, colonial churches and heritage buildings. The Fort’s many sights are all within walking distance, as is Galle’s international test cricket ground, the shops and fresh produce markets of the new town, and transport hubs of the bus and train stations. You can reach Colombo in one-and-a-half hours via the Southern Expressway (or two-and-a-half hours by train) and the international airport in two-and-a half hours. Alternatively, you can take a 70-minute domestic flight from the airport to Koggala Lake, 25-minutes drive from Galle. Domestic flights also directly connect Koggala with Kandy, Bentota and Dickwella.

Galle’s nearest beaches are just 20 minutes drive from town, and the whale-watching hotspot of Mirissa 50 minutes away. Weligama, famous for surfing, is a 40-minute drive. Other sights in the region include lowland tea plantations, paddy fields, ancient temples, Koggala Lake for boating and bird watching, and wildlife-rich rainforests.  The Sri Lanka Collection, a UK-based representation and marketing company, works on behalf of a distinguished collection of Sri Lankan boutique hotels, villas and safari camps. The company raises awareness of Sri Lanka’s outstanding boutique travel products and helps them to maximise their visibility in the UK. The Sri Lanka Collection is the first representation company of its kind to focus on the high-end client and on Sri Lanka alone.