Discovering Negombo’s hidden secret, Amagi Aria
By Oshani Alwis
Encircled by the calm emanating from the lagoon beyond, a visitor would fall in love with the place at first sight. This is Negombo’s hidden secret Amagi Aria, a four-star hotel located alongside the serene Negombo lagoon: one of the two properties of Amagi Hotels, the other being Amagi Beach in the Western coast of Marawila.
Previously known as Amagi Lagoon Resort and Spa, Amagi Aria’s new look boasts a brand new seven-storey wing comprising 43 deluxe rooms and four luxury suites to its existing 21 standard rooms and a fine dining seafood restaurant, Moya. The grand launch of the new brand is scheduled for early next year under the name “Amagi Aria” which means an everlasting song.
“Our efforts take a long-term aim at showcasing the value and inimitability of our wonderful island to the world, through our service and vision of becoming the most preferred hotel brands for locals and foreigners alike,” says Chairman, Amagi Hotels Somanathan Ganeshanathan.
“Even though the product is of fourstar we maintain a service level of fivestar,” General Manager, Marketing and Operations of Amagi Hotels Renuke Coswatte says.
Amagi Aria offers a comfortable range of guest rooms and suites with the magnificent sights of the lagoon, the city of Negombo, pool and the garden. The soothing setting is refelcted by the light-filled and cosy interiors of the rooms.
Amagi Aria’s rooftop fine dining sea food restaurant Moya takes its name from the Sinhalese term for the place where the lagoon meets the sea. Being the ideal venue to taste a platter of exquisite seafood blended with authentic local flavours Moya overlooks the picturesque lagoon and the evening sky above. Corporate Chef Sampath Maddewatte pairs the finest seafood with quality ingredients creating mouthwatering dishes including mini fried crab cake, grilled salmon, chilled scallops and many more. Moya’s signature desserts include mango panacotta with mixed berry coulis, fruit pavlova and lemon mint sorbet. Moya is open daily for dinner from 7p.m. to 11 p.m.
Other restaurants and dining areas of Amagi- Aria, include Catamaran, the allday-dining restaurant, the Lawn Bar,while the Sunset Deck, in the lagoon shore, is specially designed for a candle-lit dining experience. The Pontoon serves as the hotel’s floating restaurant and hidden among man- grove, lamps of bamboo hanging from the roof, the Tree House is ideal for private dining occasions.
Amagi Aria is the place for weddings with a wide choice of locations including the Grand Ballroom or the lagoon-front lawn and deck for an outdoor ceremony with the lagoon as the backdrop. It is located just 10 minutes away from the Colombo International Airport. Amagi Aria 640/82, Suhada Mawatha, Colombo Road, Kurana, Negombo.
For more information and reservation, visit www.amagihotels.com
To make reservations at Moya Seafood Restaurant call 0312238385-8.
Opening their latest venture in Galle this year, Thailand’s Amari Hotel has come to Sri Lanka! The hotel, we were pleasantly surprised to find, offers a scenic view of the Galle coastline. The interior design and architecture of the building pay homage to the rich heritage and culture of Galle.
A collaboration by Sino Lanka and the Thai-based ONYX Hospitality Group, this marks the first Amari hotel in Sri Lanka. This will be the third hotel Sino Lanka unveiled in Sri Lanka whereas the ONYX Hospitality Group are parent to many brands of properties for business and leisure travellers, namely - Amari, Shama and OZO.
According to team ONYX, Amari ‘reflects the warmth and energy of modern Asia’. Over the years Amari has networked into many properties in Thailand, Hua Hin, Pattaya, Phuket, Krabi, Koh Samui, Bangkok, Buriram, Doha, Dhaka, Maldives, Johor Bahru and Yangsho in China.
The grand inauguration ceremony of Amari Galle in September was attended by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, together with the Chairman of Sino Lanka Hotels Private Limited, Bob Kundanmal; President of ONYX Hospitality Group, Douglas Martell, Joint Partner of Sino Lanka Hotels Private Limited, Manu Bhojwani; Director, Sino Lanka Hotels Rajan Bharvani, President and CEO of the ITALTHAI Group, Yuthachai Charanachitta and Minister of Tourism Development John Amaratunga.
Amari Galle’s 172 guestrooms and suites are designed to face the beachfront all inclusive of their own private balconies to create a “beach house feel” with their spacious, brightly lit interiors.
For those in need of more private quarters Amari Galle also offers a 360 square metre Presidential suite. Inspired by the concept ‘day meets night’ the suite merges colours that depict the hues of dusk. Situated atop the breathtaking view at the topmost floor, the two bedroom suite includes a dining area, living area and a balcony terrace with a private plunge pool.
Open for all three meals Ahara Gourmet Galleryis a signature market style restaurant inspired by the rich street food culture of the region. Live workstations and warm service allows diners the opportunity to mingle whilst savouring the vibrant flavours of Asian and International cuisines.
For that ultimate seaside experience guests are welcome to bask either by the pool or ocean at the Shoreline Beach Club. The highlight of this innovative structure is the bar, rather ironically placed under three intersecting canopies resembling a Bodhi tree.
Serenaded by a starry sky and house DJ, guests can also enjoy the serene ambiance of the Bommu Rooftop.
The Breeze Spa is where therapies for guests are mood based - depending on whether visitors wish to be rejuvenated or pampered. Exclusive to Amari Galle the “Galle Ceylon Retreat Package” is a 2 1/2 hour treatment that combines Thai and Ayurvedic techniques. For guests who wish to trim the holiday weight Amari Galle also offers a fully equipped FIT Centre.
The hotel is also equipped to handle corporate events. A ballroom that can accommodate up to 350 people offers high speed internet access, video conferencing and the latest audio-visual equipment. The hotel further offers three IDEA rooms giving corporates spaces for creative meetings.
Surrounded by Galle’s rich heritage, and just a 10 to 15 min drive from the Highway exit (roughly 8.5 km distance), Amari offers a great base to explore and unwind.